It has risen by 53 murders, from 237 to 290 cases. This is according to the new provincial crime statistics which was officially announced by the acting provincial police commissioner, Maj Gen Jan Scheepers in Polokwane on Thursday, March 3. Truck hijacking increased by 100% from five to ten in the same period, while robbery cash-in-transit skyrocketed by 25%. Car-jacking went slightly up by 2.9% and robbery at non-residential premises also went up by 21.6%. Meanwhile rape declined by 5.7% from 1053 to 993 cases in the same period. In the past five years the province has not recorded any bank robberies. Polokwane is the number one station which reported on more serious crimes.
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Meanwhile stations in the Mopani district who reported on serious crimes are Tzaneen with seven cases, followed by Giyani with eight, Maake with twelve, Ritavi with fourteen and Namalgale with eighteen cases. Lebowakgomo police station reported the most murders in the region, with twelve cases from nine in 2021. Thohoyandou reported the most rape cases with Mopani station, Giyani not far behind as the station with the third most rape cases. A total of 6 859 murders were recorded nationwide, 562 more culminating to an 8.9% increase.
The country documented 5 455 cases of carjacking, an increase of 13.8% from the 4794 in 2020 period. Majority of the murders and attempted murders are committed in public areas such as parks, open fields and on the street. Countrywide statistics of sexual offenses have declined by 9% from 15 595 to 14 188 cases.
Also read: Crime statistics paint bleak picture for Limpopo
Police minister, Bheki Cele, during his nationwide crime statistics release in February, said that although there is an improvement it is still not a win. “It is only through the acceleration of policing and improving our working relationships with communities, through community-based structures such as community policing forums (CPF) and other NGOs that the crime picture can be improved,” Cele said.
