Gauteng crime stats 'could be worse', says newly-appointed provincial police commissioner

JOHANNESBURG - Newly-appointed Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said the province’s crime stats for the third quarter of this year “could have been worse” .

The stats, which cover the period from October to December last year were presented in the provincial legislature on Tuesday.

They paint a grim picture, when compared to the stats for the same period in 2022, showing that serious crime is on the up.

Murder and attempted murder increased by 3.8 and 9.4% respectively in Gauteng in the third quarter, while kidnapping spiked by almost 20%.

However, during his presentation before the provincial legislature, Mthombeni remained optimistic.

"To some the crime stats that will be presented this morning may paint a bleak picture. However, it is important to acknowledge with the energy and the resources we deployed to prevent and combat crime in the third quarter the crime situation may have been worse had we not operated the way we did."

Mthombeni also highlighted that Gauteng was one of only four of provinces that managed to decrease crime in at least eight forms including rape and sexual assault during the third quarter.