Despite police’s intensified efforts to combat crime in Gauteng, criminals seem to be always one step ahead.
This was a picture that was painted when Gauteng police commissioner, General Elias Mawela, released crime statistics for the last quarter of 2022 on Tuesday.
Mawela announced that serious crimes in the province, South Africa’s economic hub, increased 7.1% in the three-month period.
He painted a grim picture, stating that 1 721 people were murdered in the province during the last quarter of 2022, an increase of 151 compared with the previous year.
Weapons used to commit these offences included firearms, knives and other sharp instruments, stones, rocks, bricks and blunt objects.
Mawela said 278 women were killed during the reporting period, an increase of 89 compared with the same period in 2021.
Children were not spared, according to Mawela, who said 44 kids were also murdered.
“It is disheartening that even with all our efforts, statistics show that we did not do well, as we have lost our overall crime category for the quarter under review,” said Mawela.
“Our presence on the ground helped us prevent crime before it could be committed, in some instances, and disrupted many planned and opportunistic criminal actions.”
Mawela praised the police for taking part in crime-combatting operations, especially the operations which are conducted at night.
“It should suffice to say that had we not been on the ground, the crime situation would have been worse than what it is right now.”
He called on residents across Gauteng to find better ways to resolve conflicts which have been linked to crime statistics.
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