Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni reported a 4.5% drop in crime, marking progress in the province’s fight against high crime rates.
Gauteng recorded a significant drop in crime during the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, with law enforcement efforts leading to a 4.5% reduction in overall criminal activity.
This was revealed in the latest crime statistics presented by Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni to the Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety.
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The report highlights a decrease of 4 709 reported crimes between April and June 2024 compared to the same period last year.
The report indicated:
Contact crime in the province has decreased by 5.4% including offences such as murder, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Arson and malicious property damage fell by 7.5%, and property-related crimes, including home and business burglaries, vehicle theft, and stock theft, decreased by 6.7%.
In addition to these reductions, Gauteng law enforcement made 65 445 arrests, with 11 688 of those involving illegal immigrants.
Mthombeni said that the police also recovered 1,492 firearms and 1.97 kilograms of drugs, further contributing to the province’s overall crime reduction efforts
The report also celebrated a series of successful convictions, with 37 life sentences secured during the quarter, including 26 for sexual offences and nine for murder.
The report also indicated that:
During the same period, police managed to secure 37 life sentences and an additional 1 827 years of imprisonment.
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In a statement, the Gauteng Legislature’s Community Safety Committee praised these achievements, calling the decrease in 16 of the 17 community-reported crime categories a ‘remarkable’ milestone.
However, the committee said that while the drop in crime is encouraging, there is still work to be done.
Citing the Governance, Public Safety, and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2023/24, released by Stats SA, the committee said that many South Africans continue to feel unsafe and believe that more needs to be done to address crime.
“The committee reaffirms its commitment to working closely with all stakeholders to further ensure the reduction of crime and improve community safety in Gauteng and urges law enforcement agencies in the province to maintain and build on this progress,” the committee said in the statement.
Zamokuhle Ndawonde
www.news24.com
