Parents must take responsibility for their children and not “outsource” this responsibility to others. Also, the abuse of alcohol will impair parental responsibilities.
This was part of the message conveyed by Lt. Gen. Koliswa Otola, provincial commissioner of the Northern Cape, during the release of the quarterly crime statistics – July to September – for the province.
At the event on 30 November, which was attended by the premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, the MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem, and other senior officials, the public is also called upon to continue reporting crime and not turn a blind eye when someone familiar is committing a crime.
Bloem urged young girls not to go out with strangers or to walk with persons unknown to them. She encouraged parents to always be aware of their children’s whereabouts.
The MEC said parents and caretakers must be aware of what the youth is exposed to on social media platforms, and that the abuse of alcohol during the festive season may lead to serious contact crimes. The premier indicated that the abuse of alcohol and drugs is the root cause of crime, and commended the police for their enduring and relentless efforts in fighting crime in the province.
Crime statistics
In this time-frame, eight fewer cases of murder were reported. A total of 95 people were killed, with the majority being male. The youngest was a 14-year-old boy from Pabalello who was taken from his grandmother’s house and killed. The case is still under investigation.
The oldest victims were females, one aged 77 years and the other 76 years. Both were murdered in their residences. Two police officers were also killed in the line of duty.
The five police stations where the most murders was reported are Mothibistad (12), Kimberley (11), Kuruman (7), Postmasburg (7) and Roodepan (5).
The top causes of these deaths are still arguments or misunderstandings not domestic-related, provocation, while 11 murder cases were domestic violence-related. Instruments mostly utilised to commit murders were knives (33), followed by firearms (7).
Robbery at residential premises reflected an increase of 15 cases. Postmasburg was the highest reporting station (7) followed by Mothibistad (5), Kimberley and Upington (4 cases per station), Roodepan, Kathu and Sunrise (3), with Galeshewe, Rosedale, Kuruman, Warrenton, Keimoes, Victoria West and Kleinsee (2 each). The instruments mostly utilised to commit robbery-aggravating crimes, such as robbery at residential premises, were firearms (14) and knives (11).
Robbery at non-residential premises has decreased with 28 cases. The Kimberley police station area had the highest reported incidents.
The Riemvasmaak Police Station in the ZF Mgcawu district has been operational since 8 May and was registered as an independent station on the police systems on 1 August, which brings the number of stations in the province to 92.
