White collar crime steadily increases in Polokwane

POLOKWANE – White collar crime in Polokwane has steadily increased between April and June from 2020 to the current year, with local police apprehensions offering little comfort to victims – which allows criminals to thrive.

Statistics from the Polokwane police for July and August highlight the difficulties in making arrests.

The first-quarter crime report, released late last month, reveals a continued rise in commercial crimes linked to private and government businesses, including fraud and racketeering.

According to Polokwane Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Rudolph Phaswana, ordinary citizens are often targeted by scams, including social media money-making schemes and mobile phone hacks. Perpetrators use hacked phone numbers to solicit money from victims’ contacts without their knowledge.

Polokwane ranks ninth nationally and first provincially for white-collar crime among 30 police stations. Recent data shows 286 cases between April and June this year, a 72-case increase from the previous year. In 2020, only 104 cases were recorded during the same period.

Last month by August 30, 44 financial crimes had been reported, but only one arrest was made. In July, 58 cases resulted in just 14 arrests. Phaswana urged citizens to stay vigilant, noting that the complexity of these crimes, often involving third parties, makes it difficult for police to act swiftly.

“New scams emerge all the time, so people need to stay alert,” Phaswana emphasised.

Shoplifting has also seen a significant rise since 2020, with Polokwane ranking sixth nationally and first provincially. Phaswana noted that shopkeepers often apprehend shoplifters, leading to a high arrest rate, but these criminals are frequently let off with warnings due to the limitations of the Criminal Procedure Act.

As a result, many business owners stop reporting such crimes, choosing instead to take matters into their own hands, which can create further legal complications for them.