The majority of police officers killed last year were killed while off duty, statistics revealed. Bheki Cele, the minister of police presented the annual South African Crime statistics in Parliament on Tuesday morning. Here’s are the findings.
The 2016/17 statistics revealed an increase in violent crimes, with murder increasing by 1.8%. The findings also revealed that the North West, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga recorded the highest increase in crime levels. Additionally‚ cop killings amounted to about 0.4% of the total number of killings the country recorded‚ according to the most recent crime statistics.
Police minister revealed that staff numbers had dropped significantly. Many police officers have resorted to resign in fear of possible job cuts while most resigned due to traumatic stress experienced due to the nature of the job.
“We are 10‚000 police fewer than last year. We have lost the United Nations norm of policing which says one policeman to 220 citizens. One police officer is now looking at almost double that‚” Cele said.
Firearms used in most crimes used to commit murder, the statistics showed, 41.3% followed by knives, 30.7%, and other sharp instruments at 11.1%. Statistics also reveal that murder crimes had increased by 6.9 percent from 2017 . Approximately 57 people are killed on a daily basis in South Africa.
