Calls by South Africans for police to decisively deal with crime are not falling on deaf ears, says Police Minister Bheki Cele.
The police will continue to intensify intelligence-led operations to take down individuals or organised criminals hell-bent on terrorising communities, the Minister said on Friday, surrounded by the full SAPS management during the release of the 2022/23 quarter three crime statistics in Cape Town.
During this period, all contact crimes increased by 11.6%.
Police operations over the 2022 festive season saw 52 711 suspects for crimes ranging from murder, sexual offences, assaults, carjackings and other serious crimes, statistics reveal.
“We are enriched by the stabilisation of the Crime Intelligence Division of the SAPS, through the appointment of a Divisional Commissioner with a wealth of policing and investigative experience,” he said.
While the alarming crime figures he released today do not paint an overall positive picture of crime in the country, they do illustrate that police are pushing back on criminality. This was through visible policing and disruptive operations, the Minister said.
“Plainly put, the more boots on the ground was not just a slogan; their impact has been felt and is starting to make a difference in our communities.”
He illustrated how investigations into mass shootings in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu- Natal had resulted in arrests in Bityi and Nomzamo Pietermaritzburg and KwaNobuhle, respectively.
“We welcome the six out of the eight life sentences handed down by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on the Glebelands 8, who were behind the killing spree at the Durban hostel,” he said.
The Minister said the political task team investigating murders in KZN continues to arrest hit men and those who order assassinations on their political rivals.
“Police are also cleaning house and ridding the service of officers who choose to partner with rogue criminal elements,” he said.
In the current financial year, 46 police officers had been dismissed for various transgressions.
“With that said, we know and understand that police alone will not be able to drive out criminality on our streets in our alleyways, in our homes, schools and places of leisure and worship,” he said. “We call on communities to take charge and be allies in safety.”
While it was the job of police to prevent, combat and investigate crime, “a community-centered approach in the prevention and combating of crime will yield better results”.
The following crime statistics were released by the Minister:
|
Crime Category |
Figures |
|
Murder |
10.1% |
|
Sexual Offences |
9.6% |
|
Attempted Murder |
24.3% |
|
Assault to do grievous bodily harm |
8.7% |
|
Common Assault |
12.0% |
|
Common Robbery |
21.2% |
|
Robbery with aggravating circumstances |
10.8% |
– SAnews.gov.za
