Cape Town – Police Minister Bheki Cele will release crime statistics today, in Parliament after a year that saw a rise in figures.
Murder, rape and other violent crimes increased in the last quarter with Cele promising to intensify the fight against crime.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his State of the Nation Address that they will hire more police officers.
He said they wanted 12 000 new officers to join the ranks of the SAPS.
The police had for years complained that they needed to recruit new officers to strengthen the fight against crime.
But Cele and his national commissioner Khehla Sitole have not seen eye to eye in recent times.
Ramaphosa said it did not augur well for the police if its highest ranking officials were at odds with each other.
He said the tension between Cele and Sitole was impacting on the functioning of the police.
The police and intelligence agencies were slammed by the expert panel report, chaired by Professor Sandy Africa, on their failure to pick up information and rein in those behind the July unrest.
In the crime statistics released by Cele last November, for the period from July until the end of September, it showed that murder had increased significantly.
This was due to the 342 people who were killed during the riots in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Cele had said there was a 20.7% increase in murder cases. Compared to the previous period murder was sitting at 13.2%.
He said during the July to September period last year 6 163 people were killed.
On rape, there was also an increase of 7.1% during this three month period. Cele said 9 556 people were raped between July and September last year.
Political Bureau
