# Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile says efforts to reduce serious violent crime are continuing despite challenges. He released the province-specific crime statistics for the second quarter of 2023/2024 yesterday. Murders have increased by 10.9-percent year on year between July and September. During the three months, there were one-thousand-164 murders recorded in the province. Patekile says contributing factors relate to gang violence, extortion, and drug and alcohol use. He adds that they intend to deploy additional law enforcement and safety agencies to hotspot areas and strengthen the Anti-Gang Unit.
Concern as murders in the Western Cape have increased by 10.9% year on year