Crimes we fear are up
Hijacking up 13%. Murder up 3%
THE crimes we fear the most are up. Murder, carjacking and house robberies have all shown increases, according to the annual crime statistics released by the police today.
Murder has shot up 3.1% in KwaZulu-Natal, going from 3 810 in the past financial year to 3 929 this financial year.
This comes to more than 10 murders a day in the province.
House robberies have increased by the same percentage in the province, rising from 3958 to 4082.
Carjacking in KZN has risen from 2 190 incidents to 2 493 – an increase of 13.8%.
Theft out of motor vehicles and motorcycles, however, showed a decrease nationally, dropping to 53 809 from 55 090.
The statistics, presented to Parliament by police top brass, show that reports of sexual offences have decreased in KZN from 9 079 cases last year to 8 947.
Nationally the murder rate has increased by 4.9%.
Murder had increased in every province except the Northern Cape.
“It still seems to be a problematic crime we are facing,” said Major-General Norman Sekhukhune, SA Police Service head of crime research and statistics, while briefing MPs.
Attempted murders nationally were up by 3.4%, while assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm was up slightly by 0.2%.
Cash-in-transit robberies increased by 15%, going from 119 to 137.
Motorists driving under the influence of alcohol also increased in KZN from 11 702 cases the previous year to 12 052.
The statistics also showed that KZN police handled 786 violent protest and 2 845 peaceful protests.
Attempting to explain the phenomenon of contact crimes – which include murder, attempted murder and robbery, Sekhukhune said: “There is an issue when multiple murders happened in one situation.
“In one case where seven people were killed in one instance of do- mestic violence...
“We find that a fifth of these cases happened in a victim’s home.
“Both victims and perpetrators of violent crime are often found to have consumed alcohol before or at the time of the crimes.”
Sekhukhune said a total of 2.1 million charges were recorded this financial year, with 1.7 million serious crimes reported, which made up 83% of the crime statistics.
Police Minister Nathi Nhleko said South Africa was experiencing a decrease in incidence of crime in many categories, with the exception of the contact crime category which included murder, sexual, attempted murder, assault and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
“If you go into the further and deeper analysis… it actually talks to the social fabric of our society… the patterns of social behaviour.
“What that then says is that we will have to put up quite an effort to deal with social foundations of the contact crime category.
“How do we begin to expunge and eradicate some of the inimical behaviours that we have within our society?” asked Nhleko.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane agreed, saying the downward trend suggested their efforts were making a serious dent in crime.
“When we say that we have made progress, sometimes it is not convincing especially when you talk of an area where lives are being lost.”
The head of governance, crime and justice division at the Institute for Security Studies, Gareth Newham, said the most important trend was murder and it indicated the violence within society.
“With murder going up, it shows that there is more violence in our society.
“What we have seen in the last 20 years, is that murder has decreased by 50% since apartheid ended.
“But, in the last three years, since 2012, murder started to rise again (and again this year).
“Police are unable to keep up with the high murder rate because most incidences of violent crimes happens on private property.
“The public needs to think more proactively in combating crime,” Newham said.
He said aggravated robbery, robbery and carjacking were making South Africans feel unsafe in their country.
“It is worrying that these two key factors have gone up, it really undermines people’s sense of safety.”
Newham said the carjacking trends suggested that organised crime was not under control.