The negative impact of crime on the North West province is on the rise, while the police’s only response is to blame the Covid-19 restrictions.
This is evident from the latest quarterly crime statistics for the 2021/22 financial year that were recently announced by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele.
The province’s murder rate increased with nearly 100% in comparison to the same period in 2020.
A shocking 92 (73%) of these murders were committed in public places.
The reported incidents of rape in the province also nearly doubled during this quarter.
Robberies with aggravating circumstances increased with 43,7%.
No attempts are being made to find solutions and the restrictions are used as a feeble excuse for the sharp rise in numbers.
The Covid-19 lockdown is not to blame for this. In fact, during lockdown people are supposed to stay home and not be out and about committing crimes.
It seems that the police force is more focused on victimising people who are running their daily errands – like grocery shopping outside of the curfew hours – instead of cracking down on crime and conducting thorough investigations.
These figures point to a lack of proper policing and prosecution, which are directly related to the ANC government’s apparent inability to effectively combat crime.
The mere fact that the majority of murders committed in the North West were committed in public places shows that criminals have the upper hand and that the local police services lack the will and the ability to ensure the safety of law-abiding citizens.
Instead of shifting the blame, the focus should be on the empowerment of police officers so as to effectively fight crime. And in addition to that, the criminal justice system must ensure that criminals are duly prosecuted.
The FF Plus condemns the ANC government’s feeble excuses for its incompetence. The party also urges the country’s people to vote for better leadership and government in the upcoming elections.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Michal Groenewald on FF Plus
