The crime statistics for Gauteng as announced by the Provincial Police Commissioner, lt. gen. Tommy Mthombeni, is not a true reflection of the extent of crime in the province.
Although there is a marginal reduction in the reported crime figures for, among other things, contact crimes by 4,7%, rape by 5,8% and property-related crimes, including break-ins, by 16,3%; there were still 2 300 rapes and 4 186 property-related crimes reported for the quarter between October and December 2024.
Private security companies play a significant role in curbing and reducing crime.
It is, unfortunately, a proven fact that the public do not report all crimes to the police seeing as many police stations are unable to open and register case dossiers, do not have enough competent officers and do not have vehicles to thoroughly investigate cases.
Officers often must travel long distances in official service vehicles to report for their shifts at many rural police stations, which makes handling complaints nearly impossible.
Little mention is made of land grabs, most probably because government is the biggest culprit when it comes to land grabs.
In fact, large-scale illegal land occupations frequently occur on municipal land or land belonging to government departments, such as Transnet where rail infrastructure has decayed.
South African citizens and taxpayers are actually the real owners of all state and municipal land, which is under the stewardship of local authorities and government departments.
It is insightful that Gauteng contributes roughly 26,5% to South Africa’s national crime figures, which is more or less proportional to the province’s population.
The Freedom Front Plus is calling on the public to support community initiatives to help fight crime and to get involved in their local Community Policing Forums.
A more accurate picture of actual crime statistics would be obtained if all crimes are promptly reported.
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