By Asanda Nini and Malibongwe Daymani
You were more likely to get murdered or raped in Eastern Cape than in any other South African province in 2016-17.
This is if crime statistics released by Police Minister Fikile Mbalula yesterday, are anything to go by.
An East London-based researcher on local governance and community safety, Glenn Hollands, yesterday cautioned that the Stats SA Victims of Crime Survey found that SA citizens were less and less inclined to report crime, “mostly because they lack confidence in the police”.
He said crime figures could also be affected by efficient stations which handled large case volumes having “worse statistics than poorly performing stations that turn complainants away”.
“Nonetheless the stats are a hugely significant database on crime and it would be foolish to ignore them,” Hollands said.
Mbalula revealed that Eastern Cape had the highest murder and rape ratios in the entire country.
According to the report, it had a murder ratio of 55.9 per 100000 people.
Despite the province being placed third behind Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal for the number of rape cases reported, it recorded a ratio of 105.3 per 100000 people, the highest compared to other provinces.
His report covered the period between April 2016 and March 2017.
Delivering his report in parliament yesterday, Mbalula said the stats were used to measure 21 serious crimes, 17 of which were those reported by community members.
The remaining four were those detected as a result of police-initiated operations including illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possession of and dealing in drugs, and sexual offences detected by police. Mbalula – who lambasted police for their laziness and inaction – said in an ideal situation, the 17 crime categories were supposed to all decrease, while the remaining four were meant to increase as a result of police action or detection.
“The crimes that are considered indicators of the effectiveness of police activities – crimes detected as a result of police action – experienced a reversal from a decrease of 0.3% in the preceding financial year , to an increase of 9.6% . However, despite the increase, Mbalula said it was not enough.
Police were making only “lazy efforts” to make South Africa a “safer place to live in”, he said.
Mbalula said provinces such as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Western Cape must have increased police action.
Despite the province experiencing a decrease in the number of murder and rape cases in the year under review, Mbalula revealed the possibility of such crimes taking place was much higher in Eastern Cape than in any other province.
The report revealed that in the province, 3629 murders were reported in the year under review, compared with 3649 the previous year, a slight decrease of 0.6%.
This is while reported rape cases had also decreased from 7437 to 6836 in the same period.
However, the stats also show that robbery and burglary at residential premises, theft out of motor vehicles, stock theft, and aggravated robberies were on the increase.
The Eastern Cape also had the highest increases in arson cases, malicious damage to property, theft out of motors vehicles and contact-related crimes.
For burglary at residential premises and theft of motor vehicles, the province was second highest in the entire country, while truck hijackings were also on the rise.
Mbalula’s report showed there have been decreases in the number of sexual offences in general, shoplifting, carjacking, robbery of cash-in-transit vehicles and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm cases.
Only one bank robbery took place in the province during the period, according to Mbalula’s report.
Although there is a significant decrease in some crimes, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said it was nothing to be proud of, as the Eastern Cape remained in the top three of the provinces in the country for rape and murder.
But ISS senior researcher Dr Johan Burger slammed the stats as “simply not reliable”.
“We can’t put too much reliance on police statistics because the figures, especially those concerning sexual offences, are not the true reflection of what happens in communities.
“If you check Stats SA’s victims of crime survey, you will see their statistics do not corroborate with the police stats,” he said.
DA MPL Bobby Stevenson said the stats show that the Eastern Cape “is caught in the grip of a vicious crime wave”. “The burn-and-loot culture is growing. People simply do not feel safe in their homes.”
Bhisho legislature’s safety and liaison portfolio committee chair and ANC MPL Michael Peter, however, said the report indicated police hard at work. — asandan@dispatch.co.za / malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
EC has highest murder rate
You were more likely to get murdered or raped in Eastern Cape than in any other South African province in 2016-17.
This is if crime statistics released by Police Minister Fikile Mbalula yesterday, are anything to go by.
An East London-based researcher on local governance and community safety, Glenn Hollands, yesterday cautioned that the Stats SA Victims of Crime Survey found that SA citizens were less and less inclined to report crime, “mostly because they lack confidence in the police”.
He said crime figures could also be affected by efficient stations which handled large case volumes having “worse statistics than poorly performing stations that turn complainants away”.
“Nonetheless the stats are a hugely significant database on crime and it would be foolish to ignore them,” Hollands said.
Mbalula revealed that Eastern Cape had the highest murder and rape ratios in the entire country.
According to the report, it had a murder ratio of 55.9 per 100000 people.
Despite the province being placed third behind Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal for the number of rape cases reported, it recorded a ratio of 105.3 per 100000 people, the highest compared to other provinces.
His report covered the period between April 2016 and March 2017.
Delivering his report in parliament yesterday, Mbalula said the stats were used to measure 21 serious crimes, 17 of which were those reported by community members.
The remaining four were those detected as a result of police-initiated operations including illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possession of and dealing in drugs, and sexual offences detected by police. Mbalula – who lambasted police for their laziness and inaction – said in an ideal situation, the 17 crime categories were supposed to all decrease, while the remaining four were meant to increase as a result of police action or detection.
“The crimes that are considered indicators of the effectiveness of police activities – crimes detected as a result of police action – experienced a reversal from a decrease of 0.3% in the preceding financial year , to an increase of 9.6% . However, despite the increase, Mbalula said it was not enough.
Police were making only “lazy efforts” to make South Africa a “safer place to live in”, he said.
Mbalula said provinces such as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Western Cape must have increased police action.
Despite the province experiencing a decrease in the number of murder and rape cases in the year under review, Mbalula revealed the possibility of such crimes taking place was much higher in Eastern Cape than in any other province.
The report revealed that in the province, 3629 murders were reported in the year under review, compared with 3649 the previous year, a slight decrease of 0.6%.
This is while reported rape cases had also decreased from 7437 to 6836 in the same period.
However, the stats also show that robbery and burglary at residential premises, theft out of motor vehicles, stock theft, and aggravated robberies were on the increase.
The Eastern Cape also had the highest increases in arson cases, malicious damage to property, theft out of motors vehicles and contact-related crimes.
For burglary at residential premises and theft of motor vehicles, the province was second highest in the entire country, while truck hijackings were also on the rise.
Mbalula’s report showed there have been decreases in the number of sexual offences in general, shoplifting, carjacking, robbery of cash-in-transit vehicles and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm cases.
Only one bank robbery took place in the province during the period, according to Mbalula’s report.
Although there is a significant decrease in some crimes, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said it was nothing to be proud of, as the Eastern Cape remained in the top three of the provinces in the country for rape and murder.
But ISS senior researcher Dr Johan Burger slammed the stats as “simply not reliable”.
“We can’t put too much reliance on police statistics because the figures, especially those concerning sexual offences, are not the true reflection of what happens in communities.
“If you check Stats SA’s victims of crime survey, you will see their statistics do not corroborate with the police stats,” he said.
DA MPL Bobby Stevenson said the stats show that the Eastern Cape “is caught in the grip of a vicious crime wave”. “The burn-and-loot culture is growing. People simply do not feel safe in their homes.”
Bhisho legislature’s safety and liaison portfolio committee chair and ANC MPL Michael Peter, however, said the report indicated police hard at work. — asandan@dispatch.co.za / malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
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