Murder rate increases
Twenty four people were murdered in George between July and September. This is a 20% increase on the corresponding period in 2022 when 20 murders were recorded. Of these murders, 13 were committed in Thembalethu, six in the Conville policing area, three in Pacaltsdorp and two in George.
These figures come from the latest quarterly crime statistics for the second quarter of 2023/2024 (July to September) that were released on Friday 17 November.
After six months in which police seemingly got a grip on murders in the Western Cape, the latest quarterly crime statistics for the province have shown an increase of more than 10%.
Between January and March, murders dropped year-on-year by 14%. Between April and June, they dropped year-onyear by 5,5%.
However, in the latest quarterly crime statistics for the province, murders increased year-on-year by 10,9% between July and September.
During the three months, 1 164 murders were recorded in the province and 6 945 countrywide. Most of these murders took place in public spaces like parks, open fields, beaches, parking areas and abandoned buildings.
Further to this, 13 090 people suffered sexual assault while 42 297 others were seriously assaulted.
Focus on local sexual offences
Sexual offences have shown a slight decrease across all four stations (George, Thembalethu, Pacaltsdorp and Conville), from 98 reported incidents in the second quarter of 2022 to 92 this year.
Most of these were reported in Thembalethu (29 cases). Conville reported 26, George 21 and Pacaltsdorp 16. Of these, a total of 62 rape cases were reported of which 25 came from Thembalethu. Other sexual offences include sexual assault, attempted sexual offences and contact sexual offences.
Incidents of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) increased across the board with 260 incidents reported this year compared with 239 last year.
Robberies and weapons
Robberies under the section of contact crimes (common robbery and robbery with aggravating circumstances) increased from 193 to 198, while robberies at residential and non-residential premises dropped from 35 to 25 cases.
Property-related crimes in general decreased from 607 in the second quarter of 2022 to 528 this year. This includes burglary at residential and non-residential premises. Only seven cases of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition were reported across the four stations.
Cranking down on drugs
We all find them annoying at times, but it would seem that the regular roadblocks along with police patrols, raids and joint operations in certain areas are bearing fruit. Between July and September 2023, 546 incidents of drug-related crimes were busted after being detected through police action.
Other offences such as driving under the influence of alcohol, certain sexual offences and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition also fall under this category.
George might not be crime free, but it still looks better than most other parts of South Africa.
View the full crime statistics for the second quarter at www. georgeherald.com.