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A scene in Cape Town. (Getty)
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- While fewer crimes were reported between July and September 2020 compared to the previous year, some crimes are becoming more common.
- Nationwide, more aggravated break-ins, cash thefts in transit, truck hijackings, and business crimes are taking place.
- Law enforcement agencies in major South African cities, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban, have noted a worrying increase in certain crime trends.
- For more articles, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
South Africa’s quarterly crime statistics, which measure incidents reported between July and September 2020, show a decrease in the most serious crimes compared to the same period in 2019. With contact crimes declining by 12% overall and the total of sexual crimes in 17%, the positive summary sour when evaluating cases of aggravated robbery.
This criminal trend is especially frequent in the main metropolitan centers of the country. Reports of vehicle thefts, aggravated robberies at homes and businesses, cash thefts in transit and truck hijackings increased in urban centers in South Africa.
Nationwide, “aggravated” robberies from homes (home invasions) grew nearly 9%, while cash thefts in transit and truck hijacks increased 60% and 32% respectively.
While statistics released by the South African Police Service point to a resurgence in rural crime, the country’s urban centers, which still account for the bulk of crime due to increasing population density, have suffered the brunt of the crime. increase in aggravated robberies.
READ | Crime dropped dramatically in these areas, with central Cape Town particularly quiet
By studying the data presented in the recent quarterly publication and by tracking the number of crimes reported at police stations in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban, a clearer picture of urban safety begins to emerge.
Crime in Cape Town
While the Cape Town Central Police Station, located in the heart of the Mother City CBD, saw the largest overall decline in criminal activity compared to other urban precincts, certain crimes across the metropolitan area showed growth trends. worrisome.
Serious crimes such as murder and attempted murder increased in Khayelitsha, Harare, Delft and Kraaifontein. With the provincial murder attempt rate rising by 9%, some Cape Town police stations posted staggering increases. In Belville, reports of assassination attempts increased by 900% with nine more incidents reported in 2020. Stations in the city’s northern suburbs, namely Brackenfell, Bothasig, and Kraaifontein reported that the rate of assassination attempts was there was more than doubled.
Seven Cape Town police stations, which occupy the national list of top 10 murders, reported that 429 people had been killed between July and September 2020. These stations account for 42% of all murders recorded in the Western Cape a a rate of nearly five murders. everyday.
Aggravated break-ins and robberies also increased in Cape Town, with the northern suburbs, again, seeing increases of at least 50%. The Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Philippi East, Delft, Mfuleni and Kraaifontein Police Stations reported a combined total of 1,599 aggravated robbery incidents. Residential burglaries increased by 8.4% in the Western Cape, with the majority of these home invasions occurring in Cape Town City. The Steenberg Police Station, in the southern suburbs of the city, reported a 400% increase in residential burglaries.
Aggravated residential burglaries, defined as a crime in which a weapon was used or injuries were inflicted on the victim, was one of the only crimes that increased in the city center, doubling to four incidents compared to 2019.
Crime in Johannesburg
Johannesburg’s metropolitan districts saw a sharp increase in vehicle and truck thefts, at 5% and 52% respectively. The Johannesburg Central Police Station reported a 17.9% increase in vehicle thefts, with five more vehicles stolen with aggravating circumstances in 2020. Vehicle thefts in Yeoville increased by 35.7% and in Kempton Park by 51, 9%.
Johannesburg reported more truck hijackings than any other city in the country. Ten metropolitan police stations reported a total of 82 incidents, representing 33% of the provincial total.
Sandton, Rosebank and Protea Glen Police Stations all saw increases in aggravated non-residential burglaries. Residential burglaries in Yeoville increased by 36%, adding to the overall provincial increase in home invasions by 2%. While thefts at non-residential locations decreased at the provincial level, most inner-city police stations saw a notable increase in business robberies, with incidents at Protea Glen increasing by 87%.
Crime in Pretoria
Pretoria police officers were busy between July and September 2020, and city center stations saw increases in car thefts, murders, housebreaks, common robberies and shoplifting.
The Brooklyn Police Station recorded seven car thefts, which is related to a 600% increase compared to 2019, and a 153% increase in shoplifting with 124 reported incidents. Vehicle thefts recorded by the Pretoria group of four stations, consisting of Pretoria Central, North, West and Moot, totaled 63 with increases across all precincts. The number of kidnappings in Pretoria West nearly doubled to 42, and shoplifting incidents grew by 150%.
Pretoria’s murder rate also showed a significant increase, with the central police station recording seven murders compared to four last year. More murders were also recorded in the North and West Districts compared to 2019. The rate of attempted murders also increased in Sunnyside and Silverton.
Common theft incidents in Garsfontein doubled, while the Brooklyn Police Station recorded a total of 98 cases, representing a 23% increase over 2019, and putting the precinct just ten cases under the count. from Pretoria Central.
Crime in Durban
During the announcement of the latest crime statistics, Police Minister Bheki Cele singled out KwaZulu-Natal for its high rate of contact sexual crimes. The rise in serious crime, especially in Durban city center, has raised concern.
The Berea Police Station recorded seven cases of rape, representing a 250% increase compared to 2019. Chatsworth experienced an overall 12% increase in sex crimes. The Bellair Police Station recorded three cases of rape, representing a 200% increase.
As with other urban areas in the Western Cape and Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal experienced an increase in both residential and non-residential burglaries. Home invasions increased by 14%, with Umbilo contributing 15 cases, or a 7% increase, to the overall total.
Durban’s attempted murder rate also increased in line with the provincial increase of 9.6%. Inanda, on the outskirts of the city center, recorded 65 assassination attempts, representing an increase of 47.7%. Chatsworth also saw a 42% increase in assassination attempts, while Berea recorded 12 murders representing a 300% increase over the previous year.
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