Crime stats: Murder and rape cases went up in the last three months of 2022

The number of murder and rape cases reported in the country continues to be of concern, with the latest quarterly crime statistics reflecting an increase in the crimes between October and December 2022.

Quarterly crime statistics

On Friday morning the management of the South African Police Service (Saps), led by Police Minister Bheki Cele presented the quarterly crime statistics to parliament’s portfolio committee on police, covering the period between 1 October 2022 to 31 December 2022.

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This is ahead of the official release of the quarterly crime stats later on Friday afternoon in Cape Town.

The figures show that 7 555 people were murdered in the country during the quarter, representing an increase of 10.1%. Compared to the same period in 2021, 6 859 people were murdered in SA.

Attempted murders

Attempted murders were also on the rise, with 7 016 cases reflecting an increase of 24.3%. In the same period in 2021, 5 645 attempted murders were reported to police.

Even more worrying, 12 419 people were raped in the country between October and December last year. This represented an increase of 9.8%.

In the same period in 2021, 11 315 people were raped in SA.

On the positive side, cash-in-transit heists decreased by 5.0% during the reporting period. There were 57 heists between October and December 2022, compared to 60 in the same period in 2021.

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