Access to guns main contributor to increase in murders: Expert

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Crime expert and former head of the Crime Information Analysis Centre Dr Chris de Kock says access to guns and increasing frequency of hiring hitman are the major contributors to the rise in murders in the country.

The third quarter crime statistics for the 2023/2024 year were released earlier today.

Police Minister Bheki Cele announced that more than 7 700 people were murdered between October and December last year. This is an increase of 155 from the same period in the previous year.

De Kock says this has been a trend in the last three years.

“More and more, firearms are being used during robberies, all kinds of robberies even street robberies in the poorer areas of our country. Another factor is murder for hire you know hitman. So, one sees more and more that guns or hitman are available to take people out who are on your way. So, I think those two factors especially contributed to the increase.”