WC Police Commissioner expresses doubt over crime statistics reliability

Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile said they are not entirely confident in the province's crime statistics.

The release of the country's crime statistics, which was scheduled for Friday, has been postponed, with a new date yet to be confirmed.

The Western Cape crime statistics for the period January to March 2025 showed a slight decrease in several contact crime categories, including murder and attempted murder.

While the Western Cape crime stats between January and May showed steady progress in efforts to reduce crime, there were still areas of grave concern.

The province featured in the top four provinces with the highest murder rates in the country. Gender-based violence, arson, and commercial crimes also showed an increase.

Patekile said they are encouraged by the next quarter's numbers.

"We are happy so far up to today with the incidents that have been reported. But we can't reverse what has happened in July and August, specifically in the gang areas," he stated.