Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says statistics compiled by the South African Police Service in the Western Cape show the correlation between loadshedding and crime.
Winde was speaking after he and provincial Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen joined a group of Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP)members on patrol in Hanover Park on Friday night.
He says apart from the devastation wreaked by mass power blackouts on the economy and jobs, it also leaves communities more vulnerable to criminals.
“Community members often complain to me about the link between loadshedding and crime: criminals are taking full advantage of rolling blackouts, preying on law-abiding citizens under the cover of darkness.”
A sample of contact crimes committed between December 2022 and January 2023 in the Western Cape included murders, attempted murders, aggravated robberies, rape, sexual assault, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and assault common.
The property crimes analysed included burglaries (residential and business), theft out of motor vehicle and theft of motor vehicle.
The overall findings from the analysis indicated the following percentage crime committed during loadshedding:
- Contact Crime : 23.7%
- Property Crime: 29.2%
- Provincially, on average, 25.7% of the sample analysed occurred during loadshedding.
Winde says from the analysis, it is clearly evident that the sub-categories of property crimes contributed mostly to the percentage of crimes committed during loadshedding.
The average contribution of crimes committed during loadshedding per policing district are as follows:
- City of Cape Town District: 25.4%;
- Cape Winelands District: 25.9%;
- Central Karoo District: 20.1%
- West Coast District: 28.0%;
- Garden Route: 26.7%; and
- Overberg District: 23.4%
Police stations with the highest volume of crimes committed during loadshedding are: Delft, Bishop Lavis, Nyanga, Worcester, Harare, Da Gamaskop, Durbanville, Cape Town Central, Ravensmead and Table View.
Winde says LEAP is adding value to the war on crime, especially during loadshedding.
We know we still have a long way to go in beating back crime, but we are on the right track, using data and evidence to guide our policing efforts.
The Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town have incorporated technology into their crime-fighting arsenal.
Winde witnessed a drone demonstration in Hanover Park, used to enhance situational awareness, serving as an extra set of ”eyes in the sky”, to help officers on the ground in their patrols.
Addressing the LEAP ooficers ahead of their deployment in Hanover Park Winde lauded them for putting their lives on the line. Last week, an off-duty LEAP officer was shot and killed in Crossroads.
“You put your lives on the line each day for the sake of our citizens. For this, we are deeply grateful. Your service to our communities is not taken for granted. You are making a big difference in Cape Town and the way in which people are thinking about crime fighting in the country. We appreciate and value all you do for our residents.”
