Three Centurion stations in the top 30 for most crime nationally

Three police stations in Centurion have made the top 30 for the most crime in the country for various categories.

Police minister Bheki Cele announced the latest national crime statistics for the third quarter, a period from July 1 to September 30, on Friday, November 17.
He noted a decrease in murder for two consecutive quarters.

In the second quarter, the drop had been 0.8% from the first.

“I wish to make this point very clear: The second consecutive drop in the country’s murder figures is in no way, a claim of any victory by the SAPS,” said Cele.

“While there are green shoots, one murder is one too many.”

Cele said that station commanders should closely monitor their unique crime situations and put in place relevant plans to curb them.

“We are sure this approach is the right one and as we continue to diligently implement it, we will further improve safety and security in our communities.”

Centurion’s stations’ stats show that theft should be the main focus for the region.

Olievenhoutbosch appeared in the top 30 in four crime categories, including robbery with aggravating circumstances, trio crimes, car hijacking, and truck hijacking.

Despite being in the top 30, the station reported unchanged numbers or fewer cases compared to the same period last year.

Crimes detected as a result of Olievenhoutbosch police action increased by 5.3%, with drug-related crimes the largest portion of these cases.

Wierdabrug station appeared in the top 30 of four crime categories, including property-related crimes, burglary from a residence, theft out of a motor vehicle and commercial crimes.

The stats for Wierdabrug represent the period just before the new station commander took over.

The station only detected had 11 crimes as a result its action, less than half from the same period in 2022.

The station also reported unchanged numbers or fewer crimes in most categories compared to the same period in 2022, despite appearing in the top 30 nationally.

Erasmia reported almost half as many property-related crimes compared to 2022 and 13.6% fewer community reported crimes.

The station reported more theft compared to other crime categories.

Laudium had an almost 30% reduction in contact crimes compared to the same period in 2022.

The station reported five sexual offences for the period, matching the same period last year.

Crimes detected as a result of police action decreased from 33 last year, to 19 this year.

Lyttelton SAPS appeared in the top 30 for five crime categories, including property-related crimes, theft out of a motor vehicle, commercial crimes, other serious crimes and theft not included in other categories.

Despite this, the station reported 18% fewer contact crimes compared to 2022 and showed an 87.2% increase in crimes detected as a result of police action, with drug-related crimes and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs making up the largest portion of these crimes.

Most crime categories showed a decrease, while theft crime categories proved to be areas showing an increase.

While some stations reported favourable statistics, three stations appeared in the top 30 of at least four crime categories.

Ward 57 councillor David Farquharson said that he was worried about the figures for Centurion stations.

“Nationwide crime reporting is at a point where only 40% of crimes are reported because victims don’t trust the police to do anything,” he told Rekord.

“During the violent illegal strike, SAPS was not a protector of the city’s residents or infrastructure.

“If you ignore crime it doesn’t go away.”

Farquharson advised residents to consider joining their local CPF to become involved in protecting their communities.

“We have to accept that the current national government is unwilling or incapable of protecting us and our property,” he concluded.

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