Pretoria – Fewer murders were committed in South Africa between April and June, the first drop in a quarter since the Covid pandemic began over three years ago, the police minister announced on Friday.
The second quarter of the year saw 6 228 cases recorded, down 3.1 percent during the same period of 2022.
“For the first time since Covid-19 reached our shores in 2020, the murder rate of the country has declined in a single quarter,” police minister Bheki Cele told a press conference in Pretoria.
While crime levels are “still unacceptably high… police are pushing back on crime,” and figures “starting to show some decreases”.
The crime statistics, which are presented every quarter in a live broadcast had been steadily rising over the past few months.
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The southern African country, one of the most dangerous in the world, saw its last significant drop in violent crime as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown imposed in March 2020.
“The 3.1% decline in the murder rate is no cause for celebration,” Cele warned.
“6 228 is not just a number. It is people whose lives were cut short at the hands of another.”
Three people were murdered every hour in the first three months of the year according to previous crime statistics.
Firearms, knives and sharp objects are the weapons of choice for the murders.
The number of rapes reported to the police also dropped by 2.8%.
“The crime figures show that majority of sexual assaults are still taking place between people that are familiar with each other,” Cele said.
“Fighting crime starts in the home.”
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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