South Africa makes progress in crime control: official – Xinhua

South Africa has made significant progress in combating and reducing priority crimes in the country, a senior official said.

JOHANNESBURG, June 29 (Xinhua) — South Africa has made significant progress in combating and reducing priority crimes in the country, a senior official said on Friday.

National Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) chief Godfrey Lebeya cited recent arrests and convictions as evidence of progress.

Briefing the media in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, on the progress achieved in the fourth and final quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year, Lebeya said great progress had been made in combating some of the serious crimes in the country.

“The DPCI has made significant progress in apprehending those involved in high-profile cases, thereby ensuring accountability and justice for victims,” he said.

DPCI, also known as the Hawks in South Africa, is designed to prevent, combat and investigate crimes of national priority, focusing on serious organized and commercial crime and serious corruption.

Lebeya said 547 suspects representing 526 natural persons and 21 legal entities were brought before various courts in the country.

“Of these individuals, 421, or 80 percent, are South Africans while 105, or 20 percent, are foreigners,” Lebeya said, adding that fraud was the main factor in arrests made during the financial quarter.

He also stated that 182 convictions were secured, including seven legal persons. Of these, 84 convictions were for serious organized crime, 61 for serious commercial crime and 37 for serious corruption. “Of these convicts, 120 are South Africans and 55, representing 30 percent, are foreigners,” he noted.

According to him, in the meantime, 736 pieces of firearms, 1,159 ammunition and 69 explosives were seized.

Lebeya revealed that 22 police officers were murdered during this period – 17 off-duty and five on-duty. He also said that in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, DPCI is effectively dismantling criminal networks operating in the country.

According to him, during this period, drugs worth 47,224,231 rand (about $2.59 million) were seized and a total of 68 suspects were arrested. ■