There has been a decrease in the number of crimes reported over most crime categories in the Mitchell’s Plain police precinct, including Lentegeur and Strandfontein police stations, according to the 2016/2017 crime statistics released yesterday, Tuesday October 24.
These crime statistics span the period from April 2016 to March 2017.
Mitchell’s Plain police station has seen a decrease in most crimes, including 16 fewer murders to the 119 that were reported from April 2015 to March 2016 and 64 fewer incidents of attempted murder, compared to the 208 reported previously.
Colonel Jan Alexander, acting station commander, said the decrease in the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, a drop of 87, shows police have seized less firearms.
Last year (April 2015 to March 2016) 225 incidents were reported and this year (April 2016 to March 2017).
“We are called out to shootings every day, especially weekends and at night,” he said.
Colonel Alexander said that, irrespective of whether someone had been shot or not, the fact that they were called to a shooting, means shots were fired. “This is proof that there are firearms in the community,” he said.
“This means that there is work to be done, not just by the police but also by the community,” he said.
Colonel Alexander said the police and the community needed to join hands to take guns out of circulation.
“I call upon the community to work with the police, to strengthen our partnership to be sure we stand together against crime,” he said.
There has, however, been an increase in sexual assault by 22 incidents, from 56 previously reported to 78 this year.
Strandfontein police station saw an increase in driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs from 46 last year to 89 this year.
The station also saw an increase in common assault incidents, 118 previously to 140 this year.
A total of 340 contact crimes had been reported at the station in the 2016/2017 period, a decrease of 21 cases. A total of 13 sexual offence cases had been reported – 11 fewer than the previous year, while 438 property-related cases were reported, a decrease of 40. Drug-related crimes in the area increased by 15 with 548 cases reported this year, compared to 533 the previous year.
Lentegeur police station had a decrease in contact crime (1 619 for 2016/2017 compared to 1 736 for 2015/2016) and an increase in sexual offences (77 for 2016/2017 compared to 66 for 2015/2016).
There was an increase of sexual offences – 110 – rape increased from 39 previously to 48 this year; sexual assault stayed at 25; attempted sexual offences increased from one to two this year; and contact sexual offences increased by one.
