Festive season crime stats – Decline in some areas and increase in others

Posted on

Crime has a huge impact on insurance, from short-term to health insurance. At a recent SAPS event, police minister Bheki Cele addressed the media on the festive season statistics for the period October 15 to January 11.

Crimes on the decline

The national murder rate declined by 1.4% over the festive period.
Sexual offences – such as rapes and sexual assaults – decreased by 9.9%.
Property-related crimes (burglary, stolen vehicles and stock theft) dropped by 10%.

Crimes which saw an increase

Car hijackings shot up by 11%.
Truck hijackings increased by 9%.
In total, 24 827 drunk drivers were arrested as a result of police action – a rise of 16% from 2018/19.

Despite the decline in some areas, it was reported this week that South Africa ranks as the third most dangerous country in the world, according to Numbeo’s 2020 crime index – with four local cities among the 10 most dangerous globally.

Click here to read the news article as published in The South African.