Police Minister Bheki Cele handing over a fleet of cars to the national head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya in Pretoria this week. Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Several police stations in Tshwane, including Temba, Akasia, Pretoria Central, Brooklyn, Mabopane and Soshanguve are among the top 30 stations plagued by crime, according to the latest crime stats released by Police Minister Bheki Cele.
Violent crimes such as armed robberies, hijackings and related crimes were also found to be on the rise in Tshwane.
The latest statistics cover the period from October to December of the third quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year.
Cele said kidnappings were of particular concern, showing a steady increase year-on-year to 415 cases compared to 380, the year before, and 128 in 2019.
He said kidnappings for ransom had become a lucrative commodity for organised crime in South Africa.
“The SAPS continues in its efforts to identify and arrest groupings linked to kidnappings, especially where ransom demands are being made. More than 300 suspects linked to these kidnappings have been arrested in the last two years.”
In Pretoria Central, serious crimes reported by the community increased by 4%, from 1 638 up to 1 704 cases and it was the sixth highest provincially.
Robberies at non-residential premises decreased by 15 counts from 22 to 7, and no bank robbery, truck hijacking or cash-in-transit robbery took place this or the previous quarter.
Car hijackings increased by 8 counts (9 cases to 17) and robbery at residential premises increased by 2 counts from zero.
Contact crimes saw a decrease of 5.4%. Murder and sexual offences both increased by three counts, from 4 cases to 7 and from 24 cases to 27, respectively.
Meanwhile, commercial crimes and theft reported at Centurion police stations showed an increase in some areas, with the Lyttelton, Olievenhoutbosch and Wierdabrug precincts being in the top 30 in Gauteng for various crime categories.
Lyttelton recorded 12 crime categories and 1 382 community-reported crimes, representing a 6.8% increase.
The station placed in the top 5 for burglary at non-residential premises,but burglary at residential premises saw a drop of 13.2%, despite being ranked number 20 in the category countrywide.
Property-related crimes were the lowest with a decrease of 3.8%, 9th in Gauteng, shoplifting cases the highest in five years with an increase of 47.8%, while theft not mentioned elsewhere increased by 4.8%.
As for truck highjacking, Olievenhoutbosch saw an increase of 1% between October to December 2023, reported four fewer murder cases, 18 fewer car hijackings, 20 fewer robberies at residential premises, and a 32.5% decrease in the so-called trio crimes.
Temba appeared in the top 30 in Gauteng for 11 crime categories.
In 17 community reported crime was, Temba is placed at number 5 provincially.
Temba saw a 3% increase in rape compared to last year, while robberies at non-residential premises increased by 2%. Akasia saw a increase of 10.1% in community reported serious crime.
In contact crimes, Akasia saw a decrease of 10.4% , while robberies at residential premises increased by 9% compared to the previous year.
Mabopane was also featured in the top 30 at number 13 for 24 cases of robbery at non-residential premises, while Soshanguve was at number 16, with a 2% increase of robbery at non-residential premises.
Cele said that it was clear that efforts to prevent, combat and arrest criminals was proving to be effective.
It was also evident from the number of arrests made, that Operation Shanela was making its mark and putting a dent on serious, violent and organised crime since its inception in May 2023, more than 442 000 suspects have been arrested, the Minister said.
“Strengthening and revitalising community policing relations remains a top priority in the fight against crime, to demonstrate our commitment to strengthen these relations, we have allocated R70 million to ensure proper functioning of these structures. It is quiet encouraging that 94% of the CPF budget has been spent on resources such as vehicles to ensure maximum cooperation and interaction with the community,” he said.
Pretoria News
Lesego Montsho