The crime rate in South Africa dropped by up to 40% during the first three months of the country’s lockdown, official figures show. While the restrictions on movement were originally intended to curb the spread of the virus, they have also helped reduce crime.
Bheki Cele, SA’s police minister, said most types of crime went down between April and June – including sexual assault and arson.
“These statistics show major decreases in all crime categories compared to the same comparative period last year,” he said.
“Crime holiday in SA”
Cele has been both impressed and surprised by the turn of events, and insists the country is on a “crime holiday”.
Speaking at a press conference, he said the three months of the lockdown have also led to a plummeting in numbers of rape cases.
“A 40.4% decrease in the number of rape cases was reported during the three months,” he announced. There was also a 29% drop in contact-related crimes such as arson and malicious damage to property.
The South African government enforced the lockdown strictly, banning alcohol and cigarettes for the period.
Burglary on the rise
Bheki Cele said although the statistics “paint a never-seen-before ‘rosy’ picture of a peaceful South Africa experiencing a ‘crime holiday’”, there was a downside.
He noted that attacks on schools and liquor stores had shot up during the lockdown.
Burglaries also reportedly took place at 2,692 education facilities and 1,246 shops in the past three months.
Last month, the South African Police Service released the country’s overall crime statistics for the year 2019/20.
Overall in the past year, carjacking, robbery of non-residential properties and murders all increased on figures recorded the previous year.
Sexual offences, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and possession of illegal firearms were also up.
South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest crime rates, has recorded more than half of Africa’s COVID-19 cases.
Over 500,000 people in the country have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 11,000 have died from the disease.
E A Alanore
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