Tag: Institute for Security Studies

South Africa’s crime stats ‘worst in ten years’

crime-gunResponding to the release today (19 September 2013) of the SA Police Service crime statistics for 2012/13, Institute for Security Studies’ analyst Gareth Newham said the following:

  • “Serious and violent crime is increasing in South Africa. This shows that government’s approach to crime is not working.”
  • “After a long period of decreases in serious and violent crime, these are the worst figures we have seen in ten years.”
  • “Reducing crime is not only a police responsibility. There is also an important role for other government departments such as health, education and social development.”
  •  “Violence remains unacceptably high and should be treated as a serious crisis which stands in the way of South Africa’s social and economic development.”
  • “We have seen increases in murder, attempted murder, car hijacking, street robbery and house robbery. These are some of the crimes South Africans are most afraid of.”
  • We understand that the police work under very difficult circumstances, and we applaud the many officers who work tirelessly to combat crime and to protect people and communities in South Africa.”

Gareth Newham is director of the Governance, Crime and Justice programme at the Institute for Security Studies.

We need monthly crime stats: ISS

crime-scene-response-unit-01National police statistics should be released once a month, and not when they are six months out of date, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said on Thursday.

“Police update crime statistics every 24-hours. We only get it after it’s been outdated,” said Gareth Newham, head of governance, crime and justice at the ISS.

“If you could get it once a month… communities could see what’s happening in their neighbourhoods and start acting without the help of police.”

He said this would take a “massive burden” away from the police.

“Right now, people have no clue what’s happening in their areas.”

Newham said the decision not to release the statistics once a month was a political decision.

He said Cabinet had changed the previous policy from once every quarter to yearly. – Sapa

South African lawlessness on the rise

Left-wing lawyer George Bizos

South Africa is in the grip of increasing lawlessness, according to a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Beeld reported on Monday.

According to an essay written by Dr Johan Burger more than a week before the Marikana mine shootings, blame for anarchy cannot simply be attributed to contempt for the law or the absence of law enforcement, but should include the failure of government, and its absence.

“It looks like vigilante attacks are also on the increase, and these are becoming more violent and deadly,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Academics and Wits University students took part in a march last week, to protest against the social inequalities they blame for tragedies like Marikana.

“This is what we did in 1948, 1949, 1950 when we protested against the apartheid laws,” weeping struggle veteran and advocate George Bizos told Beeld during the march.

“I never thought it would ever be necessary to take part in a march again,” he said.

When he was asked if he thought South Africa was becoming more violent, he said “I don’t just think so, it’s a fact.”

According to Burger, violent protests also make it necessary for the police to divert limited resources away from the battle against crime. – SAPA