Western Cape Premier Helen Zille will seek an urgent meeting with President Jacob Zuma to tackle the drug and alcohol "pandemic" she says has gone way beyond the crisis level, accounting for 80% of violent crimes in her province.

According to Zille, the drug and alcohol addiction crisis in the Western Cape is worse than HIV/Aids or any other public health challenge.

"I would like to discuss with the president in terms of the Constitution and the Disaster Management Act what we can do to focus on the crisis at hand and focus on the root causes of violent crime in the Western Cape: drug and alcohol abuse. Never before have we seen such a growth of a pandemic," she said.

Zille and MEC for community safety Dan Plato were briefing the media in Pretoria yesterday following the release of crime statistics by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa a few blocks away.

Despite a 6.5% decrease in the murder rate [murders per 100000 head of population] nationally, Plato said they were alarmed by the Western Cape statistics showing a slight increase in murder, attempted murder, drug-related crime and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The province suffered 37 more murders between April last year and March compared to the previous year, when 2274 people were killed.

Attempted murder cases in the province tipped at 2162 for the year under review, compared to 1707 in the 2010/11 financial year.

Drug-related crimes have risen by 10.2% nationally and the Western Cape has been particularly hard hit by these offences. Drug-related crimes in the province are up from 60409 reported cases in 2009/10 to 70588 in 2010/11. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs has increased nationally by 4.5% and cases in the Western Cape have increased by 10.2%.

The Western Cape also reported the highest increase in the ratio of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm - a rise in the ratio year-on-year of 5.4%.

"At least 80% of violent crime in the Western Cape has a link to drugs and alcohol," Zille said.

Zille said she was considering making drug testing compulsory in communities with a serious drug problem and in the schools system.