There has been another increase in murder cases in the country in the past three months with more than 6,200 people killed from January to March.
Police minister Bheki Cele said police would try to improve the situation, but the fact that murder was up by 3.4 percent showed that more work needed to be done.
The minister was briefing the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on police on Tuesday, May 30 on the crime statistics for the fourth quarter.
Head of police crime research Lieutenant General Norman Sekhukhune said in the first three months of this year more than 6,200 people were killed.
This was 200 more than in the previous period last year.
Sekhukhune said while more than 13,000 sexual offenses were reported during this period, there were 500 fewer cases than in the corresponding period last year.
He said other violent crimes including armed robberies, hijackings, and related crimes were also on the increase.
He also said there was an increase in cash-in-transit robberies across the country.
Most of the methods used in cash-in-transit robberies involved blocking armored vehicles on the road and bombing them.
Sekhukhune also said there was a rise in truck hijackings with a noticeable increase in the Eastern Cape.
In the assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm category, 43,090 cases were reported, 98 more than last year.
A total of 49,226 assault cases were registered, increasing by 3,480 from the same period last year
A total of 34,460 robberies with aggravating circumstances cases were reported during the fourth quarter, an increase of
1,677, while 11,744 common robbery cases were reported.
This is an increase of 957 from last year.
Contact crimes against women in the fourth quarter saw an increase across three categories, with attempted murder leading the pack with 21.5%, or 263.
Seventy-one more murders were reported, a 7.9% increase, while assault GBH went up by 0.7%, or 107.
In the children’s categories, murders and assault GBH both saw significant decreases in the latest quarter, while attempted murder went up.
Sixty-one fewer murders were reported against children, a 19.9% decrease, while six fewer children were assaulted, a 0.3% decrease.
Attempted murder increased by 8.8%, or 29 cases, in the latest quarter.
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National police commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola said there had been improvements in certain areas.
However, they would work harder to get crime under control.
He said this would include more boots on the ground.
The police hired 10,000 officers last year and said they would recruit another group of 10,000 in a bid to fight crime.
By AOL
