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The latest crime statistics released by the South African Police Service today, for the period January to March 2025, reveal both progress and continued areas of grave concern in the Western Cape.

When measured against the same period in 2024, there was a welcome 4.8% decrease in serious crimes overall (a reduction of 3,622 cases) and a 2.7% decrease in contact crimes (835 fewer cases). Still, more than 72 000 serious crimes were reported in the Western Cape over this period, with more than 30 000 of these being contact crimes. Though the decreases are encouraging, the sheer volume of crime in the Western Cape remains a massive concern.

The DA in Western Cape also notes a 4% reduction in murders (44 fewer lives lost), yet we must not become complacent. Several police precincts in the Western Cape remain among the country’s top 10 murder hotspots. This includes Delft, which recorded a 1.5% increase, Mfuleni with an 8.3% increase, and Gugulethu, which saw 27 more murder cases. Particularly alarming is the 63.9% spike in murders in Philippi East – an unacceptable and devastating escalation.

A notable bright spot is that Mitchells Plain has dropped out of the top 30 police stations for murder in the country, after ranking at number 12 in the previous quarter. This is one of the areas with a sizeable LEAP deployment.

Thomas Walters, MPP said: ‘’The DA in the Western Cape calls on the National Minister of Police and SAPS leadership to urgently prioritise the Western Cape in its national resourcing strategy. This must include the immediate deployment of additional officers, the provision of adequate vehicles and equipment, and the expansion of specialised investigative and intelligence units to high-risk precincts.

We are requesting a clear action plan from SAPS within 90 days, detailing how these resources will be allocated and timelines for implementation.

The residents of the Western Cape deserve a fully functional, responsive police service that matches the scale of the threat they face. Where progress has been made, it has been through proactive local initiatives like LEAP. but these efforts cannot succeed alone. National government must now step up and show that it is serious about tackling violent crime in this province.

Issued by Thomas Walters, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety