By: Natasha Archary
The DA says Gauteng residents’ safety is under siege as 30 people are killed, hijacked or raped daily.
According to DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Community Safety, Crezane Bosch MPL, the fourth quarter crime statistics for the province shows an increase in violent crimes.
With a 42% increase in reported murder cases, a 31.7% increase in attempted murder and a 26% rise in hijackings, Gauteng residents are not safe.
There’s also been an 11.6% climb in rape cases, indicating that every day someone in Gauteng is ripped of their dignity and scarred for the rest of their life.
These percentages refer to a total of 2,792 reported cases of either murder or attempted murder over 90 days. This means that 30 people are either murdered or victims of attempted murder daily.
With similar figures for hijackings and rape over the 90 days, this means that 32 cars were hijacked every day, and 25 people were raped,
“These statistics trigger fear for residents as they are scared, wondering if they will be the next victim; they have lost hope in the police services.
The crime statistics report should not only include the crime stats but should also reflect a detailed analysis of the reasons why these crimes were not prevented, what the shortcomings are at these police stations and the challenges in the communities that face these constant increases in crime.”
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Community Safety – Crezane Bosch MPL
The DA says oversight inspections at several police stations have confirmed that police services are not equipped or maintained in terms of basic infrastructure and technological requirements.
Some police stations don’t have basic services such as electricity, sanitation and the internet.
“This is why Gauteng is in the Top 30 of every crime reported nationally, as the lack of basic requirements, impacts negatively on the functionality, performance, visible policing and crime prevention.”
The DA will be embarking on oversight inspections of all the police stations across the province to ascertain service delivery challenges.
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