The fourth quarterly crime statistics were released last week, reflecting crimes reported to SAPS from January to March this year.
The stats revealed a sharp increase in crime in Brakpan and the local police station is featured on two national top 30 lists.
Brakpan occupies position 13 in the country for a robbery of the cash-in-transit vehicle and 26th position for sexual assault.
The police station is also featured on several top 30 provincial lists – all theft not mentioned elsewhere (28th), burglary at non-residential premises (29th), commercial crimes (28th), other serious crimes (28th), robbery at residential premises (29th), robbery of cash-in-transit vehicle (seventh), sexual assault (eighth) and shoplifting (25th).
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 two cases the previous year to seven.
• Sexual offences increased from 19 to 25.
• Attempted murder remained the same at six cases.
• Assault GBH increased from 19 to 26.
• Common assault increased from 62 to 91.
• Common robbery increased from 15 to 20.
• Robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased from 90 to 81.
Total contact crimes increased from 213 to 256.
Sexual offences
• Rape increased from 13 cases the previous year to 16.
• Sexual assault increased from five to eight.
• Attempted sexual offences remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Contact sexual offences remained the same at one case.
Some subcategories of aggravated robbery
• Carjacking decreased from 22 cases the previous year to five.
• Robbery at residential premises increased from 18 to 20.
• Robbery at non-residential premises remained the same at 14 cases.
• Trio crime decreased from 54 to 39.
• Robbery of cash-in-transit vehicle remained the same at one case.
• Bank robbery remained the same and no cases were reported.
• Truck hijacking increased from two to three.
Contact-related crimes
• Arson decreased from one case to none.
• Malicious damage to property increased from 36 to 38.
Total contact-related crimes increased from 37 to 38.
Property-related crimes
• Burglary at non-residential premises increased from 24 cases the previous year to 38.
• Burglary at residential premises increased from 67 to 80.
• Theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles increased from 38 to 40.
• Theft out of or from motor vehicles decreased from 39 to 36.
• Stock theft decreased from one case to none.
Total property-related crimes increased from 169 to 194.
Other serious crimes
• All theft not mentioned elsewhere decreased from 243 cases the previous year to 206.
• Commercial crime increased from 73 to 101.
• Shoplifting remained the same at 49 cases.
Total other serious crimes decreased from 365 to 356.
• 17 community reported serious crimes increased from 784 to 844.
Crime detected as a result of police action
• Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition decreased from 16 cases the previous year to nine.
• Drug-related crime increased from 106 to 125.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs decreased from 31 to 23.
• Sexual offences detected due to police action remained the same at no cases.
Total crime detected due to police action increased from 153 to 157.
• Kidnapping increased from eight cases the previous year to 10.
Information obtained from saps.gov.za
