#CrimeStats: Murder and sexual offences up

The Police Ministry has just briefed Parliament on the country's 2018/2019 crime statistics.

Head of Police Crime Research and Statistics, Norman Sekhukhune says between April last year and March this year, sexual offences went up by 4.6 percent and attempted murders by 4.1 percent.

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"We have recorded 21,022 murders, that is a 3.4 percent increase in the total number of murders reported when compared to the previous year," he said.

Some 3,567 murders happened over weekends between Saturday 9pm and Sunday 3am.

"This might be an indicator of high alcohol intake abuse, as well as drug-related abuse," said Sekhukhune.

Sekhukhune said rape, sexual assault, attempted murder, sexual offences and contact sexual offences increased by 2,312 cases -- that is a 4.6 percent increase."

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He said there were 18,980 cases of attempted murder reported to Saps during the last financial year.

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Meanwhile, Sekhukhune says common robbery cases, including cash-in-transit heists ad bank robberies, decreased slightly for all but one category in the period under review.

Robberies at residential properties went up by 0.8 percent. This means more than 22,430 home were hit in the last year.

Robbery with aggravating circumstances increased by 1.2 percent, or 140,032 more cases.

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