Murder and sexual offences have continued their downward trend, with murder decreasing by 0.8% and sexual offences by 1.5% in the second quarter of the 2023-2024 financial year.
These, however, were the only two contact crimes categories, — crimes against an individual — to continue declining from the first quarter.
The rest increased, with the overall category rising by 2.1%.
Police top management briefed parliament's police portfolio committee before the release of the second quarter crime statistics, covering the period July 1 to end of September.
Maj-Gen Norman Sekhukhune, joined by police minister Bheki Cele and police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, provided MPs with a breakdown of the statistics.
He said 6,945 murder cases were reported, 59 less than the same period last year.
A total of 13,090 sexual offences were reported , down from 13,283 during the same period in 2022.
Attempted murder saw the highest increase within the category, rising by 12.3%. There were 42,297 attempted murder cases reported, 6,911 more than the same period last year.
Robbery with aggravating circumstances saw the lowest increase, rising by 1.1%. This means 439 more cases were reported to police between July and September.
In the sexual offences category, rape declined by 0.7% and sexual assault by 2.5%. There were 10,516 rape cases reported, down by 74 from the same period last year.
Contact sexual offences saw the biggest decrease, dropping by 35.9%. The only offence to increase in this category was attempted sexual offence, which went up by 4.1%.
Cele, commenting before the presentation, said while crime remained “stubborn”, police were “beginning to see green shoots” in certain categories. He cited recent successes in investigating cash-in-transit heists and making arrests, as well as the arrest of a woman linked to insurance fraud on Thursday.
TimesLIVE
CRIME STATS | 6,945 murders in July-September
Murder and sexual offences have continued their downward trend, with murder decreasing by 0.8% and sexual offences by 1.5% in the second quarter of the 2023-2024 financial year.
These, however, were the only two contact crimes categories, — crimes against an individual — to continue declining from the first quarter.
The rest increased, with the overall category rising by 2.1%.
Police top management briefed parliament's police portfolio committee before the release of the second quarter crime statistics, covering the period July 1 to end of September.
Maj-Gen Norman Sekhukhune, joined by police minister Bheki Cele and police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, provided MPs with a breakdown of the statistics.
He said 6,945 murder cases were reported, 59 less than the same period last year.
A total of 13,090 sexual offences were reported , down from 13,283 during the same period in 2022.
Attempted murder saw the highest increase within the category, rising by 12.3%. There were 42,297 attempted murder cases reported, 6,911 more than the same period last year.
Robbery with aggravating circumstances saw the lowest increase, rising by 1.1%. This means 439 more cases were reported to police between July and September.
In the sexual offences category, rape declined by 0.7% and sexual assault by 2.5%. There were 10,516 rape cases reported, down by 74 from the same period last year.
Contact sexual offences saw the biggest decrease, dropping by 35.9%. The only offence to increase in this category was attempted sexual offence, which went up by 4.1%.
Cele, commenting before the presentation, said while crime remained “stubborn”, police were “beginning to see green shoots” in certain categories. He cited recent successes in investigating cash-in-transit heists and making arrests, as well as the arrest of a woman linked to insurance fraud on Thursday.
TimesLIVE