Police minister, Bheki Cele says murder and crime involving gender-based violence (GBV) have shown a significant decrease. The police’s quarterly crime statistics show that there have been more than 6 000 murders reported countrywide between July and September this year.
These include the murders of 881 women, 293 children and 35 police members who were killed in the line of duty. The Police minister says knives and guns were the most used weapons in committing murder.
The police top brass briefed the Parliament’s Police Committee on the crime statistics for the period under review.
Cele adds that some positive strides are being made in combating crime through the police’s Operation Shanela.
“While the crime figures for July to September this year show an increase in contact crimes, the drop in sexual offences, TRIO crimes, contact related and property related crimes as well as other serious crimes, is encouraging. The tracking and tracing of most wanted suspects has also been prioritized in conjunction with everyday policing at station level. Ladies and Gentlemen, to date, Operation Shanela has resulted in the arrest of over 226 000 suspects including some of the most wanted and dangerous criminals.”
Cele says it is shameful and disturbing that woman, children, and the elderly remain the most vulnerable in this country.
“The scourge of violence against women and children in South Africa, must be confronted equally by law enforcement, the whole of government and the whole of society, head on. The Police Ministry has noted with extreme concern, the recent brutal stabbing of a Western Cape University female student, in broad daylight. The SAPS continues to upscale its responses to this form of crimes through increased operations to trace GBV perpetrators, arrest serial offenders as well as serial rapists,” Cele adds.
Video: Crime statistics for the second quarter of 2023/24 financial year
