Cape Town – Three Cape Town areas, Nyanga, Harare and Philippi East, were the leading areas for hijackings in the country.
This was revealed on Wednesday during the release of the crime statistics for the second quarter (July to September) of 2022/23.
The stats show hijackings in Nyanga saw a 77.66% increase year on year, a 5.7% decline in Harare and a 32.3% increase in Philippi East.
Pretoria West, Olievenhoutbosch, Mfuleni, Sandringham, Bramley, Midrand and Mthatha were among the country’s top 10 hijacking hot spots during Q2.
The latest crime figures highlighted that carjackings in the country have seen an increase of 1174.
The latest crime statistics report come as the City of Cape Town has recently launched the annual safety and awareness campaign for the festive season.
Responding to the latest figures revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers were deployed in the most crime-affected communities.
He said the crime stats confirmed the City’s case to the national government for more localised policing power.
“Residents increasingly look to us to keep them safer, and based on today’s results, it is encouraging that our targeted crime prevention approach is working despite an overall very concerning national picture. While there are many SAPS officers who are hard working and dedicated, they simply do not receive the support they need.
“This is why we are investing in more capacity for our units, with new equipment and technology aimed at increasing our crime prevention effectiveness and keeping our residents safe.
“It is clear that devolution of policing has become an even more urgent need. We call on Police Minister Bheki Cele to respond to our request made earlier this year,“ Hill-Lewis said.
Cape Town’s Safety and Security MMC JP Smith said that the City continues to invest heavily in its safety initiatives, and they were calling on the police in the Western Cape who were woefully under-resourced to be supported by national.
“Apart from the need for more boots on the ground, we reiterate our call for more investment in SAPS’s detective services. In recent years, the City’s enforcement services have significantly increased their arrest rate, but we need the conviction rate to keep pace.
“An effective criminal justice system is crucial to addressing the high crime rates, bringing relief from high crime rates to communities and increasing public confidence,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, the DA’s Western Cape spokesperson on community safety, Gillion Bosman, said that the release of the second-quarter crime statistics for 2022/23 has proven that there is strong evidence pointing towards the infiltration of top management structures in Western Cape SAPS and how it has directly affected their crime-fighting efforts.
“Despite these realities, there has been very little done to improve these circumstances. For us to fight crime, we need an effectively resourced and capacitated police service since the issue of crime prevention has not been prioritised by the national government,” Bosman said.
Bosman said that although these statistics paint a concerning picture, they know that the Western Cape government’s perseverance with the implementation it safety plan continues to yield good results.
“As the national government refuses to admit that capable, sub-national governments are best placed to fight crime, we will continue to support the Western Cape in protecting our residents against those who intend on doing harm,” Bosman added.
IOL