Following the release of the latest crime statistics the police top brass have announced that three new police stations are being established in Mfuleni, Brown’s Farm and Delft to remedy the situation.
In terms of the figures for the period between January to March this year Delft is once again the murder capital of the Western Cape, followed by Mfuleni and Nyanga.
Brown’s Farm, which accounts for 45% of murder cases in the Nyanga policing precinct, already has a mobile police station supported by the City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Department.
Although the latest statistics show a slight decrease in crime, Western Cape police commissioner, Lieut-Gen Thembisile Patekile said more action is required to combat violence effectively.
Between January and March Delft, Mfuleni, Nyanga and Philippi East recorded the highest murder rates in the province.
Nationally, these precincts ranked among the top five for murder cases, alongside others such as Kraaifontein, Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Harare, Samora Machel and Lwandle.
Patekile explained that classifying crime hot spots is challenging due to the variety of crimes occurring in different areas. He notes that gang-related activities, extortion, and taxi violence are driving many of the murders.
The past weekend was particularly violent on the Cape Flats, with 26 murders and 58 attempted murders linked to gang activity. Additionally, 27 separate shootings were reported, but without any recorded injuries.
Areas affected by recent gun violence include Hanover Park, Bonteheuwel, Khayelitsha, Retreat, Delft, Wesbank, Athlone, Kuils River, and Elsies River.
Ian Cameron, chair of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police, called for a decentralised approach to tackling gang violence. He proposed delegating investigative, forensic and intelligence functions to municipal and provincial governments to ease the burden on police and improve conviction rates, ultimately creating safer communities.
