Crime on the increase in Berea
There were more rape cases in Berea during this quarter (7) then in the previous four years of the same quarter combined (5) for Berea.
POLICE Minister, Bheki Cele has warned that criminals will be looking to make up for lost time during the lockdown.
On Friday, Cele released the second quarterly crime statistics for the period between 1 July and 30 September 2020.
Cele acknowledged there was a marked increase in many serious crimes as compared to the first quarter when the country was relatively under lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We know that the decreases were largely attributed to the fact that the country was at the time under lockdown level 4 and level three. People stayed at home and there were more boots on the ground. Basically the environment for crime to thrive was distorted,” he said.
“We also knew that this “rosy picture” would not last forever as the country opened up for business again.”
Berea
There are worrying stats for Berea as cases of sexual offenses and attempted murder increased by a staggering 250 per cent and 300 per cent.
There were more rape cases this quarter (7) then in the previous four years of the same quarter combined (5) for Berea.
More worryingly for Berea was a 85.7 per cent increase in carjacking and a 10.6 per cent increase in burglary at residential premises.
Crime detected as a result of police action also dropped drastically from 148 last quarter to just 12.
ALSO READ: Crime stats: Durban experiences ‘crime holiday’ during lockdown,
Umbilo
There were encouraging green signs for Umbilo as serious cases of sexual offenses (-63,6 per cent) , carjacking (-68.9 per cent) and total property-related (-14.4 per cent) all decreased in this quarter.
Durban Central
Durban Central which consistently ranks among the country’s top 30 worst stations also did well this quarter by not making that list. With only attempted murder (from 9 to 11 cases) and theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle (from 173 to 175 cases) the only significant increases for this quarter.
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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). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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