DA outlines expectations for crime stats

18 September 2014

The DA will attend tomorrow's release of the 2013/14 crime statistics at the SAPS Training Academy in Tshwane. 

We sincerely hope that the statistics released tomorrow will indicate a reduction in crime for the past year. The countless South Africans who live in fear of crime every day need to see massive reductions in crime in exchange for the mammoth SAPS budget, increased now to R72-billion.

Last year, the SAPS made an extremely poor showing, with violent crime increasing significantly. Most concerning was that Police Commissioner Phiyega was caught out attempting to skew the results by using incorrect census figures. 

The stats were not good last year. The murder rate increased very worryingly up to 45 a day. There were increases in the following categories: 

Murder: +0.6%

Attempted murder: +6.5%

Aggravated robbery: +1.2%

Residential burglaries: +3.3%

Theft out of motor vehicles: +3.6%

Fraud: +0.6%

Car hijackings: +5.4%

We hope to see reductions in all of these categories this year.

Most importantly, we hope to see credible statistics using the correct census figures to give an accurate reflection of the true state of crime in our country. 

Certain police stations have pumped up their figures in the past to ensure awards and bonuses. SAPS management also manipulated the statistics last year to present a rosy picture.

In the past, the collating and reporting methodology behind the nation's crime statistics has been inconsistent, at times incorrect, and has left the nation confused, with little confidence in our Police Ministers and Police Commissioners.

Three years ago the Police Department's aim was an annual crime reduction of 7-10%. That target was quietly dropped to 4-7% and now it has been dropped down to between 0% and 2%. 

The statistics have been increasingly manipulated as each year passes, with certain categories of crime such as domestic violence, gang-related violence and violent public protests all being absorbed into larger categories in an effort to hide the real situation on the ground. For example, domestic violence is subsumed under common assault and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. This makes it difficult to determine the precise number of domestic violence incidents which occur and whether we are winning the fight against domestic abuse.

We will scrutinise the statistics tomorrow in great detail to ensure their credibility. 

Crime affects each and every one of us. We must fight crime with every means at our disposal. But that requires us to have accurate and up-to-date statistics to ensure that we are able to track our progress and direct our attention to where it is most needed.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, September 18 2014

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