Serious crime surges – Lesotho Times

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Mpesi Harvester

At least 880 serious crimessyesRecordedFrom January to May this year, the police,An increase of 26%fromlast yearfigure.

thisThe latest statistics represent actual cases investigated and prosecutedLesotho Mounted Police (LMPS).

largelast yearThe police foundA total of 697 cases, including 183 IncreaseIn the same periodStarting from January Until May.

Police Commissioner Borotho Matsoso sharedElectronic Statisticsandlesotho times recent.

Serious crime statistics reportthisFrom January to May 2024, there was a 26% increase in cases solved compared to the same period in 2023. Last year, the Lyme Monte Carolina Police Department solved 18 armed robberies, 97 assaults with GBH (grievous bodily harm), 28 attempted murders, two car thefts, nine frauds, 120 burglaries, 188 murders, 12 robberies, 170 sex crimes and 53 stock thefts.

From January to May 2024, the Lyme Morris Police Department solved 12 armed robberies, 109 assaults involving violent acts, 33 attempted murders, nine car thefts, 14 frauds, 196 burglaries, 199 murders, 25 robberies, 221 sex crimes and 62 stock thefts.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Tebello Tṧephe of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) attributed the high crime detection rate to the workshops aimed at honing the expertise of police officers.

“We held two refresher seminars focusing on crime scene management and case file management,” ACP Tṧephe toldlesotho times.

“These workshops are for managers of the departments under the CID, which include the CID itself, the Child and Gender Protection Department and the Human Trafficking Department. The purpose of these workshops is to remind us to be careful and cautious in handling evidence so as not to lose the case.”

ACP Tšephe also said that the increase in the number of police vehicles has greatly facilitatedcrimeDetection rate.

The government provides LMPS75 vehiclesLast NovemberHelp itFight crime.

“Having more vehicles allows us to get to crime scenes quickly and conduct investigations more efficiently,” he said.

ACP Tšephe also mentioned that the LMPS is working closely with the Office of the Attorney General (DPP) to prosecute the cases being investigated.

“Overall, we work well with the DPP’s office to prosecute cases. However, there may be issues related to the complexity of the cases.AThe case itself.

“But the detection rate is so high because the DPP successfully prosecutes these cases. The cases that are solved are those that have already been tried in court.”

Despite these advances, ACP Tšephe acknowledged that some challenges remain, such as the reluctance of community members to provide information.

“We still face the problem of people being afraid to give information, which makes it more difficult to identify the perpetrators compared to community collaboration. In some incidents, we will know the perpetrators but they will flee, mostly across the border,” he added.

Overall, serious crime increased by 2% from January to May 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. A total of 4,960 serious crimes were reported this year, an increase from 4,845 last year, which means 115 cases.Of the 4,960 reported cases, 880 were actually brought to court after investigation.

according tothisThe statistics showed that armed robbery, car theft, murder and burglary cases decreased by 29%, 12%, 4% and 3% respectively, while robbery, sexual offences, common assaults, attempted murder and fraud cases increased by 22%, 19%, 19%, 9% and 4% respectively.

Although the murder statistics dropped from 345 to 330The same period,dayand CaseRecordedThis yearSome of the most outrageousIn nature. Many murders have been attributed toreputationRelated killings, driven by chains of revenge.

The regions of Leribe and Liberia have seen the worst murders this year. Between January and May, Liberia saw 43 people killed and Leribe 69. In comparison, in the same period last year, Liberia saw 31 murders and Leribe 60.

The most gruesome murders took place in these areasalsoIn April, six people were killed in Leribe, five of them from the same family, and in May, three people were killed in a public bar. March was particularly bad, with 10 people killed in Berea and 27 in Leribe.

This prompted the Minister of Local Government, Chiefs, Interior and Police, Lebona Lephema, to banreputationOn May 10, 2024, any group was banned through the Declaration of Illegal Organizations published by the Internal Security Bureau.

Although the effect is modest, ACP Tšephe said it is too early to draw conclusions.aboutThe ban will have no immediate impact, but rather that the results will become apparent in due course.Bear.