The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has placed the blame for the worrying crime rate squarely on the shoulders of the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe.
Crime in Limpopo has risen significantly since Lt-Gen Hadebe was bestowed the Sword-of-Command on January 21, 2021, says DA Provincial Spokesperson on Transport and Community Safety, Katlego Suzan Phala.
According to statistics, said Phala there are 330 contact crimes per day, including 219 murders, 905 reported rapes, and 3241 assaults resulting in grievous bodily harm.
She said these figures represent a 12 percent rise in murders, an 8 percent rise in rapes, and a 32.4% rise in assaults.
Some other shocking crime statistics between January 2022 and March 2022 are:
- 1738 robberies with aggravating circumstances (19 per day)
- 3150 burglaries at residential premises (35 per day)
- 1909 malicious damage to property (21 per day)
- 634 incidents of stock theft (7 per day)
- 240 protests, 66 of which turned to unrest.
According to Phala, the number of crimes detected as a result of police action has decreased by 44.5 percent under Lt. Gen. Hadebe’s watch, from 7112 in the same quarter a year ago to 3165 in the current quarter.
“We have repeatedly warned the provincial SAPS about the dire consequences of their lack of resources, underfunding, and lack of training, but to no avail. The recent crime statistics support the DA’s statement that the national government’s policing approach is not working and that changes need to be made in order to ensure the safety of our citizens,” Phala said.
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