GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Nationally, gender-based violence (GBV) remains high, but police report a slight decrease in Graaff-Reinet. The number of cases reported locally is not known.

Nationally, more than 2 300 complaints have been registered from the beginning of the lockdown on 27 March until 31 March; 148 suspects were charged.

Local police spokesperson, Captain Bradley Rawlinson, said the local Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) confirmed the decline in gender-based offences, most of which are family violence-related. 

He said there has also been a decrease in family violence in Graaff-Reinet over the last three months. However, the number of cases were not released.

Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, said on 5 April that the number of GBV complaints remained high, which is concerning.

Brigadier Mathapelo Peters, acting spokesperson for the Ministry of Police, said with the initial declaration of the Covid-19 State of Disaster on 15 March, Cele expressed his concern of a possible increase in GBV and domestic violence cases. 

Cele then urged the management of the police to reinforce the FCS units at police stations to ensure the police's readiness and capacity to respond to related complaints.

"Considering the improved rate of life sentences secured by the FCS units in the past, one is optimistic that the police will continue to work around the clock towards securing successful convictions and long-term sentences of perpetrators of crimes against women and children," said Cele. 

"This should remain the practice even beyond the lockdown, as GBV remains a scourge across the country."

Cele also announced a decrease in serious and violent crimes, due to the lockdown.

Analysing the crime and comparing the first week of the lockdown to the same period in 2019, Cele confirmed that murder cases had dropped from 326 to 94, rape cases dropped from 699 to 101, cases of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, dropped from 2 673 to 456 and trio crimes dropped from 8 853 to 2 098.

Local car and truck hijacking, business robberies, and house robberies are grouped as trio crimes, where the perpetrators are commonly armed with illegal firearms.

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