Gauteng records 2% overall crime increase

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Gauteng Police Commissioner, Elias Mawela, says the overall crime in the province has increased by 2% compared to the same period in the 2021/22 reporting period.

However, he says there has been a reduction in sexual offences, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, as well as robbery with aggravating circumstances.

He was presenting the province’s crime statistics for the period 1 January to 31^st March this year in the Gauteng Legislature.

Mawela says the overall crime in Gauteng increased by 2 129 counts, compared to the previous reporting period.

He says although there’s been a slight reduction in aggravated robbery, he is concerned about the number of people being robbed through online shopping scams where buyers are lured to certain locations where they are robbed and hijacked by groups especially in areas like Eldorado Park, Loate and Winterveld.

Mawela says vigilantism continues to have an impact on the murder rate in the province where multiple people are murdered in one incident.

He says the proliferation of firearms contribute to the murder rate.

Mawela says service delivery protests are diverting the police’s resources from crime fighting with 630 crowd related incidents recorded in the period under review.

#sapsGP Provincial #CrimeStats for Gauteng Province: 4th Quarter Crime Statistics for the 2022/23 financial year. ME pic.twitter.com/Z1O2COxRkg

— SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) June 14, 2023