Crime Stats For The Third Quarter Of The 2023/24 Financial Year

23 Feb 2024

The Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, addressed the nation on Friday 16^th February, highlighting the crime statistics for the third quarter of the 2023/24 financial year. Joined by Deputy Minister of Police, Mr Cassel Mathale, National Commissioner of SAPS, Gen Fannie Masemola, and other high-ranking officials, the Minister provided a comprehensive overview of the country's crime landscape.

The latest data reveals a positive trend in several of South Africa’s more challenging crime categories. Violent crimes, such as murder, have decreased in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, with 6,228 murders recorded compared to 6,424 previously. Sexual offences have also declined by 2%, while carjacking has decreased by 6.4% year-on-year.

Despite these improvements, these crime figures, though lower than in Q1 2022/23, remain alarmingly high. The 6,228 murders over three months equate to an average of 68 murders per day in the country.

Other violent crimes, including attempted murder, common assault, and assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, have increased over the period, resulting in a 4.8% rise in the contact crimes category.

On a more positive note, both contact-related and property-related crimes have decreased over the quarter, with a notable reduction in robberies at non-residential premises and home burglaries.

Crimes detected as a result of police action have also risen significantly, indicating a more proactive and effective police force in combating crime. These crimes, including illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, drug-related crime, and driving under the influence, registered a positive increase of 10.8%.

Presenting the statistics to parliament on Friday, Minister Cele expressed optimism that the police are making progress in curbing crime and that this trend should continue.

He noted that since the start of the period, over 70,000 individuals have been arrested, excluding the last weekend. These arrests predominantly target individuals with outstanding warrants of arrest, often related to serious crimes such as murder, rape, and hijacking.

However, the minister expressed concern about the increasing number of foreign nationals illegally present in the country who are linked to these crimes. He highlighted the difficulty in tracing these criminals, as their fingerprints and DNA are not recorded or linked to local databases.

Further key highlights from the Minister's speech include:

• Operation Shanela: Initiated on 08 May 2023, this operation has led to the arrest of over 442 thousand suspects.

• Drug Busts: Several major drug busts were reported, including seizures at Durban Harbour and Gqerberha Sea Port, totalling millions of rands in value.

• DNA Backlog: Significant progress has been made in finalizing DNA cases and eradicating the historic DNA backlog, standing at zero from 251,000 cases in the previous financial year.

• Cash-in-transit (CIT) Heists: The Minister highlighted a reduction in CIT armed robberies, with 46 incidents reported during the period.

• Property Related Crime: There was an overall decrease in property-related crimes, including burglaries at non-residential and residential premises, as well as stock theft.

• Police Killings: Tragically, 22 police officers were killed during the period, with efforts to track down and apprehend police killers ongoing.

• Construction Mafia: Efforts to neutralize construction mafias, which pose a threat to the economy, have resulted in numerous arrests and convictions.

• Kidnappings: Kidnappings for ransom have been targeted, with over 300 suspects arrested in the last two years.

• Illicit Mining: Operations against illicit mining have led to the arrest of 1,258 illegal miners, with the seizure of illegal mining equipment and firearms.

• Community Policing Forums (CPF): Strengthening these forums remains a priority, with R70 million allocated to ensure their proper functioning.

Cele also mentioned that the impact of more active policing is already noticeable, with the department's objective of "sanitizing the weekend" yielding results. He noted that the peak times for crime have shifted from Saturdays and Sundays to Mondays and Wednesdays, though Saturday remains a popular day for criminal activity.

He concluded by stating that the ultimate goal is to eradicate crime entirely in South Africa, ensuring that there is no specific day or time more susceptible to criminal activity.