Sandton’s crime trends reveal a complex picture for 2024

The second quarterly crime statistics from the Sandton Police Station reveal both troubling increases and encouraging decreases across various crime categories from July to September 2024.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu announced the crime statistics for the second quarter of 2024/2025 financial year on November 25.

Read more: Reasons, and crimes, to worry about in Sandton

One of the station’s significant areas of concern remains contact crimes, which include murders, sexual offenses, and various forms of robbery.

The total count of contact crimes reported by Sandton Police Station has seen a notable decline from 294 incidents in 2020 to a stark 270 incidents in 2024, marking a reduction of 56 counts or 17.2%. Within this classification, murder rates fluctuated, with a reduction to zero reported murders in the 2023 quarter, but returning to two in 2024.

Sexual offenses exhibited a more stable tendency, with the overall numbers holding steady around 19 to 20 offenses, while the subcategory of attempted sexual offenses registered its first count in 2024.

Robbery with aggravating circumstances demonstrated a promising decrease of 36 counts or 27.7%, falling to 94 incidents in 2024.

Property-related crimes

The statistics reveal a slight increase in the total counts, rising from 255 incidents in July to September 2020 to 328 in 2024; a 5.5% increase.

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Burglary at non-residential premises and theft out of or from motor vehicles saw notable fluctuations, with the latter experiencing a significant uptick to 151 counts in 2024.

Other serious crimes

Other serious crimes present a juxtaposition of concerning rises and hopeful reductions. The statistics reveals that commercial crime saw a remarkable spike, surging from 273 counts in 2020 to a staggering 541 in 2024, representing an increase of 55%.

Conversely, all theft not mentioned elsewhere has also risen by 42 instances, achieving a total of 321 reported cases, underscoring broader societal challenges.

Police action yields mixed results

The statistics from crimes detected as a result of police action show a varied and complex outcome. While there was a notable increase in police findings related to illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, which jumped from three cases in 2020 to ten in 2024, drug-related crime remained consistent at 17 counts for the last two years, indicating persistent yet unchanged issues.

Community response and future outlook

Overall, the community reported serious crime counts have increased from 1 193 in 2020 to 1 572 in 2024, equating to a 12.4% rise. This trend stresses the need for enhanced community engagement and co-operation with law enforcement to address crime proactively.

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