EL burglars are top of the charts
Crime stats show affluent suburbs targeted
BURGLARIES in East London’s suburban homes are the highest in the province, and that is official.
This was revealed in the Bhisho legislature by provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga and her team this week.
The statistics of an average of almost three burglaries a day, were recorded by the Cambridge police station, which serves most of the city’s affluent suburbs, according to Ntshinga’s team.
The station serves Vincent, Nahoon, Stirling, Berea, Bunkers Hill, Selborne and Dorchester Heights.
Cambridge station also covers Amalinda, Summerpride, Dawn and the nearby Cambridge Location.
The provincial police said there were 971 residential burglaries reported from April last year to March this year.
The Dispatch has been reporting allegations from homeowners and security firms that sophisticated syndicates have been targeting these areas.
This is an average of more than 80 reported cases a month.
Ntshinga was reporting to the Bhisho legislature’s safety and liaison portfolio committee meeting on Tuesday for the first time since taking office late last year.
The information was revealed in a top-level “crime situational analysis report” presented to the committee chaired by ANC MPL Michael Peter.
Provincial police’s head of crime registry, Brigadier Andre Krause, who delivered the report, said Walmer and Kabega Park police stations in Port Elizabeth had the second-highest number of home burglaries.
Other burglary hotspots were in the areas served by the East London police station, and stations in Grahamstown, Bethelsdorp, King William’s Town, Mdantsane, Kwazakhele, Humewood, Mthatha, Mount Road and Duncan Village, said Krause.
The Dispatch reported that syndicates were getting into homes protected by alarm systems.
However, security companies said the syndicates were able to disarm the alarms before stripping homes of valuables.
Krause said Mount Road Police Station in Port Elizabeth, and the East London Police Station, also had the most reported cases of business burglary.
Some areas around the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM), said Krause, were notorious for aggravated and common robberies, vehicle theft and attempted murder cases.
Mthatha came out as one of the deadliest areas in the province, topping the list for reported murders and rapes in the period.
For reported murder cases, Mthatha Police Station which recorded 127 cases in the period, is followed closely by Lusikisiki, Bethelsdorp, Kwazakhele, New Brighton, Willowvale, Libode, Ngcobo, Centane, Gelvandale and Ngqeleni, all with 73 reported cases each.
If that was not enough, the police station also has the dubious distinction of recording the highest number of reported rape cases over the same period in the province.
A few years ago, Mthatha was unveiled as the “murder capital” of South Africa after its reported murder cases surpassed all others across the country.
Krause also said a total of 133 murders were linked to ongoing gang violence in the northern areas of Nelson Mandela Bay during 2016-17.
According to Krause’s report, a total of 239 rape cases were reported at Mthatha police station during that period.
For the most reported rape cases, small towns such as Lusikisiki, Ngqeleni, Dutywa, Ngcobo, Mbizana and KwaBhaca (formerly Mount Frere), features prominently in the top 10 list.
According to the report, Ntabankulu Police Station reported the most arson cases with 36 incidents reported in the area during this period.
It is followed closely by Ngqeleni, Mbizana, Ngcobo, Willowvale and EmaXesibeni (formerly Mount Ayliff).
This is while areas such as Qumbu, Bityi, Maluti, KwaBhaca, Mthatha, Alice, Mount Fletcher, Ngcobo, Mbizana, Stutterheim, Tsolo and Ngqamakhwe, experienced the worst stock theft.
Krause however said: “All serious crimes recorded in the province depicted a marginal increase of 6.5% during the first quarter of 201617, an increase of 0.5% in the second quarter, a decrease of 1.54% in the third, and a decrease of 3.12% in the last quarter.”
Mount Road Police Station in Port Elizabeth, and the East London Police Station, Krause said, had the highest number of reported cases of business burglary in the province.
Fourteen police clusters, including Mdantsane cluster, Humansdorp, Mqanduli, Komani, Aliwal North, East London, Grahamstown, Butterworth and Alice, Krause said, depicted increasing trends when it comes to property crimes during the 201617 period.
He said Humewood Police Station in the NMBM recorded 290 cases of vehicle theft, and 1 255 cases of theft from motor vehicles, while Mthatha and East London also featured high on that list.
More than 70% of car hijacking cases were recorded in the NMBM, Mthatha had 11.2% of the cases and Buffalo City Metro 9.26%. —