Altogether 53 people were murdered in the Overberg in the period October-December 2023, an increase of 13 murders from the same period the previous year.
Eighteen of these murders were reported at Grabouw Police Station, which featured 19th on the list of Top 30 stations with the highest number of murders in the province between October and December 2023.
This is a drop in the ocean compared to the 80 murders recorded at Mfuleni Police Station in the City of Cape Town Policing District, which appears at the top of the provincial Top 30 list for murders.
These are some of the crime statistics that came to light when the provincial figures were released by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile last week.
Contact crimes in the Overberg – including murder, attempted murder, sexual crimes, assault and robbery – showed an increase of 6,8%.
Robbery with aggravating circumstances increased by 15 cases while the number of common robbery cases showed an increase of 19.
Robberies at residential premises in the Overberg showed a slight decline of two cases (from 21 cases in the October-December 2022 period to 19 cases in the same period in 2023).
Hermanus was number 26 on the provincial list of Top 30 stations with the highest number of robberies at residential premises.
Robberies at non-residential premises in the district showed an increase of seven cases from 24 to 31.
In this category Grabouw appeared seventh on the provincial list and Swellendam 26th.
A decrease of 14,8% in burglaries at non-residential premises – from 162 cases to 138 cases – was recorded while burglaries at residential premises increased by 10 cases (588 to 598 cases).
The Top 30 list of stations with the highest number of burglaries at residential premises featured Hermanus at number 15 and Caledon in 26th position.
Caledon ranked 22nd on the list of Top 30 stations in the province with the highest number of burglaries at non-residential premises, Hermanus 24th, Swellendam 26th and Grabouw 30th. Grabouw showed a decrease of 10 cases while the other three stations all showed a small increase.
The number of stock-theft cases were four counts lower in comparison to the previous year. Swellendam, with six cases, was seventh on the provincial Top 30 list, Caledon 17th (four cases, a decrease of five cases from the previous year), Bredasdorp at number 21 with three cases and Genadendal 27th.
A marked increase of 32 commercial crimes cases was also recorded. Commercial crimes refer to fraud, forgery and uttering (the unlawful offering, passing-off or communication of a forged document, with the intention to defraud, and which causes prejudice or potential prejudice to another).
A total of 96 cases were recorded in Hermanus, landing it in 18th position on the provincial Top 30 list.
Drug-related crimes, which fall under the category “Crimes detected as result of police action”, showed a positive increase of 72 cases from 1 154 cases from October to December 2022 to 1 226 during the same period in 2023. The number of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition cases increased from 18 to 20.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, lauded the good working relationship among the provincial government, the South African Police Service (Saps), and municipalities across the province.
He said: “Partnerships are critical in helping to fill law enforcement gaps. Partnerships with communities are paying dividends.”
Premier Alan Winde has the final word here. He added: “The only way our Safety Plan will work is to keep building partnerships. Collaborations are cemented through layers, such as creating economic opportunities and strengthening youth programmes, and this is how one builds a safer society over time.
“We must constantly look at how to reduce the murder rate in our province, which is the basis of the Western Cape Safety Plan, the apex measurement for us. From there we must then focus on other serious crimes such as gender-based violence.
“We are serious about being a key partner in bringing down crime generally.”
