The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West is alarmed at the rise of criminal activity in the province.
According to the latest crime statistics released earlier today, a total of 7 124 has been reported at the Rustenburg Police Station alone, which has been listed as one of the 30 worst areas for crime in South Africa.
The rise in crime, often accompanied with brutal violence, must be stopped and reversed immediately.
To this end, to improve the safety and security of the people of North West, the DA will submit a Private Members Bill to the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) to improve policing in the province. The DA remains committed to the fight against the rise in crime.
Considering the fact that there are only 83 police stations to service a population of almost 4 million people, and also that the police vs population ratio is 1 for every 577 citizens, the high levels of crime comes as no surprise.
In the North West, domestic violence recorded the highest causative factor of murder. It is alarming that, out of 961 murders committed in the 2018/19 fiscal year, 101 were the result of domestic violence and 72 cases due to armed robbery.
After recent reports on the senseless rape and murder of women, it is shocking to find that the majority of police stations in the province are non-compliant on record keeping and completion of the domestic violence acts registers.
The Crime Against Women in South Africa Report released by Statistics SA recently, indicates that femicide is five times higher than the global average.
These startling figures again remind us of the countless women and children living in fear, simply because they are not safe – especially those among farming communities and far flung rural areas.
Rural communities are easy prey to violent and brutal crime as a result of SAPS failure to ensure that police officers are well-resourced, well trained and well managed professionals.
Among the top 30 police stations in the country recording cases of attempted sexual assault, four of those are in the North West: Mafikeng – 171.4% increase; Phokeng – 140% increase; Jouberton – 83% increase and Boitekong – 6.7% increase.
Other crime statistics for the 2018/19 fiscal year include:
- Commercial crime increased by 37.7%;
- Truck hijacking increased by 31.7%;
- Drug related crimes increased by 28.3%;
- Carjacking increased by 12.5%; and
- Other serious crime increased by 9.1%
In light of these escalating crime statistics, the DA again calls for the reinstatement of rural safety units and other specialised crime investigation units within the SAPS in order to bring down the high crime rate.
It is clear that the fundamentals in the South African police force need urgent attention and therefore the DA will continue its fight for the improvement of police services to ensure the safety of every citizen.