CRIME STATS RELEASED BY POLICE MINISTER GENERAL
BHEKI CELE
(THE
QUARTER FOUR CRIME STATISTICS 2020/2021 HOSTED IN PRETORIA, GAUTENG, ON FRIDAY 14 MAY 2021)
“Good Afternoon to you all.
Today I wish to start my address by highlighting a crisis that is unfolding and has the potential to threaten the country’s peace and stability.
The death of South African Police Service members at the hands of callous, heartless and brazen criminals.
In the first three months of this year, 24 police were killed.
Eleven of them were killed on duty while preventing, combating or solving a crime.
Some were attacked or ambushed while conducting patrols and their official firearms stolen.
The National Crime Statistics we are releasing today reflect crimes reported to the SAPS from the 1st of January to the end of March 2021.
These decreases in many of the crime catagories would not have been achieved without the dedication, determination and hard work of the men and women in blue.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
So it cannot be normal that police officers who each day, go out there to protect and to serve, are killed and the public remains unshaken.
There is no public outrage, no outcry from activists and NGOs and no one is demanding justice for them.
So, if we are to win this fight against crime, such criminal acts against police cant be ignored but be addressed at community level.
CRIME PICTURE
From these figures of the last quarter of 2021, it is becoming increasingly clear that addressing some of the policing shortcomings is paying off.
We have made gains in categories of crime that were previously very stubborn.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe the call to put the shoulder to the wheel was heeded by many of our officers in blue.
This is evidenced by an overall decline of 8.5% in Contact Crimes such as Assault GBH, Sexual Offences, Common Assault and Robbery and Robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The only two crimes in this category that recorded an increase, are Murder and Attempted murder, recording an 8,4 and 8.7% increase respectively.
MURDER
4 976 people were killed in the first three months of 2021, this is 387 more people killed compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year.
The Mpumalanga province recorded the same number of murders as in the corresponding period in the previous financial year. The Mpumalanga province is joined by Limpopo, Free State and Northern Cape in recording decreases in their murder cases.
However it is concerning that the Eastern Cape and the Kwa- Zulu Natal provinces recorded double digit increases, standing at 21,5% and 16.9% respectively.
Unfortunately, 1327 people died in the places of residence of either the victim or the perpatrator, including the homes of family friends and neighbours. In some instances these people could have had some kind of domestic relationship.
From a sample of 4 911 murders, a total of 2 378 people were killed in public places like streets, open field, recreational parks, beaches and abandoned buildings.
CAUSES OF MURDER
The top four causative factors of these murders still remain arguments, robberies, both residential and non-residential and street robberies, mob justice and gang-related incidents.
RAPE
Members of the media,
The sexual violence meted against women in this country is simply shameful. Seemingly men and children are not spared.
While there has been a decline in Sexual offences cases, 9 518 people were raped between January and March.
This is a decrease of 387 cases, amounting to an almost 4% decrease compared to the previous reporting period.
A sample of 6 893 of the rape incidents revealed that 4 130 of such incidents took place at the home of the victim or the home of the alleged rapist.
The Eastern Cape’s Lusikisiki police station recorded the highest incidents of rape, overtaking the Inanda station, which has sadly held the number one position for some years.
GBV
Members of the Media,
Gender Based Violence remains a priority crime for us in the SAPS.
The fight against this menace in the Eastern Cape Province was dealt a heavy blow last week.
Four officers on their way back from conducting crime prevention duties and GBV awareness campaigns were killed in a head-on collision just outside Engcobo.
Constables Lungelo Nogqala, Frank Lila, Buqaqawuli Nyembezi and Secretary Ntombikayise Landu were shining examples of BATHO PELE principles in the police service.
Let us honour these fallen members by eradicating secondary discrimination of victims of GBV”
