Stats Reveal Youth Main Crime Perpetrators

Pini Bothoko | Monday April 23, 2018 14:59

Youth as possessors of potential and the promise of a better tomorrow, were found to lead in a variety of crimes. In particular, youth aged between 30 and 34 led the total of recorded criminal offences by 23%.

According to the report, the accused in murder hearings were concentrated within age groups 20 to 24, 35 to 39, with age group 30 to 34 leading the pack by 22%.  It further states that age group 25 to 29 followed closely with 21.3% and 35 to 39 accounting for 18.7% of all recorded murder cases in the year 2016.  There were less than one percent of murder cases in age group 60 and above.

The Statistics Botswana report states that from their analysis, it was evident that besides murder most offences occur amongst age groups 20 to 24 up to 40 to 44 whilst other groups show the lowest percentages.

The report further revealed that road and traffic offences were the most committed across most age groups, but group 30- to 34-year-old leads the offence with 7.1 percent. Youth is also in the lead of sexual offences with age groups 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 respectively accounting for 28.5% and 19.8% of the recorded cases.

The report further stated that under attempts or threats to murder, assaults, harassment and related offences, age group 30 to 34 lead with 19.6% followed by 25 to 29 age group with 18.3% and 35 to 39 age group with 17.7%.

Age group 35 to 39 leads in dangerous or negligent acts with 22.8% followed by age group 30 to 34 with 18.5%. Youth was also leading in robbery, extortion and hijacking with age groups 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 accounting for 29.7% and 23.4% of the offences, respectively.

Age group 25 to 29 is also leading theft and related offences by 26.4% followed by age group 30 to 34 with 24% and age group 20 to 24 at 14.1%.

Age group 30 to 34 is also at the top of drug offences with 27.7% followed by age group 25 to 29 with 21.3%.

The report further reveals that female participation in criminal activities was low when compared to their male counterparts. Overall, males constituted 92% of the accused while females constituted only six percent with the remaining two percent of accused persons not having stated their sex.

Throughout all the age groups, male proportions were higher than female with the high numbers of accused recorded from age groups 25 to 29, to age group 35 to 39 with a peak at age group 30 to 34 for both sexes.

The report shows that road traffic offences were the most commonly committed accounting for 27.5% of all crime.  This offence involves but is not limited to driving without a driver’s licence, failure to obey road signs and overloading of passengers. The second most common were offences not classified at 16.3% followed by theft and related offences at 15.2%.

The report shows that out of the 12,021 offences committed, 9,008 offences were committed by males and 586 by females whilst 220 offences were committed by persons whose sex was not stated.

However, recently the police reported that there is a need for the fight against crime to be intensified amongst the youth.Recently when asked about their interventions into this matter the public relation officer for Botswana Police Service (BPS) Dipheko Motube concerned by learners’ bad behaviour he disclosed intentions to approach the education ministry, parents and teachers to join hands with the police to fight crime amongst learners.