Crime and crime prevention in SA

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Crime and crime prevention in SA

• Presentation to the Safety and Security Portfolio
  Committee
• Anton du Plessis, Duxita Mistry and Makubetse
  Sekhonyane
• Crime and Justice Programme
• Institute for Security Studies

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Outline

• Crime trends
• Main factors driving crime
• Crime trends what the statistics show
• Provincial crime trends
• ISS victim survey
• Why conduct victim surveys
• Victimisation rates
• Perceptions of safety and security
• Views on perpetrators of crime
• Response to crime

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Factors contributing to crime

• Youthful population
• Cycles of violence
• Breakdown of institutions central to childhood
  development family and schools
• The normalisation of violence
• Income inequality?
• Rapid urbanisation
• Alcohol and drug abuse
• Guns
• Weak criminal justice system??

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Crime trends what the statistics show
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Crimes recorded by SAPS, 1994/95-2003/04
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Murder trend, 1994/95-2003/04
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Murder rates in selected countries, 1998
(Interpol)
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Murder rates in selected countries, SA and Latin
America
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Murder and attempted murder trend,
1994/95-2003/04
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Rape trend1994/95-2003/04
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Trend for car theft, 1994/95-2003/04
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Aggravated Robbery trends, 1994/95-2003/4
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Housebreaking trend, 1994/95-2003/04
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Trend for farm attacks, 1997/98-2003/04
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Provincial crime trends
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Provincial crime rates, 2003/04
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Change in murder rates
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Change in murder rates
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Change in housebreaking rates
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Change in housebreaking rates
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Change in car hijacking rates
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Change in car hijacking rates
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Murder trend, by month, 1994-99
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Assault trend, by month, 1994-99
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Key issues 03/04 SAPS statistics

• Decline in most crime categories was more than we
  expected, including provincial levels
• Many SAs still do not believe the crime stats
• Not much analysis in the annual report
• We are concerned about the sustainability of the
  decrease
• Crimes dependent on SAPS action increased. This
  is a positive indicator for the SAPS
• The decrease in reported levels of rape is
  concerning
• The increase in robbery needs further explanation
  
• Despite decreases in stats, most SAs are
  increasingly fearful of crime

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ISS National Victims of Crime Survey
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Why conduct national victim surveys?

• To find out more about crime levels
• supplement police crime statistics
• first national survey in SA since 1998
• To better understand the nature of crime
• help to compile risk profiles for specific crime
  types
• victims provide info in a format they best
  understand
• To track public perceptions of crime its
  impact
• measure the fear of crime and perceptions of
  safety
• help assess the impact of crime on behaviour
• To track public opinion on what is being done
  about crime
• measure views of police and court accessibility
  performance

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Methodology

• Survey conducted 1 Sept -15 Oct 2003 by
  Development Research Africa (DRA)
• Sampling
• Random selection of households across SA
• 4 860 randomly selected individuals 16 years
• Sample stratified by province area type
  (urban\rural)
• Weighting
• Race, gender economic status
• Effect of weighting to reflect actual composition
  of population

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Crime rates in SA, 1998 and 2003 national victim
surveys

• 22.5 of all SAs were victims in 2003
• This is 2 less than the 24.5 who were victims
  in 1998
• This suggests that crime, as measured by the
  victim surveys, has levelled off since 1998

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Reporting of crime to the police, 2003
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Comparative reporting rates, SA 1998 2003
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Perceptions about crime and safety
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Views on how crime level has changed in past 3
years
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Views on how crime level has changed in past 3
years
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How safe do you feel walking alone in your area
after dark?
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victims who knew offenders
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SAs views on what motivates criminals
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Views on perpetrators of crime

• 29 of SAs know someone who makes a living from
  crime in their area
• Race province trends suggest poorer people are
  more likely to know someone who makes a living
  from crime
• But most people dont think criminals are
  motivated by real need

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Views on perpetrators of crime (cont)

• 64 believe crime is committed by people living
  in the area
• Very few (only 4) believe foreigners are
  responsible for crime

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One thing government should spend money on to
make area safer from violence, by race
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Responses to crime
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How is the state responding?

• Past 5 years - focus on law enforcement
• Police Operation Crackdown
• Justice improving court efficiency focus on
  organised crime
• Corrections trying to cope with increasing
  numbers of inmates
• More recently - signs of move towards more
  preventive approach
• emphasis on rehabilitation of prisoners
• diversion of young offenders
• moral regeneration campaign

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Achievements overall since 1994

• Many new policies and laws to deal with crime
• Crime prevention policing
• Organised crime
• Terrorism
• Sexual offences and domestic violence
• Firearms
• Childrens rights
• Corruption

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Achievements overall since 1994 (cont)

• Mechanisms in place for oversight of policing
• Substantial organisational transformation in the
  CJS
• Many state and civil society partnerships to deal
  with crime and strengthen the CJS

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Challenges

• Making new policies and legislation work
• Improving public perceptions
• Responding to crime without undermining human
  rights
• Maintaining a balance between enforcement and
  prevention approaches
• Improving accountability and oversight
• Working collaboratively

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Thank you

• Institute for Security Studies
• http//www.iss.co.za