CAPE TOWN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 people were killed in South Africa's Western Cape Province between July and September this year, with Cape Town at the epicenter of the region's violent crime, according to the latest crime statistics.
Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile presented the provincial crime statistics for the third quarter of the year at a media briefing on Wednesday, which showed that 1,160 murders were recorded in the province during this period, marking a 9.1 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Attempted murder also increased by 4.8 percent to 1,157 cases.
In the third quarter, the City of Cape Town recorded 967 murders, an increase of 8.9 percent year-on-year, accounting for 83.4 percent of all murders in the province.
Patekile attributed the surge in violent crimes to gang violence, taxi violence, arguments, revenge attacks, extortion and gender-based violence.
Firearms remained the most frequently used weapon type, accounting for 60.6 percent of all murder cases. "At the heart of these crimes is the use of illegal firearms and ammunition," he added.
Despite crime statistics painting a grim picture, the police commissioner said intensified policing operations are yielding results.
According to the statistics, targeted operations during the two quarters led to the seizure of 1,291 firearms and 32,476 rounds of ammunition of various calibers. Police also confiscated 12,924 dangerous weapons and made 137,081 arrests.
During the same period, 114 gang members, including eight gang leaders, were arrested, while 65 suspects were detained for extortion-related offenses and 125 for kidnapping.
