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On Friday, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the second quarter crime statistics for South Africa, from July 1 to September 30.
Cele said the decline in different crimes was largely due to the lockdown, which meant that more people were staying home and that “there were more boots on the ground.”
Major General Norman Sekhukhune explained that as confinement levels decreased, so did crime margins.
He said that September saw the first increase in contact crimes, a staggering 1,281 more cases than in July.
As the country’s economy gradually opened up and lockdown levels were lowered, the “rosy outlook” of crime decline began to fade.
And before the holiday season, Cele took the opportunity to warn against irresponsible alcohol consumption, saying it was “one of the biggest generators of violent crime.”
Here is a summary of the crime statistics for the second quarter:
Murder
The murder figures decreased by 6.2%, with a total of 5,107 people killed. This is a reduction of 339, compared to the same period last year.
Cele said it was also the lowest of the last four crime statistics for the second quarter, from 2017-2018 to date.
Of the total murders, 1922 took place in public spaces.
More than 900 people lost their lives in their own homes or in the homes of their perpetrators.
Arguments and misunderstandings, as well as robberies, vigilantism, and gang conflict were the main drivers of the murder during this time.
The assassination attempt increased by 1.8%, an increase of 85 cases.
Interestingly, only two killings in Limpopo were attributed to misunderstandings or arguments, Sekhukhune said.
Gender violence
The number of reported sexual crimes, sexual assault, decreased by 16.8%, and rape cases decreased by 18.8%. A total of 8,922 rape cases were reported between July and September. The province with the highest number of rape cases was KwaZulu-Natal.
A sample of 5168 rape files revealed that 3578 people were attacked and raped in their homes or in the homes of their perpetrators.
More than 1000 people were raped in public spaces. Most of the victims were women.
Alcoholic beverage
Cele, once again, reiterated his position on the alcohol that fuels violent crime in the country.
He said the figures justified his stance, with hundreds of murder cases, 829 assaults with the intent to cause serious bodily harm (GBH), 747 rape cases and 179 attempted murder cases directly related to alcohol consumption and abuse.
Crimes of fear
Cele warned that criminals were struggling to make up for “lost time” during the “crime vacation,” or lockdown, in the first quarter of the financial year.
This meant an inevitable increase in residential burglaries, which have increased by 8.5%, that is, in 452 cases.
Business robberies decreased 8.5% and threesome crimes or vehicle thefts decreased 1.6%.
Cash in transit robberies (CIT)
Gang-related unions targeting cash vans were becoming more brazen as the year progressed, Cele summarized, adding that these attacks often took place near innocent bystanders.
Tax theft increased 60%, with an increase of 24 cases from the previous quarter.
There has been some breakthrough, with Ekurhuleni tactical response teams and police officers defeating a gang of CIT thieves in Dawn Park in September. Five of the suspects were killed in a shootout with police at a safe house in the area.
Investigations revealed that the owner of the safe house was an employee of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The Hawks also continued to round up and take down CIT gangs, with three alleged CIT masterminds captured in Johannesburg. More than R3.2 million were also recovered.
But more work was needed “to infiltrate these gangs and bring the CIT robberies to their knees.”
Stock theft
Alarming rates of livestock theft were occurring in the country’s farming communities.
From July to September, there were 7,339 cases of stock theft.
During this time, 26,322 sheep and more than 14,000 cattle were stolen, as well as game, pigs, goats, horses, donkeys and poultry. Cele said that stolen stocks often ended up being euthanized and sold to unsuspecting citizens.
However, stock theft had decreased compared to the previous quarter, and only the cases in the Northern Cape saw a rebound.
The crime was classified as “economic sabotage”, which must also be infiltrated, monitored and investigated.
Cele said a task force had been created to investigate stock theft in the Free State.
Other notable statistics
Truck hijackings increased in 99 cases to 31.7%. All property-related crimes decreased by 18.7%, or 22,023 cases. Motor vehicle theft decreased by 17.2% and thefts at residential properties decreased by 21.3%.
There were 13 farm killings that occurred in 10 incidents between July and September. There were also 46 robberies, two kidnappings, eight attempted murder cases, and three rapes that occurred in the second quarter.
During the second quarter, 252 police officers lost their lives to Covid-19. Cele conveyed her condolences to these officers, as well as those who died in the line of duty.
“I think there is a war against our law enforcement officers and we must be prepared for the fight,” he said.
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