Drop in murder cases in WC

Western Cape police held a media briefing at its headquarters in Green Point on Monday, where it outlined the crime statistics for the fourth quarter for the 2024/25 financial year, which occurred between January and March 2025.

The briefing was led by provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General advocate Tembisile Patikile. Also in attendance was the Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC, Anroux Marais, the chairperson of the provincial CPF board, Francina Lucas, and member of Parliament, Darlene James. This follows the release of the quarterly national crime statistics last Friday.

MEC Marais says gang violence remains a concern.

‘’Gangs and criminal enterprises still remains a central factor fueling the onslaught on our communities. They have even become so emboldened to launch attacks on our police stations and offices. We seriously need to make sure our efforts are more determined, more focused, and these gangs will think they are can terrorize our communities, must feel the impact of our interventions. It cannot be business as usual when these gangs are traumatizing our citizens and launching attacks. We must push back harder and become bolder in our approach.’’

General, our province's men and women in blue are doing their best under very difficult circumstances, but we urgently need more policing resources. Although our initiatives such as the law enforcement in fighting crime.

Marais called on national police commissioner Fannie Masemola for more policing resources and again reiterating the devolution of policing powers.

‘’My call is therefore to the National Police Commissioner to hear our earnest request for more policing resources. While budgets cuts and limited resources might curtail efforts to bolster policing resources, we must leverage other opportunities at our disposal. The memorandum of understanding that we signed with national government and the city of Cairkdale last year is one of those critical levers that could see the sharing of resources and the devolution of policing powers. Revolving more policing powers to our metro police officers to have access to live data and conduct investigations could substantially bolster our investigative capacity to support such detectives starting a high case pocket load. While the challenges remain significant, our partnership are ongoing and should lead more tangible results. The Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety currently serves as the lead coordinator of the Western Cape The Western Cape Department Of Police Oversight And Community Safety currently serves as the lead co organizer of the Western Cape anti game implementation strategy, which brings together stakeholders from across all spheres of government. This platform is an important key thing for the development and implementation networks in our province.’’

‘’We are continuously reviewing our interventions to adapt to the evolving nature of the gang challenge in the Western countries. I also want to acknowledge the valuable role played by community policing forums and other community safety structures in getting citizens involved in safety initiatives to prevent violence. I, again, call on our citizens to get involved in these initiatives. Establishing citizens to get involved in these initiatives. Establishing neighborhood watches, report illegal activity. Tell us where the guns are. We need to rid our communities of illegal guns and ammunition in aiding these gangs to carry out these attacks that traumatizes our citizens.’’

Provincial police commissioner, Thembisile Patikele, highlighted that the Western Cape features in the top four in murder cases.

‘’But any of that may be, the province reduced murders during the period under two. In the same breath, we concede the presence of a number of police stations from the province on the top 30 murder stations in the country. In other words, we still have areas of concern in this regard. Will it be Samora Machel, Phillipi East, and Delft,  being among those that have been alerted.’’

Patekile says firearms remains the weapon of choice to commit murders.

‘’This is a reality that has strengthened our resolve to go even more quietly to get those illegal firearms out of the street because they are there. They are used in commissioning crime. Most of the crimes that have been committed such as hijacking and many others. We are also focusing on the hot spots where these most of these crimes are committed. Even though we would like to see no reduction in this categories in police stations such as that, it require much attention. Delft, for example, has overgrown itself to the extent that we our work study should now almost finished to look at where the possibility of another police station in time. 25 Western Cape sap stations features on drug related crimes.’’

Patekile attributed this to policing efforts via search and seizure operations amongst others. He also acknowledged that while proactive policing efforts and numerous anti crime initiatives have been implemented across the province, more work remains to be done.

‘’We are still grappling with high incidence of gender based violence in communities. A scare that requires a whole of society approach and the world of government approach. And so that every road player take up certain responsibility in as far as the journey and base violence is concerned.

‘’As we release the fourth quarter statistics, we are mindful of the battle that is infecting local communities. The number of matters, attempted matters report that emanates from gang related shootings incidents in the gang station is a cause for concern. They always say desperate times call for desperate measures. That is why it isn't then with other law enforcement, particularly the city of Cape Town, on the safety and security directorate, we should be embarking on a rapid response intervention to counteract these gang related incidents in the top stations. While specific details of that will not be diverged in this, we undertake to saturate the identified transport areas to restore can and save the local communities.’’

‘’The integrated manner, the presence of the rapid response deployment will be fed soon. With local police station, Ant-gang unit members, and other specialized operation company and scores of cognitive patrollers as well as neighborhood watches members will be holistical deal with the state. The proactive policy approach on the intervention also will address further factors that are in development and manifestation to thrive in communities. In this regard, we plead for support from all other government road payers. We have been talking about ensuring that children are at school.’’

Patikile also thanks SAPS officers for protecting communities despite coming under attack.

‘’What is of concern, what we're seeing now is also the attacks on police, attacks on police station and members when they are doing the job out there in protecting in the communities. This past weekend even had members that were shot, and one was shot in the leg, and they were busy to retrieve a hijacked vehicle used in the field.’’

‘’I have directed that the police must defend themselves. We are the line first line of defense for the community, and there can be no way that we allow ourselves to be attacked as we are. We suddenly defend ourselves. I've directed that.’’

In terms of contact crimes, and the province saw a decrease by 2.7% with 835 less cases reported in sexual offenses, attempted murder, common assault, common robbery, and robbery with aggravating circumstances combined. There was, however, an increase with assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, with 6 465 cases reported in the first three months of the year compared to 6 330 cases reported in 2024. With regards to sexual offenses, rape cases decreased to one thousand one hundred and eighty nine from one thousand two hundred and forty three. There was an increase in sexual assault cases by 15 reported cases more to 411.

Police commissioner Thembisile Patekile says police are launching a ‘’rapid response to gangsterism.’’

‘’Now in March only, we have a takedown of nine men put out and lost 50 people that we arrested. Now what it creates is that there's a void that we have not mastered the take down, and then then we expect two things that's going to happen - One is the conflict within that gang for leadership. Secondly, one will be the other competing gangs, while we could take them over the area that the leadership of those gangs have been taken away. That is the problematic part. I must admit that w need to Because what happens is that once you take over the group, the top, you still have runners. Now they are now going to be commanders of people that are in charge of that grouping.’’

Western Cape Police Management reiterating that if you see something, say something by contacting Crime Stop on 08600 10 111

For Bush Radio News, I am Mitchum George.