Article by: Dumisane Dube
Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the police recorded Crime Statistics for the 1st Quarter of this financial year 2021/2022.
“The very same shock of last year is repeating itself with an exaggerated extreme opposite to say the least. The double figure eye popping increase in most crime categories is informed by the same reasons stated above of adjusted lockdown levels and distorted crime trends” said Cele in his opening remarks.
Contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, sexual offences and all categories of assault registered a 60, 6% increase, compared to the corresponding period of the previous financial year.
In the three months of reporting, a 66, 2 % increase in murder was recorded.
“However compared to the previous normal period of 2019/2020 financial year, the murder rate would have increased by 6.7%,” announced Cele.
Cele says Between April 2021 to end of June 2021, 5 760 people were killed in South Africa.
This is 2 294 more people killed compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year.
Compared to a period without Lockdown, it would result in an increase of 362 more deaths.
1 385 murders occurred at the home of the victim or of the perpetrator. 206 of the murders occurred at Liquor outlets and are the fourth most likely place to be killed in South Africa.
“Overall, contact crimes increased by 60.6% compared to the skewed same period last year, If comparison was made to the normal period, prior to the country being placed under lockdown Level 5, 4 and 3, this would have resulted in an increase of 0.6%, “said Cele.
The top four causative factors of these murders are arguments, robberies, mob justice incidents and gang-related killings.
“We welcome the arrest of the 14th suspect linked to the brutal killing of 8 young men in Zandspruit on the 17th of May. We also call on police to improve their working relations and service delivery to communities, so that residents don’t resort to taking the law into their own hands,” added Cele.
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