Pretoria – National Crime Statistics released today show that more people were murdered in the country in the 2012/13 financial year compared to 2011/12.
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said there was a slight increase of 0.6% in the murder rate in the past financial year.
Previously, this category had decreased by 27.2% over the past nine years, and 16.6% over the past four years.
There was also a 6.5% increase in attempted murder in the year under review.
This was in contrast to the decrease in attempted murder by 51.7% over the past nine years and 16.8% over the past four years.
Mthethwa attributed these increases to a number of trends in the provinces, including cases of domestic violence, alcohol and drug related arguments and gang related violence.
The minister said they will double their efforts to ensure this slight increase is re-routed to the downward trends that was experienced over the past nine years.
SAPS, he said, have identified several interventions to address the increase. These include enhanced policing partnerships, the accelerating of the resourcing of Public Order Policing; partnerships with rural leaders and strategic deployment in crime hotspots.
Others include the rollout of Mining Crime Combating Forums and implementing the Illicit Mining Strategy. - SAnews.gov.za
