Crime: why we fail so dismally

While experts agreed yesterday that crime statistics reports should be released more frequently, some also argued that government should make better use of its crime-fighting resources.

This comes after stats focusing on crimes committed in the last financial year (April 30, 2018 to March 31, 2019) were released yesterday morning.

Minister of Police Bheki Cele admitted in a short address that the report was “not so rosy”.

According to the report, murder has increased by 3.4%, with 21,022 recorded in the year, 686 more than 2018. Attempted murder also increased by 4.1% with 18,980 reported cases, 747 more than the previous financial year.

Cele said most of the victims were murdered by people they knew.

Another shocking revelation made by Major-General Norman Sekhukhune was that 736 recorded murders this year were committed by children.

The good news is that reported murders of women have decreased by 5.4%.

Although sexual offences have reduced by over 10,000 since the 2009-10 financial year, the reported cases still stand at a whopping 52,420, a 4.6% increase from the previous financial year which stood at 50,108. This statistic includes reported rape cases increasing by 3.9% and reported sexual assault cases increasing by a whopping 9.6%.

The sub-category of aggravated robbery sees an improvement, with carjacking having decreased by 1.8%, cash-in-transit robberies down by 23.1% and bank robberies significantly lower by 69.2%. However, common robbery has shown an increase of 2%, with 51,765 cases reported.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) suggested government was not putting money where it needed to when it came to crime prevention intiatives.

Increased government spending on policing and harsher sentences for offenders have not reduced violence, according to Gareth Newham, head of the Justice and Violence Prevention programme at the Institute for Security Studies.

“To address the drivers of violence in South Africa requires an increased investment in programmes proven to work.

“These include positive parenting programmes, after-school care programmes and anti-bullying programmes at schools. Most violent behaviour is learnt in the home and in communities. Violence prevention programmes are key to reducing crimes that cannot be policed,” Newham said.

He urged government to support violence prevention programmes. The ISS also echoed other organisations by calling for more regular crime statistics to be made available.

Newham pointed out that the SA Police Service statistics released yesterday were almost six months out of date and did not reflect the current spate of high-profile violent crimes reported in the media.

Anti-crime activist and vice-president of Crime Stoppers International Yusuf Abramjee said the levels of crime in the country were exponentially high and stats should be released more frequently so that “communities can plan how to help in fighting crime and making neighbourhoods safer.”

– jenniffero@citizen.co.za

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