Home crime Crime stats 2019/20: Nothing for Kimberley to smile about

Crime stats 2019/20: Nothing for Kimberley to smile about

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The city is among the top 30 stations in the country in several categories of reported crime.

At the Kagisho police station, murder is up by 50 percent from 10 cases reported to 15 cases, while arson has shown a massive jump of 133 percent from three incidents to seven. File imagel. Picture: Danie van der Lith

WHILE the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, and the MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem, are set to release the Northern Cape crime statistics for 2019/20 today, it appears that Kimberley has little to smile about, being among the top 30 stations in the country in several categories of reported crime.

According to the crime statistics for the 2019/20 period, the Galeshewe police station has the highest number of attempted sexual offences in the country. A total of 23 cases were reported at this police station, which is an increase of 53.3% from 15 cases in 2018/19.

The Kimberley police station is the seventh highest in the country for attempted sexual offences, up from 10 cases in 2018/19 to 15 in 2019/2020 (an increase of 40%), while Kagisho, in eighth spot, is close behind with 13 cases.

Douglas police station and Roodepan police station were also among the top 30 stations in the country for attempted sexual offences, both of them with 10 cases reported in the last financial year.

The Kimberley police station is also listed in the top 30 stations in the country for burglary at non-residential premises, with 263 cases. This is down by 28.1% from 366 cases reported in the 2018/19 period.

The local police station is 18th in the country for theft out of motor vehicles with 872 cases reported, although this figure has also dropped from 1 000 (-12.8%) in the previous year, while it is 28th in the country for property-related crime with 1 857 cases reported (down by 11.4% from 2 095 cases) and 28th for shop-ifting, with a total of 361 cases reported. Shoplifting is up from the previous year by 14.6%, with 315 cases reported in the 2019/20 year.

One of the biggest increases seen at the Kimberley police station over the last year is murder, which is up by 50% (up from 10 to 15 cases), while attempted sexual offences in up by 40% in the city. Stock-theft is up by 41% and while the number is relatively low, car-jacking is up by 100% from three cases in 2018/19 to six cases in 2019/2020.

At the Galeshewe police station, the biggest increase is in robbery at residential premises, which is up by 60%, while attempted sexual offences is up by 53.3%. Contact sexual offences is also up, by 25%. There has, however, been a drop in the number of murders reported at this police station.

At the Kagisho police station, murder is up by 50% from 10 cases reported to 15 cases, while arson has shown a massive jump of 133% from three incidents to seven.

At the Roodepan police station, where the total number of incidents reported is up by 17%, the biggest increases were reported in theft out of motor vehicle (up by 400%), contact sexual offences (up by 300%), and robbery at non-residential premises (up by 200%).

There were a total of 326 murders in the Province in the last year (up slightly from 322), and 1 590 cases of sexual offences reported.

The number of attempt murder cases in the Province was down slightly from 532 to 468, while there were 7 594 cases of assault with attempt to inflict grievous bodily harm reported, and 4 533 cases of common assault.

There were 1 125 cases of rape reported in the Province, which remained relatively constant in comparison to the previous year when 1 121 rape cases were opened.

The Northern Cape crime statistics will be presented by the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Risimati Shivuri, in Kimberley this afternoon.

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