Sandringham Police Station featured in trio-crimes – carjacking

Gauteng released its second-quarter crime statistics from July to September 2024, on November 25.

The publication highlighted areas of interest in the Rosebank precinct, which include Sandringham Police Station.

Sandringham was featured in the trio of crimes which are carjacking, robbery at residential premises, and robbery at non-residential premises. The police station placed seventh in carjacking, recording 50 incidents, showing a 19.4% decrease.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said South Africa faced a scourge of violent crimes which included murder, attempted murder, assault GBH (Grievous Bodily Harm), and rape.

Also read: Ward 74 community and councillor Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku voice alarm over crime hotspots

“Gender-based violence (GBV), which has become a national priority crime, requires our distinct focus, as it continues to devastate families and communities, with a unique set of challenges that demand specialised intervention, thorough investigations and collaborative solutions,” he said.

Referring to the Gauteng stats, Mchunu added from July 1 to September 30, the 17 community-reported serious crimes showed an overall decline of 5.1%. Specifically, contact crime decreased by 3.0%, property-related crime decreased by 9.9%, and other serious crime decreased by 3.4%. Focusing on contact crime, the statistics indicated that murder decreased by 5.8%, sexual offences by 2.5%, and robbery with aggravating circumstances by 8.8%.

Rape decreased by 3.1%, while robbery at residential premises and non-residential premises decreased by 1.3% and 21.1% respectively.

Among the 17 community-reported crime categories monitored, the only increases were observed in attempted murder, assault GBH, and commercial crimes, which rose by 2.2%, 1.0%, and 18.5% respectively.

Also read: Bramely Police Station recorded an increase in carjackings

The police minister noted that in Gauteng, crime intelligence achieved notable successes through multi-dimensional investigations. “A raid on July 9 uncovered mandrax and drug manufacturing tools valued at R2.6 million, resulting in four arrests,” he said. “Throughout July, arrests included drug mules smuggling narcotics valued in millions, showcasing SAPS’ determination to combat drug trafficking.”

He said Operation Shanela proved highly successful, leading to 262 396 arrests. There had been 7 549 high-density operations and more than eight million actions executed.

Speaking of the food-borne illnesses that have recently engulfed the country, Mchunu said SAPS would enforce the law and support the local government and health and environmental officials.

He concluded, “The ministry recently convened a high-level strategy session with SAPS top management, including the provincial commissioners, to tackle the most pressing issues, from violent crime to resource allocation. We emerged with a unified objective to decisively reduce crime in all its forms, and will be rolling out specific operations to achieve that.”

Follow us on our Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok pages. Join our WhatsApp group for any story ideas you may have.

Related article: Norwood police clamp down on crime