Crime statistics: Slight stabilisation, but mammoth task of addressing high levels still lies ahead
18 February 2022
The police's latest figures indicate a slight stabilisation for various categories of crime, but the mammoth task of addressing the current high levels still lies ahead.
Murder and attempted murder have increased with 8,9% and 3,5%, respectively. South Africa's murder rate is approximately 37 per 100 000 of the population in comparison to the average international murder rate of 7 people per 100 000. This is a clear indication of how extremely high the country's crime levels are.
The large number of vigilantism incidents and bundu court cases included in the murder rate points to the fact that the people have lost their faith in the police and are increasingly taking the law into their own hands.
Concerning the feared trio crimes, robbery (10 524 incidents) and robbery with aggravating circumstances (34 143) have decreased with 11% and 1,3%, respectively; while robberies at residential premises (5 760) decreased with 0,4%. The third trio crime, namely carjacking, however, increased with 13,8% to 5 455. That is 661 more incidents than the 4 794 that occurred during the corresponding period last year.