The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) welcomes the latest crime statistics, especially the fact that they indicate an overall significant decrease in crime in our province.
Six months ago Gauteng was dubbed the crime capital of South Africa because data showed that we accounted for almost 50 percent of criminal activities taking place in the country.
It is almost a year now since Provincial Commissioner Mzwandile Petros came into office. We applaud his efforts in fighting crime in the province because some of the three year targets he set out to achieve have been met - and in some instances exceeded.
The Gauteng Co-Created Policing Strategy (GCPS) that was unveiled in March was centred on a comprehensive plan involving all law enforcement agencies, including Community Policing Forums and Patrollers, to help reduce crime levels in Gauteng.
Commissioner Petros, his team, and the community who worked tirelessly in the past few months, have made it possible for Gauteng to achieve a significant reduction in serious crimes over the period. More important to note is that most of the crimes that have come down did so on an average of around ten percent.
Murder has dropped by 11 percent, while sexual offences - including rape - have gone down by 15. 9 percent in Gauteng. We are, however, still concerned about rape though we are pleased that more people are now starting to report it. We recommit ourselves to fighting this scourge. We view in a serious light the problem of homophobia that wants to raise its ugly head in our communities and we are giving it our undivided attention. We have just launched a massive campaign through which we are teaching our people that being gay is not an anomaly or a crime. The police are on board in dealing harshly with anyone involved in the so-called "corrective-rape" or any crime perpetrated against lesbian and gay people.
Reported cases of attempted murder have slumped by a whopping 19.5 percent. All types of robberies and assaults have also dropped significantly. Burglaries in both residential and non-residential properties; as well as theft of cars have gone down. It is important to note that hijacking has crashed by 20.3 percent.
However, the Gautrain has not been spared the impact of business robberies after being hit by a series of cable theft incidents. We are delighted that the Ministers of Energy and Justice and Constitutional Development are working on classifying this crime as economic sabotage which will see perpetrators ultimately receiving severe punishment for the crime.
Also of concern is the rise in ATM bombings. This, we believe, is because criminals perceive ATMs to be "soft targets" as security has been tightening elsewhere.
We have also seen a 16.4 percent drop in cases of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, which is probably the reason why murder and robbery have also failed to flourish.
While shoplifting might not be regarded as a serious crime, we view it in a serious light and we are pleased to see that there has been a 16 percent drop to this effect.
Unfortunately, the picture is not entirely pretty. We are still faced with the societal cancer of drug and alcohol-induced crimes.
The latest figures are worrying given that more and more people -particularly youngsters - are getting arrested daily for drunken driving. To be exact, drug-related crimes have increased by 5.1 percent, while drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, shot up by 35.2 percent.
But those who have been following our work closely will know that we are fighting hard to minimise the effects of alcohol abuse in our communities. We have put a moratorium on the issuing of new licences while a parallel process of raiding illegal traders is ongoing. We have also launched civic education campaigns on alcohol abuse and will be roll it out during Transport Month - October.
We continue to work with members of the community and our crime intelligence operatives in identifying crime dens, illegal drug laboratories and kingpins, to make sure that we snuff out such elements in our communities. We, therefore, continue to make a call - perhaps louder this time than before - that crime cannot be rooted out without the support and active participation of our communities.
If you suspect something wrong is happening next door or you know someone who is dealing in nyaope, dagga, or any illegal substance; report them. If you suspect your neighbour is running a chop shop; pass on the information anonymously to the Police Crime Stop or Crime Line, so that we can act on it.
Let us all together work towards a Safer and Crime-free Gauteng.
Ngiyabonga.
For more information contact:
Xoli Mngambi
Cell: 082 373 1146
Gauteng's crime prevention strategies begin to bear fruit
Province
