The country’s quarterly crime statistics have been released, also showing that contact crimes like murder, and all categories of assault had registered a 60.6% increase, compared to the same period in 2020.

All sexual offences crimes increased by 74.1% when compared with the same period last year.

But Minister Cele says that comparing the two periods would leave the statistics distorted because of the hard lockdown in 2020, which severely restricted freedoms and movement, resulting in less crime.

[Header image: GCIS]