Murders, rapes and robberies fell from April through September compared with the same period in 2006. The government has been battling one of the world's highest crime rates and struggling to make the streets safe before the 2010 World Cup. Figures from the South African Police Service showed that the murder rate had dropped by 6.6 percent while the rape rate fell by 3.6 percent. ''Murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and common robbery all decreased within, or almost within, the 7 to 10 percent reduction targets,'' the service said. But the rate of house robberies rose 7 percent and the rate of robberies at businesses climbed by 29 percent.
Source: New York Times
