JUBILATION over Knysna’s record-low murder rate highlighted in the latest crime statistics was short lived when the town’s new police station commander revealed a significant increase in the crime over the past six months.
Colonel Michael Taylor said this week that while assessing the town’s crime situation after taking over the reins on September 28 he noticed a steep increase in the number of murders reported since April.
This came just a week after national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega released the country’s annual crime statistics for the 2014-15 period, which revealed that in Knysna, murder was at its lowest level in a decade, with only 11 reported incidents – down from 12 last year and 16 the year before.
The highest murder rate since 2005 was 48 during the 2006-07 period.
Although Taylor could not quote exact figures for the past six months as his team was still compiling the statistics, which would be released on October 14, he said that the increase was significant.
He said most of the murders stemmed from arguments while under the influence of alcohol and that the majority of the incidents involved stabbings.
Taylor took over as station commander from Colonel Atwell Metu, who took up the post as visible policing coordinator at the Eden Cluster offices in George.
He said bringing down the murder rate was a priority and that one of his first strategies would be to look at legal liquor outlets and ensure that they adhered to their licensing terms.
-Yolande Stander
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