The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa will release South Africa’s annual crime statistics on Thursday, 19 September 2013 at the SAPS Tshwane Training Academy in Pretoria West at 10h00.
The Deputy Minister of Police, Ms Makhotso Sotyu, the National Commissioner of Police, General Riah Phiyega, MECs responsible for policing, South African Police Service (SAPS) Provincial Commissioners as well as various SAPS partners from Business, Community Policing Forums and Academia will also be present at the announcement.
The crime statistics will cover the 2012/13 financial year, from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013. Government releases these statistics once a year primarily to provide the public with progress in the fight against crime in the country as well as review of some of the current strategies in tackling crime. Crime statistics are also utilized daily as a management tool to guide operational plans for the SAPS.
The categories to be covered during the announcement include among others, murder, business robberies, house robberies, hijackings, robbery with aggravated circumstances, drug related, drunken driving, sexual offenses, murder and more.
After the release of the national crime statistics, as we normally do, we shall continue to embark on our community and stakeholder participation programmes. These interactions are crucial in that they enable the police leadership and management to solicit feedback on the crime statistics from the broader communities.
We are also able to, collectively with our partners, identify various areas for improvement where there might have been challenges. In crime categories where there have been some decreases, we shall endeavour to ensure we work even harder to ensure that the downward trends are sustained.
In South Africa and globally, it is widely acknowledged that crime prevention is not simply the duty of government alone, that the role of civil society is equally important. As a country we are therefore fortunate to have a well-developed, vibrant and organised civil society participating in the safety and security sector.
For enquiries:
Zweli Mnisi, Spokesperson to the Minister of Police
Cell: 082 045 4024
