The Portfolio Committee on Police has welcomed the second quarter crime statistics showing a reduction in various crimes, including murder, sexual offences and carjacking.
The committee on Friday received a presentation on crime statistics for the last quarter (July to September) from the Ministry of Police and Senior Management of the South African Police Service. Compared to the same period in the last financial year, the statistics, among others, exhibit that there has been a 0.8% drop in murders and reductions of 1.5% in sexual offences, 2.3% in carjacking, and 7.3% in robberies at non-residential premises.
The committee notes that while in some cases the reduction is minimal, continued efforts will guide to sustained reduction. The committee also called on the police to continue efforts aimed at rooting out perpetrators of these crimes.
Despite these decreases, the committee raised concern over the sharp increase in attempted murder, showing an increase of 12.3% and assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily hurt that has recorded an increase of 1 046 cases in the quarter under review.
The committee further highlighted concerns over the increase in cash-in-transit robberies, which has recorded eight more incidents compared to the same period in the last financial year. The committee has called for collaboration with cash-in-transit companies to devise strategies to curb these incidents. Although the committee appreciated SAPS’ efforts in dealing with this, it emphasised the need for enhanced intelligence-led policing to deal with this crime.
Meanwhile, the committee remains concerned by rape incidents reported in educational institutions and has called for collaboration between SAPS and the management of these institutions to protect women and kids. The committee has also called for enhanced partnerships with cab associations and e-hailing services companies to address the emerging trend of rape while using these services.
The committee has resolved that it will be critical to engage with provincial SAPS Commissioners and station level commanders to assess strategies being implemented to address crime. This, according to the committee, will enable members to maintain a granular understanding of challenges and areas of best practice.
The committee reiterated its call for community-wide collaboration in the battle against crime. “The trust deficit between the community and SAPS must be urgently addressed to ensure that communities act as the eyes and ears of the SAPS and criminality can be reported speedily,” said Mr Nocks Seabi, the committee Chairperson.
Notwithstanding the need for community collaboration, the committee has condemned those resorting to mob justice as it creates more problems and expressed concern over the 428 murders, 63 attempted murders and 369 assaults with the intent to cause grievous bodily hurt relating to mob justice that believe been recorded.
The murder of police officers also remains a concern for the committee. The statistics exhibit that 35 police officers were killed in the quarter under review and the committee has called for improved strategies to bring an conclude to this.
The committee will schedule a session where it intends to engage further on these crime statistics and broaden engagement to include provincial and station-level management of hotspot areas.
Pigeon Woman
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”
Highbomber
There was a German, an Italian and Van der Merwe on death row.The warden gave them a choice of three ways to die:
1. to be shot
2. to be hung