Crime stats: Durban Central ranked as 6th most dangerous area in SA

Durban Central has once again been labelled as the most dangerous place to live in the country after the station was ranked sixth with the most reported serious crimes.

Serious crimes include contact, property and other serious related crimes.

The annual crime statistics were released on Friday by Police Minister, Bheki Cele.

The statistics represent the period of 1 April 2019 and 1 March 2020, before the national lockdown due to the Coronavirus.

ALSO READ: Safety tips: Don’t become a smash-and-grab target

In his presentation, Cele noted that the murder rate in South Africa increased (with KwaZulu-Natal recording the biggest increase at 10 per cent) but the case difference over the past three years is shrinking.

“Indeed, we are not where we want to be; however, we are pleased with the improvements in most stubborn crime categories,” he said. 

Meanwhile, contact crimes in Berea are up by 34 per cent compared to last year, with robbery being the most common crime.

Carjacking (46 per cent) and property-related crimes also increased (10 per cent) in Berea with 1621 cases reported for the latter.

ALSO READ: KZN officials in catering tender scandal named

The Umbilo Police station reported a substantial increase (80.9 per cent) in driving under the influence of alcohol and drug cases from 220 – 398.

Murder in Sydenham was up by 46 per cent with 38 murder cases reported.

The Point police station reported that 18 car-jacking cases compared to five from last year while robberies at non-residential premises increased by 35 per cent in Mayville.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).

Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.