A large number of crimes simply go unreported, either because of the nature of the crime or because of a lack of confidence in the system itself, but reporting a crime is important for the following reasons:
* SAPS can only investigate if a crime has been reported and a statement has been made;
* reporting a crime is important for accurate crime statistics, which gives SAPS more leverage to request extra police officers and vehicles for a particular area;
* it gives the police a time frame and points out certain hot spots;
* SAPS may be able to lift fingerprints from a crime scene which can possibly link them to existing or future cases.
Power belongs to the people who respect the law and not to criminals that rule communities through violence and intimidation.
