KILLING OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

MURDER HOT SPOTS

POLICE on Tuesday reported that the killing of women increased 11% in the year to end March 2018, with 20% more boys (under 18) murdered compared with the previous 12 months.

The killing of girls (under 18) was up more than 10%, the SAPS told the portfolio committee on police.

Murder was up 6.9% overall, the sixth consecutive annual increase.

But of the additional 1 320 murders compared with 2016/17, 42% (549) were attributed to just 30 police station areas (2.6%) of the total 1 144 police stations. This should make it possible for police to reduce the killings by targeting resources in murder hot spots, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said.

“Murder is a localised phenomenon which police would be able to tackle by focusing on the worst affected areas,” said ISS justice and violence prevention head Gareth Newham.

The latest crime statistics show that South Africa has an average of 56 murders every day. The ISS welcomed the police’s frank reporting of murder, the most reliable crime statistic, and Police Minister Bheki Cele’s willingness to recognise the crisis.

More research was needed into why there was a slight reported decrease in other violent crimes such as assault (by 1.9%) or armed robbery (by 1.8%), as these are the crimes that often lead to murder.

These decreases could indicate reduced reporting of assault and armed robbery or that other factors such as political killings, gang warfare, vigilantism and taxi violence were driving up the murder rate.