Police Minister Bheki Cele has released the latest round of crime statistics, which show that violent crime including murder and armed robberies is on the rise.
POLICE Minister Bheki Cele says there has been another increase in murder cases in the country in the past three months with more than 6,200 people killed from January to March.
Cele said the police would try to improve the situation, but the fact that murder was up by 3.4% showed that more work needed to be done.
The minister was briefing the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on police on Tuesday on the crime statistics for the fourth quarter.
Head of police crime research Lieutenant-General Norman Sekhukhune said in the first three months of this year more than 6,200 people were murdered.
This was 200 more than in the previous period last year.
Sekhukhune said that while more than 13,000 sexual offences were reported during this period, there were 500 fewer cases than the corresponding period last year.
He told legislators that other violent crimes including armed robberies, hijackings and related crimes were also on the increase.
He also said there was an increase in cash-in-transit robberies across the country.
Most of the methods used in cash-in-transit robberies involved blocking the armoured vehicles on the road and bombing them.
Sekhukhune also said there was a rise in truck hijackings with a noticeable increase in the Eastern Cape.
National police commissioner Lieutenant-General Fannie Masemola said there had been improvements in certain areas. However, they would work harder to get crime under control.
He said this would include more boots on the ground.
The police hired 10,000 officers last year and said they would recruit another group of 10,000 in a bid to fight crime.
