FRANCISTOWN: Figures released by the police from the northern division show that crime in the city increased by 12% between January and August this year compared to the same period last year.
Overall, between January and August this year crime rose from 741 to 833 (12% increase) as compared to the same period in 2022. The statistics was shared by the Senior Assistant Commissioner of police who is also the Director of Operations for the northern division, Katlholo Mosimanegape.
Mosimanegape was briefing the Francistown City Council (FCC) ordinary meeting on the state of crime.
The northern division which predominantly features Francistown accounts for 20% of all criminal activities recorded throughout the country while Greater Gaborone leads with 40%. In Francistown, motor vehicle theft, robbery, and threats to kill cases accounted for the major increase in crime as posited by Mosimanegape. Between January and August this year, motor vehicle theft cases increased sharply from eight to 16, which is a 100% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Ninety-five robbery cases were recorded this year compared to 59 last year, translating into a 61% increase. “Of late, there has been a shift from non-violent residential burglaries to more aggressive armed robberies and home invasions, perpetrated by criminals who usually operate as syndicates. They are usually armed with all sorts of offensive weapons.
Armed robbers target large stores and households,” Mosimanegape said. He warned that robberies are likely to increase as the festive season approaches but said the police are ready to counter the trend. “Residents are gradually becoming prisoners in their own homes or houses. Criminals mostly target high income areas and crowd pulling events,” a concerned Mosimanegape added.
Threats to kill cases surged by 60% from 40 to 64. Mosimanegape told civic leaders that the increase in threats to kill cases demonstrates that gender-based violence (GBV) remains a national concern. Store breaking and theft cases also rose from 70 last year to 99 this year, accounting to a 41% increase. House breaking and theft cases went up by 17% from 163 to 191 while stock theft cases rose marginally from 51 to 60 highlighting a 16% increase. The police have been doing everything in their power to counter stock theft through their special unit called Kgomo Khumo’ However, Mosimanegape maintained that stock theft remains a challenge around the country owing to several reasons.
“Incidents of stock theft continue to increase in the country. This category of crime is predominantly fuelled by the availability of lucrative markets in our towns and villages for meat acquired illegally,” he said. One hundred and five rape cases were registered last year as compared to 102 in 2022 reflecting a three percent increase.
Although he did not give figures, Mosimanegape pointed out that illegal mining activities by foreigners and citizens have also increased drastically in the recent past. Most illegal mining activities occur in the Matsiloje area, near Francistown, where there are abandoned gold mining sites. Police in Matsiloje recently said on average, three people are arrested per week for illegal mining activities. He said most of the perpetrators are Zimbabweans.
The Minerals and Energy permanent secretary, Ellen Richard-Madisa, recently acknowledged that authorities were struggling to rein in the illegal mining activities in the area. There was a sharp decrease in murder cases during the period under review as only three cases were registered compared to nine the previous year. Sixty-three defilement cases were recorded as compared to 92 in 2022 representing a notable decrease of 32%. Burglary and theft cases went down by six percent from 147 last year.