KwaZulu-Natal police have warned parents to be extra vigilant during the festive season, especially with the alarming increase of kidnappings in public spaces.
This year, the highest number recorded of kidnappings in Gauteng was 2,104 cases. This was steep increase from 796 which was recorded in 2021. This was reported by Bheki Cele in crime statistics update.
KwaZulu-Natal had the second highest number of kidnappings at 785, which increased from 407 in 2021.
Mpumalanga also recorded an increase in the number of kidnappings with an increase from 171 in 2021 in 2021 to 243 this year.
During the report on crime statistics, Cele reported that more than 4000 kidnappings occurred between July and September 2022.
According to police, the number of children who are reported missing becomes very high during the festive season. The 2022 Strategic Organised Crime Risk Assessment report by the South African Police Service (SAPS) notes that KwaZulu-Natal, after Gauteng, recorded the highest number of kidnappings of adults and children in the country.
Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said: “We are making an appeal to take parental responsibility of their children. They must never leave their children unattended. We are making this call because we have come to realise that there might be a syndicate out there that targets children.”
“In the past few years, children have been missing more during this time of the year. We are saying to parents be in the know of where your children are at all times. If you are going to the shopping malls make sure that you hold them by the hand. Keep them with you always.”
To keep holidaymakers safe, Netshiunda added that they have deployed more police officers to hot spot areas.
Source: SABC News, News24, image from Twitter: @TheLegalSA