High crime rate in Richmond blamed on alcohol abuse

There's been a notable increase in contact crimes and stock theft there. 

The small town was rocked last year by the mass murder of eight people. 

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Six others were killed in a separate incident. 

Police say the suspects they arrested in connection with these cases are not from the area. 

Deputy Justice Minister John Jeffrey attended an integrated ministerial stakeholder meeting in Richmond on Friday. 

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He says another concern is the rampant use of illegal guns. 

"It is a complex issue and that is what we are engaging on. From what I know, this is now before the inputs have been made from the stakeholders. There are social problems here. Issues of alcohol are a big problem. 

"When we had the alcohol ban during the lockdown, the crime rate decreased dramatically and a lot of the murders are linked to taverns, a lot of the sexual crimes are linked to taverns. So those are broader social problems that we are going to be looking for solutions for."