Cape Town’s festive season crime statistics revealed that assault cases are decreasing while domestic violence incidents are rising sharply.
The City reported 1 217 assault cases in December 2023, down from 1 501 in 2022. Conversely, domestic violence cases increased from 520 to 568 in the same period, marking a near 10% rise.
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Alderman JP Smith, Cape Town’s Mayco member for safety and security, acknowledged the reduction in assault cases but expressed concern over the domestic violence spike.
He fears that the reported figures represent only a fraction of the actual situation, as enforcement services can intervene only when incidents are reported.
‘Sadly, there are many among us who are not safe in their own homes. Unfortunately, enforcement services can only act when these matters are reported, and I fear that the reported incidents paint an incomplete picture of the true state of affairs,’ said Smith.
As per IOL, Ian Cameron, the director of community safety at Action Society, said that the increase in domestic violence during the holiday season was unsurprising.
He recalled similar trends during COVID lockdowns, noting that crimes within homes tend to escalate when people are in close proximity to one another for extended periods.
Cameron questioned the distinction between assault and domestic violence in the statistics, suggesting an overlap in these categories.
‘It’ll be interesting to see how they classify why they say assault dropped but domestic violence increased and why they isolate the two because domestic violence would usually increase,’ he said.
The City’s emergency services also faced challenges, with a significant 30% increase in vegetation fires compared to December 2022.
The statistics did indicate successes in law enforcement, including more arrests, notable drug and illegal firearm confiscations and a decrease in motor vehicle accidents and public drinking complaints.
Alderman Smith attributed these results to proactive and visible policing by the City’s law enforcement staff.
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