Alex becomes the drug den
ALEXANDRA - The township is now awash with drugs which have become the biggest crime headache for the police after jumping from a mere 191 cases in 2013 to a whooping 1 042 cases this year.
There has been a fluctuation in the increase of drug-related crime between 2005 and 2010, but an upward trend began to emerge in 2011 where numbers jumped from 59 in 2010 to 115 in 2011.
Robbery with aggravating circumstances follows on the heels of drug-related crimes, though still marginal. Last year there were 584 cases compared with 643 this year.
The good news though for Alexandra is that murder, rape and hijackings have steadied over the years, with murder up a mere two cases from 76 last year to 78 this year. Rape and sexual crimes peaked last year at 282 and is only down to 276 cases this year.
Assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm and common assault cases have shown a steady decline over the years. Common assault continues to decline from 879 cases in 2012 to 807 this year.
There has not been an increase in arson, but malicious damage injury to property has increased from 443 incidents last year to 452.
