The murder rate in the country is reflective of a
“war zone”, says DA MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard.
“We now have a second increase in two years in the
murder rate,” she told reporters at the South African Police Service Tshwane
Training Academy following the release of the 2013-2014 crime statistics today.
“We have 47 murders a day. That sort of figure is
what one would expect in a war zone.”
Kohler-Barnard said this year’s statistics were
almost back to the 2006 levels when there was a spike in the murder rate.
There had only been four increases in murder since
the advent of democracy and two of them were under national police commissioner
Riah Phiyega, she said.
“It is a terrible statistic and the fact that so
many of the violent crimes are up so massively … is a very poor showing.
“I knew it would be bad, I felt it would be bad and
all the predictions have come true.”
Earlier, Phiyega announced that there had been 800
more murders since the 2012-2013 statistics.
Kohler-Barnard said the statistics were a
reflection on former police minister Nathi Mthethwa.
“It’s a very bad reflection and that’s obviously
why Nathi Mthethwa was shunted off to arts and culture and it’s a very bad
reflection on the current national police commissioner. Even though she is claiming
something of a victory, it is most certainly not a victory.”
She said real-time crime statistics needed to be
available at every police station and not just as an announcement once a year.
“What help is it to a homeowner to find out now
that 18 months ago there was a massive increase in carjackings or house
robberies in his area?”
Having real-time statistics was the only way people
could protect themselves, said Kohler-Barnard.
Institute for Security Studies senior researcher
for crime and justice Johan Burger said the statistics proved what the
institute had been saying for some time – that violent crimes would go up as
well as murder and attempted murder.
“This means that we as South Africans have reason
to feel less safe at the moment than we should be and this is because those
crimes have directly affected us and our safety and security,” he said.
Murder and attempted murder rates, which had
increased, could be based on social conditions.
The increase in aggravated robbery and
housebreakings affected how safe people felt.
“This is definitely not a good news story,” said
Burger.
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reflection on Mthethwa, Phiyega – DA appeared first on City Press.
