KNYSNA | BITOU NEWS - Knysna topped the lists for all the wrong reasons when Police Minister Bheki Cele released the country's second-quarter crime statistics last week and unofficially qualified the town as the current crime capital of the Garden Route.
Cele briefed parliament's police committee on Friday 19 Novem-ber and painted a dire picture - all contact crimes including rape, murder and attempted murder had increased in Knysna during the three-month review period from July to September.
The only other town in the coastal region featuring on the station-lists is George which only appears in the "Attempted Sexual Offences" category (7th, with Knysna in 2nd place) and "Contact Sexual Offences" (2nd).
Nationally, there were 1 056 more murders compared to the same period last year - a 20,7% increase.
Rape increased by 7% and more than 13 000 assault cases were related to domestic violence. "When murder is still increasing that way, and sexual offences including rape increase, it cannot give much comfort, whatever happens," Cele said during the briefing.
Top 30
The statistics included lists of "top 30" police stations for various crimes.
Knysna was included in five of these top lists, including sexual assault where the town was number 16. Knysna reported nine cases of sexual assault. Instances of this contact crime have been steadily increasing in the popular holiday town over the past five years.
Knysna also reported the second most cases of attempted sexual offences (five incidents). This is a 400% increase compared to the same period last year.
The town had the third most contact sexual offences (four incidents). Last year two were reported.
In terms of burglary at residential premises, Knysna's 156 incidents put it in the 13th spot. This was only one incident more than during the same period last year.
Finally, Knysna had the second most abductions in the country, having reported two cases.
Up from last year
The picture was also bleak when comparing Knysna's statistics to the same period last year. Murder saw a 33,3% increase with four cases compared to last year's three. Sexual offences increased by 14,4% with 40 incidents compared to last year's 35.
Common robbery also increased by 23,5% from 17 to 21 cases. Robbery at non-residential premises rose from three to six incidents, while burglaries of homes increased by 14,5% from 155 to 156 incidents.
However, there is a number of categories where crime had gone down. These are robbery at residential premises, attempted murder, assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, common assault, robbery with aggravating circumstances and burglaries at non-residential premises. Rape also decreased by 8,3% down from 24 incidents to 22.
Other sexual crimes including sexual assault, attempted sexual offences and contact sexual offences did see an increase.
Plettenberg Bay
The picture of neighbouring Plettenberg Bay was dramatically different, showing a decrease in most crimes.
Sexual offences, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, sexual assault and robbery at non-residential premises decreased. Sexual offences decreased by 40% from 10 cases to four, attempted murder by 60% from five incidents to two and robbery with aggravating circumstances by 11,1% from nine to eight cases. Sexual assault saw a decrease of 66,7% from six cases to two and robbery at non-residential premises by 75% from four incidents to one.
Burglaries in general were also down. Burglaries at non-residential premises decreased by 53,3% from 28 to 13 incidents and burglary at residential premises by 45,2% from 104 to 47 cases.
In terms of increases, Plettenberg Bay saw a single murder, but this was one more than last year over the same period. Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm increased by 3% from 33 incidents to 34 and common assault by 48,6% from 37 to 55 cases.
Bitou's second station, Kwanokuthula, saw a decrease in murder from one last year to zero this year.
There were also decreases in common assault, common robbery, robbery with aggravating circumstances, contact sexual offences, robbery at residential and non-residential premises and burglaries at residential premises.
In terms of increases, Kwanokuthula, saw a 100% increase in sexual offences from four last year to eight this year. Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm was up by 18,8% from 32 to 38, rape by 150% from two to five cases, sexual assault by 100% from one to two and attempted sexual assault from zero to one.
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