Police Minister Bheki Cele noted on Friday that while there are still unacceptably high crime levels, the South African Police Service (Saps) is pushing back, especially on violent crime, which he said has started to decrease.

Cele was presenting the quarterly crime statistics, reflecting on crimes reported and detected by Saps from April 1 to June 30, and adding that the 3.1% decline in the murder rate was no cause for celebration.

He noted that it could not be normal that 31 police officers were killed in three months, calling on Saps National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola to double-up Saps’ efforts in ensuring officer wellness.

Cele said that for the first time since Covid-19 began in 2020, South Africa’s murder rate declined in a single quarter. Between April and June, police recorded 6 228 counts of murders, with Cele saying this was 196 fewer people killed compared to the same time last year.

He explained that out of the 6 228 people killed during April to June, 1 188 were women and children. He said apart from Mpumalanga and Northern Cape, all provinces recorded decreases for murder in this quarter.

“While the Northern Cape recorded a 11.1% increase in murders, much welcomed double-digit percentage declines were noted in the Limpopo and North West provinces. The murders for April to June 2023 in those two provinces dropped by 10.0% and 11.5% respectively,” he said.

Cele highlighted that case docket analysis showed that firearms, knives and sharp instruments remained the three top weapons of choice for murder.

He added that the majority of murder victims during this period were killed either during an argument, an act of vigilantism or their lives were cut short while being robbed.

“The 3.1% reduction in the country's murder rate must, however, further bolster all policing interventions that have led to fewer people being killed in our country,” he said.

Cele explained that decreases had also been reported in sexual offences, by 1.9%, TRIO crimes (house and business robberies and carjackings), declining by 5.2%, property-related crimes, which decreased by 4.5% and contact-related crimes, down 1.6%

Declines have also been noted in rape and sexual assaults reported to the police. In the three months of reporting, both crime categories recorded 2.8% and 3.8% decreases respectively, he said.

Cele said these decreases in many of the crime categories would not have been achieved without the dedication, determination and hard work of the men and women in blue, noting that keeping the country safe and going toe-to-toe with criminals was also coming at a high cost for the police service.

Meanwhile, Police Portfolio Committee acting chairperson Nocks Seabi said that the committee called on the Saps in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape to strengthen efforts to curb murders in the provinces, also raising concerns at the continued proliferation of illegal firearms.

The committee emphasised the need for strategies to reduce the number of firearms on the streets.

Seabi noted that the committee was also concerned about the increase in the murder of police officials, highlighting the need for strategies to prevent the killing of officers.