State of Urban Safety report confirms need for drastic crime intervention
11 April 2019
Minister of Community Safety, Alan Winde says the 2018/19 State of Urban Safety in South Africa report is an indictment of SAPS’ response to crime in our province.
The report, published by the South African Cities Network, confirms that the murder rate in Cape Town has increased by almost 70% between 2009/10 and 2017/18, and that the province has the highest rates for robbery and property-related crimes. It attributes gang violence, illegal firearms, corrupt SAPS officers and drugs and alcohol as contributing factors to these figures.
Due to these factors the report states: “Understandably, Cape Town residents reported experiencing more crime/violence and feeling more unsafe compared to residents in other cities - they are also the least satisfied with law enforcement, after Buffalo City.”
The report considered data from 2005/6 to 2017/18 and includes 9 cities, namely Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Mangaung, eThekweni, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Msunduzi.