Police stations in the far north of Pretoria are not listed among Gauteng’s top 30 crime hotspots in the latest fourth quarter crime statistics, with several precincts recording declines in contact crimes between January and March.

The statistics, released by the SAPS, reflect crimes reported across the country’s 1 163 police stations and show encouraging trends in areas such as Loate, Soshanguve and Temba.

Contact crimes, which include offences such as murder, attempted murder, rape, assault and robbery, declined in several northern policing precincts during the reporting period.

Loate police station recorded one of the biggest improvements, with contact crimes decreasing by 19.6%.

The station saw murder cases decrease by seven counts, with only three murders reported during the quarter. Sexual offences also dropped by nine counts to 27 reported cases.

Cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) stood at 131, while common assault cases decreased slightly from 114 to 110.

Robberies also showed improvement in the Loate precinct. Common robberies dropped by eight counts to 16 reported cases, while robberies with aggravating circumstances decreased significantly from 215 cases to 150.

Police recorded 22 rape cases and four sexual assault cases during the quarter.

Concerns, however, remain over vehicle-related crimes in the area as carjackings increased from 22 to 24 cases, while theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles also increased by six counts.

Residential robberies remain a concern, with 31 incidents reported, while four robberies occurred at non-residential premises.

Malicious damage to property cases decreased from 69 to 59, and residential burglaries dropped by three counts to 57 cases.

Police also detected eight illegal firearm and ammunition cases compared to 15 in the previous quarter.

Soshanguve police station also reported positive trends, with contact crimes decreasing by 11.5%.

Attempted murder cases saw a major decline, dropping by 19 counts to only eight reported cases. Assault with intent to cause GBH decreased sharply from 122 to 70 cases.

Murder cases in Soshanguve dropped by six counts to eight reported murders, while common robberies decreased slightly to 28 cases.

Despite the overall decline in violent crime, some categories showed increases. Common assault cases rose from 162 to 172, while sexual offences increased by five counts to 30 cases.

One additional rape case was reported compared to the previous quarter, bringing the total number of rape cases to 23.

Police statistics showed encouraging reductions in property-related crimes in the area. Carjackings dropped by 10 counts to 11 reported incidents, while robberies at residential premises decreased significantly from 25 to eight cases.

Burglary at residential premises also declined by 17.4%, with cases dropping from 144 to 119.

Theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles decreased slightly to nine cases.

Police also reported an increase in detected driving under the influence (DUI) offences by 16.4%, indicating intensified law enforcement operations on local roads.

Meanwhile, Temba police station recorded a marginal decrease of 0.1% in contact crimes.

Robberies with aggravating circumstances decreased from 156 to 139 cases, while rape cases declined by seven counts to 27 reported incidents.

Six sexual assault cases were recorded during the quarter.

Temba experienced increases in several crime categories. Common assault cases rose from 246 to 265, while assault with intent to cause GBH increased from 150 to 155 cases.

Residential robberies also increased sharply by 12 counts to 36 reported incidents.

Property-related crimes remain a concern in the Temba precinct. Malicious damage to property cases increased by 18.4%, reaching 90 reported cases, while residential burglaries rose from 142 to 158.

Four arson cases were also reported. Carjackings increased slightly from 21 to 22 cases, although robberies at non-residential premises decreased from 11 to four cases.

Police statistics showed positive reductions in vehicle theft-related crimes, with theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles decreasing by 10 counts to five cases. Theft out of motor vehicles also declined by nine counts to 33 reported incidents.

Only nine illegal firearm and ammunition possession cases were detected during the quarter.

Also read: Here are the five most dangerous suburbs in Pretoria

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