Latest stats: Brakpan still plagued by serious crimes
The figures also revealed a decline in crimes such as common assault and residential burglaries.
Police minister Senzo Mchunu released the third-quarter crime statistics last Friday, which reflect crimes reported to SAPS from October 1 to December 31 last year.
The stats for Brakpan revealed a sharp rise in crimes such as rape, kidnapping and commercial crimes. The local police station featured on the Gauteng provincial top 30 list in nine categories and the national top 30 list in two categories:
• All theft not mentioned elsewhere: position 27
• Burglary at non-residential premises: position 15
• Contact sexual offences: position 10
• Crimen injuria: position nine (with an increase from three cases the previous year to 36)
• Neglect and ill-treatment of children: position 11 (with an increase from no cases to three). The station is 29th nationally in this category.
• Other serious crime: position 29
• Robbery at non-residential premises: position 26
• Theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle: position 25
• Truck hijacking: position five. The station is sixth nationally in this category.
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The full stats for Brakpan are as follows and are compared to the same time period as the previous year:
Contact crimes (crimes against a person)
• Murder increased from four cases the previous year to six.
• Sexual offences increased from 14 to 24.
• Attempted murder increased from four to five.
• Assault GBH increased from 27 to 29.
• Common assault decreased from 79 to 64.
• Common robbery decreased from 17 to 11.
• Robbery with aggravating circumstances increased from 73 to 79.
Total contact crimes remained the same at 218 cases.
Sexual offences
• Rape increased from seven cases the previous year to 18.
• Sexual assault decreased from six to five.
• Attempted sexual offences decreased from one case to none.
• Contact sexual offences increased from no cases to one.
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Some subcategories of aggravated robbery
• Carjacking decreased from 20 cases the previous year to 18.
• Robbery at residential premises decreased from 13 to 12.
• Robbery at non-residential premises increased from 11 to 13.
• Trio crime decreased from 45 to 41.
• Robbery of cash-in-transit vehicle remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Bank robbery remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Truck hijacking increased from three to nine.
Contact-related crimes
• Arson remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Malicious damage to property decreased from 48 cases to 43.
Total contact-related crimes decreased from 48 to 43.
Property-related crimes
• Burglary at non-residential premises increased from 30 cases the previous year to 40.
• Burglary at residential premises decreased from 126 to 50.
• Theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle decreased from 65 to 51.
• Theft out of or from motor vehicle decreased from 38 to 30.
• Stock theft increased from no cases to one.
Total property-related crimes decreased from 259 to 172.
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Other serious crimes
• All theft not mentioned elsewhere decreased from 201 cases the previous year to 190.
• Commercial crime increased from 98 to 115.
• Shoplifting decreased from 48 to 27.
Total other serious crimes decreased from 347 to 332.
Total 17 community reported serious crimes decreased from 872 to 765.
Crime detected as a result of police action
• Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition decreased from seven cases the previous year to six
• Drug-related crime increased from 104 to 110.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs increased from 47 to 65.
• Sexual offences detected as a result of police action remained the same at no cases.
Total crime detected as a result of police action increased from 158 to 181.
• Kidnapping increased from six cases the previous year to 25.
Information obtained from saps.gov.za
