Latest national crime stats show increase in stock theft

The latest national crime statistics were released in Parliament today (29 September) by embattled national police commissioner Riah Phiyega.

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Stock theft increased by 1,8% overall. The Northern Cape saw a 9,9% increase, the North West a 7,8% increase, Limpopo a 6,3% increase, Western Cape a 5,3% increase, Eastern Cape a 4,8% increase, KwaZulu-Natal a 3,5% increase, Gauteng a 2,2% increase, and Mpumalanga a 0,5% increase. Only the Free State saw a drop in stock theft, with a figure of 12,9% below last year’s statistic.

Truck hijacking increased by 29,1%, with Limpopo seeing a 107,7% increase in these crimes, followed by the Western Cape (55%). Mpumalanga saw a 21,3% drop in truck hijacking.

Carjacking increased by 14,2% nationally, with the Western Cape experiencing a 60% increase in these crimes. The Northern Cape saw a 46,4% drop.

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According to the statistics, murders increased by 4,6%, with the greatest increase (10,4%) having occurred in Gauteng. The Northern Cape saw a 5,5% drop in murders.

Attempted murders increased by 3,2% nationally. The Western Cape saw a 11,4% increase, while the Free State saw a 9,9% drop.

The category of assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm only increased by 0,1% overall. Limpopo, however, experienced a 6,8% increase in these crimes while the Eastern Cape saw a 7,1% drop.

Common assault dropped by 2,8% nationally, burglary at residential premises dropped by 2,3%, and theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles dropped by 2,7%.

Robbery with aggravating circumstances, however, increased by 8,5%. The Western Cape and Limpopo both saw an 18,6% increase in this crime category, while the Free State experienced a 2% decrease.

In response to the latest national annual crime statistics, Gareth Newham, head of the Institute for Security Studies’s Governance, Crime and Justice Division, said that “South Africa has seen a third successive year of increases in the most serious categories of violent and organised crime, yet South Africa lacks clear strategies to reverse this dangerous trend”.