Stats reveal latest crime trends in Brakpan
While Brakpan does not feature on any of the other national lists, it does feature several times provincially.
A single cash-in-transit heist pushed the Brakpan Police Station to 17th position on the list of top 30 stations in the country for this category of crime.
This was revealed last Friday with the release of the latest crime statistics. The figures cover the first quarter of the 2021/22 financial year, which is April to June 2021.
The cash-in-transit heist occurred on May 21 along Van Dyk Road, near the Brakpan Benoni Airfield, with the robbers using explosives to bomb the van.
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While Brakpan does not feature on any of the other national lists, it does feature several times provincially.
In Gauteng, Brakpan occupies position 25 in the sexual assault category, position 16 for all theft not mentioned elsewhere, position 27 for shoplifting, position 22 for other serious crimes, position 28 for robbery at non-residential premises and position 10 for cash-in-transit robbery.
The full stats for Brakpan are as follows and are compared to the same time period for the previous year:
Contact crimes
• Murder decreased from six cases to three.
• Sexual offences decreased from 14 to 13.
• Attempted murder increased from five to 13.
• Assault GBH decreased from 19 to 16.
• Common assault increased from 44 to 68.
• Common robbery increased from 12 to 15.
• Robbery with aggravating circumstances increased from 47 to 64.
Sexual offences
• Rape increased from six cases the previous year to eight.
• Sexual assault decreased from seven to five.
• Attempted sexual offences remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Contact sexual offences decreased from one to none.
Some subcategories of aggravated robbery
• Carjacking increased from nine cases the previous year to 10.
• Robbery at residential premises increased from one to six.
• Robbery at non-residential premises increased from 12 to 19.
• Bank robbery remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Robbery of cash-in-transit vehicle increased from no cases to one.
• Truck hijacking increased from no cases to two.
Contact-related crimes
• Arson remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Malicious damage to property increased from 24 to 60.
Property-related crimes
• Burglary at non-residential premises decreased from 29 cases the previous year to 20.
• Burglary at residential premises increased from 33 to 64.
• Theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle increased from 23 to 40.
• Theft out of or from motor vehicle increased from 34 to 39.
• Stock theft remained the same at two cases. Other serious crimes
• All theft not mentioned elsewhere increased from 139 cases the previous year to 231.
• Commercial crime increased from 48 to 75.
• Shoplifting decreased from 51 to 49.
Crime detected as a result of police action
• Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition increased from four cases the previous year to six.
• Drug-related crime increased from 66 to 96.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol increased from five to 16.
• Sexual offences detected as a result of police action increased from no cases to one.
Information obtained from saps.gov.za
