Murder rates drop in latest crime stats [SOUND]

# Acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia says South Africa’s latest fourth-quarter crime statistics show progress in reducing violent crime, despite challenges linked to organised criminality. National contact crimes declined by 4.6-percent, with seven-thousand-405 fewer cases reported compared to the same period last year. Murder cases also dropped by 9.5-percent, from five-thousand-727 to five-thousand-181 cases. He says the figures reflect on improved policing efforts and cooperation between communities and law enforcement :