GEORGE NEWS - As 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence was launched on Monday 25 November, the scale of violence, particularly against women and children, remains deeply alarming.
The release of the latest crime statistics on Tuesday revealed that from July to September, 12 765 sexual offences were reported across the country.
During the release of the quarter's crime stats, South African Police Services crime registrar general Norman Sekhukhune said alcohol was a significant factor in many cases nationwide. Of the rape cases reported during this period, more than 1 000 were alcohol-related.
In our area, the four police stations (George, Conville, Pacaltsdorp and Thembalethu) recorded a combined 44 rape cases - a notable decrease of 18 from last year.
Thembalethu had the highest number with 18 cases, while George reported 10, and Conville and Pacaltsdorp each reported eight.
In the same period, a staggering 6 545 people were murdered in South Africa - an average of 71 lives per day, or three every hour. Closer to home, our stations recorded 26 murders during this period, two more than the same time last year.
Thembalethu reported 11 murders, a slight drop from last year's 13. Conville, however, saw an unsettling increase from six to ten cases, while George recorded three murders compared to the previous year's two. Pacaltsdorp showed a small improvement, dropping from three murders to two.
Alcohol continues to play a tragic role in violent crimes.
There was some good news. Residential burglaries in George saw a significant drop from 268 cases last year to 214 this year. Meanwhile, common robberies remained steady, slightly declining from 67 cases to 63.
Unfortunately, violence remains a disturbingly common response to conflict.
Thembalethu recorded a shocking 113 cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), a sharp rise of 21 cases compared to last year. George saw a decrease, dropping from 35 to 28 cases, while Conville recorded 12 fewer cases than last year's 84. In Pacaltsdorp, however, GBH cases rose slightly, from 49 to 53.
Aggravating robberies showed a positive decline, dropping from 131 cases last year to 110 this year. Thembalethu which recorded 53 last year, showed a noticeable decrease to 32 cases, Conville 39, George 27, and Pacaltsdorp reported the fewest with 12 cases.
While these numbers remain concerning, the downward trend offers a glimmer of hope for the community.
On a positive note, the crime detected as a result of police action increased significantly from 59 cases last year to 95 this year. This is a category of crimes discovered by the police during operations such as roadblocks and include drug-related crimes, driving under the influence of alcohol and the illegal possession of firearms or ammunition.
Complete crime statistics for all four police stations:
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