The official crime statistics for the year to March, released by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa yesterday, were described as 'a mixed bag' in a BDlive report. It says they show an increase in the number of suspects arrested and convicted. In this period, significant inroads were made into reducing crimes such as bank robberies and cash-in-transit robberies, but, notes the report, the types of crime that most concern people, such as residential burglaries, robberies and hijackings, increased. According to Mthethwa, robberies at residential properties have increased 69.8% over the past nine years. Over the past four years, house robberies had shown a 9.5% decrease but in the year under review this trend reversed to an increase of 3.6%. Burglaries at residential and non-residential properties showed an increase of 3.3% and 1.7%, respectively. Car hijackings also increased during the year, by 5.4%, though levels were down 27.6% over nine years. One of the successes of the year was in reducing bank robberies, which were down 80%. Full BDlive report

Murders increased by 0.6% over the year, according to a report on the IoL site. Mthethwa said the murder rate had previously decreased by 16.6% over the past four years, and by 27.2% over the past nine years. 'Since 1994, we have been making steady progress in the fight against crime. We will work double hard to ensure this slight increase is re-routed to the downward trends that we experienced over the past nine years,' he said. He added there was also a 6.5% increase in attempted murder in the financial year under review. This was in contrast to the decrease in attempted murder by 16.8% over the past four years and 51.7% over the past nine years. Full report on the IoL site

Sexual offences decreased, with rape decreasing by 0.4%, notes a report on the News24 site. 'Nonetheless, we want to reiterate the point that we are still unhappy and concerned about the levels of rape in the country,' the Minister said. 'Protection of communities is now central to our strategies that are aimed at reducing incidences of gender-based violence.' He added sexual assault decreased by 6.2% over the same period, after increasing during the preceding three years. Full report on the News24 site Latest Crime Statistics

National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega did her best to paint a positive picture from the statistics, but the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) was less complimentary. 'This is a story of success,' she is quoted as saying in a Mail & Guardian Online report, but she showed her concern in a Legalbrief Policy Watch report. She suggested the 'generally violent nature' of SA society was among the factors driving crime - along with unemployment and substance abuse. She also warned that failure to address these issues could 'significantly hamper' progress in the ongoing fight against crime. But, according to the M&G Online report, there was no getting away from the most disturbing facts: there was a rise in murder and attempted murder, the latter for the first time in a decade. 'It is worrying, because our murder rate is already four and a half times higher than the international average,' said the ISS' Gareth Newham. 'Now there are two more people being murdered on average every day than the previous year.' In total, 16 259 South Africans were murdered in the financial year 2012 to 2013. Several categories of robbery, hijacking and burglary also had a spike in reported cases after a downward trend for many years. These are the categories that drive up murder, Newham said. Full Mail & Guardian Online report Full Legalbrief Policy Watch report

Political reaction was direct. Agang SA claimed the stats showed serious crime was on the rise again for the first time in 10 years. A report in The Citizen quotes Agang SA political director Moeketsi Mosola, who said: 'Nearly 20 years since freedom, violent crime is still unacceptably high and it is the poorest who are often affected worst. Failures by the government in providing quality education and in creating jobs continue to trap millions in poverty without hope. This is the root cause of crime and it is a betrayal of the values of the struggle.' Mosola said serious crime could be tackled only by ensuring people did not go hungry, that they could earn money to sustain their families, and that their children could get quality education. Full report in The Citizen

The DA said police failed to reassure people that they are winning the war. A report in The Citizen quotes DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard as saying: 'It is abundantly clear that there has been an increase in major crimes, (and) meagre incremental decreases are hardly solace for those who continue to live in fear. It is devastating that the murder rate is up for the first time in five years, reversing what had become a most welcome trend.' She said 'the miniscule 0.4% decrease in sexual offences is highly unsatisfactory, particularly when most rape cases are not reported'. She also found it worrying that the statistics were up to 18 months old. The out-of-date information did not help people protect themselves as they did not know what to expect in their neighbourhoods, she said. 'The DA will continue to push for a monthly release of crime statistics,' the report quotes her as saying. Full report in The Citizen

The ANC also registered its concern. 'Urgency must be given to areas that have been identified as still problematic including increase in burglary, increase in theft out of motor vehicles, commercial crime, car hijacking, truck hijacking, drug related crimes, drunken driving, and violent public protests,' spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said, notes a report on the IoL site. The party called on people to take a stand against substance abuse and to exercise restraint during legal protests and strikes. The ruling party was concerned that the decline in murder was experiencing a reversal, even if it was below 1%. The increase in attempted murders was cause for concern. 'The increase of aggravated robbery undermines good work that has been achieved in reducing robberies,' he said. Full report on the IoL site

The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, however, welcomed police progress in reducing crimes against businesses. A report in The Citizen quotes CEO Neren Rau who said this was evident in the reduction in cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies. 'Sacci does remain concerned about the increase in violent crimes and hopes that ever improving co-operation between the business community and the SAPS will lead to a safer SA,' he said. 'Sacci is especially encouraged by the progress made in fighting copper theft by way of improved collaboration between stakeholders, improved training of police officers and the Second Hand Goods Act.' He said the efficacy of policing played a significant part in the reduction of copper theft levels. The police's progress was reflected in the monthly Sacci Copper Theft Barometer, the report quotes him as saying. Full report in The Citizen

A question mark is placed against the authenticity of the figures in a report on the Politicsweb site, which notes 'changes in the number of reported crimes and changes in the crime rate don't reconcile'. The writer points out Mthethwa listed the increases or decreases of various categories of crime, not in absolute numbers, but in the rate or ratio per 100 000 of the population. Mthethwa stated that 'we have witnessed a slight increase of 0.6%' in the murder rate. In absolute terms, however, notes the report, there were 16 259 murders in 2012/2013, 620 up from the 15 609 recorded in 2011/2012. This is a 4.2% increase. How then can the differential between a 0.6% increase in the murder rate be reconciled with this 4.2% increase in the total number of murders? The short answer, says the writer, is, it can't. Discrepancies in the figures presented are also pointed out in a detailed report in The Times. Full Polticsweb report Full report in The Times