Criminals in South Africa are getting desperate – and more violent
The South African Police Service has published the latest crime statistics for the country, showing the crime levels over the fourth quarter of 2022/23, which covers January to March 2023.
The stats show a big increase in cash-in-transit heists over the period and a significant jump in shoplifting across the country.
While both these crimes stand on opposite ends of severity – with shoplifting being more petty theft and heists being part of organised crime syndicates – both show a growing desperation among criminal elements in the country.
More worrying is that the increase in theft comes alongside yet another jump in contact crimes, including the most violent crimes – like murder, attempted murder and assault.
According to the SAPS, 6,289 people were murdered over the period, equating to 70 fatalities every day.
Contact crimes, including sexual offences and robbery, made up the biggest crime category, with 164,206 cases reported between 1 January 2023 and 31 March 2023.
Put into a different context, there is one contact crime committed every 50 seconds of every day.
The increase in criminal activity was recorded across all the provinces, with the usual suspects making up the bulk of crimes: Gauteng, as the most populous province, leads with 107,128 serious crimes recorded, or 27.2% of the total.
The Western Cape contributed 19.1% of all serious crimes, followed by KwaZulu Natal (16%) and the Eastern Cape (10.3%).
According to the SAPS, central districts in the big metros are recorded as being hotbeds of criminal activity, with Cape Town’s central station leading the way, followed by Johannesburg and then Durban.
Among the non-metro stations, Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape tops out as the worst area for criminal activity, followed by Park Road in the Free State and Phoenix in KZN.
SA crime stats: Q4 2021/22 vs Q4 2022/23
| 2021/22 vs 2022/23 | Jan-Mar 2022 | Jan-Mar 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Crimes | 157 907 | 164 206 | +4.0% |
| Contact-related Crimes | 29 559 | 28 974 | -2.0% |
| Property-related Crimes | 91 278 | 92 150 | +1.0% |
| Other Serious Crimes | 101 643 | 109 059 | +7.3% |
| Total public reported | 380 387 | 394 389 | +3.7% |
| Crime detected as a result of police action | 60 151 | 58 674 | -2.5% |
| Total | 440 538 | 453 063 | +2.8% |
- Contact crimes include violent crimes like murder, attempted murder and sexual offences, as well as common assault and robbery.
- Contact-related crimes include arson and malicious injury to property.
- Other serious crimes include commercial crime, shop-lifting, and other types of theft – while aggravated robbery includes hijackings, robbery at residences, and cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies.
- Crimes detected as a result of police action cover crimes discovered by active policing, such as roadblocks and raids. This category covers the illegal possession of firearms, DUI or driving under the influence (of drugs or alcohol), and the use, possession or trade of illegal drugs.
Biggest increases in crime categories for Q4 2022/23
| Category | Jan-Mar 2022 | Jan-Mar 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robbery of cash in transit | 53 | 64 | +20.8% |
| Shoplifting | 10 292 | 12 379 | +20.3% |
| Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 42 992 | 43 090 | +20.0% |
| Burglary at non-residential premises | 14 241 | 15 980 | +12.2% |
| Commercial crime | 25 431 | 28 000 | +10.1% |
| Common robbery | 10 787 | 11 744 | +8.9% |
| Attempted murder | 5 717 | 6 192 | +8.3% |
| Common assault | 45 746 | 49 226 | +7.6% |
| Robbery at residential premises | 5 267 | 5 578 | +5.9% |
| Robbery with aggravating circumstances | 32 783 | 34 460 | +5.1% |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 65 920 | 68 680 | +4.2% |
| Murder | 6 083 | 6 289 | +3.4% |
| Theft out of or from motor vehicle | 20 457 | 20 947 | +2.4% |
| Burglary at residential premises | 40 960 | 40 619 | -0.8% |
| Malicious damage to property | 28 649 | 28 177 | -1.6% |
| Carjacking | 5 402 | 5 119 | -2.8% |
| Sexual Offences | 13 799 | 13 205 | -4.3% |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 4 700 | 4 449 | -5.3% |
| Stock-theft | 6 243 | 5 901 | -5.5% |
| Truck hijacking | 465 | 435 | -6.5% |
| Theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle | 9 377 | 8 703 | -7.2% |
| Arson | 910 | 797 | -12.4% |
| Bank robbery | 5 | 0 | -5 cases |
Crime detected as a result of police action
| Category | Jan-Mar 2022 | Jan-Mar 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual offences discovered as result of police action | 2 308 | 2 739 | +18.7% |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 3 542 | 4 022 | +13.6% |
| Drug-related crime | 42 309 | 44 806 | +5.9% |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 11 992 | 7 107 | -40.7% |
Read: Cape Town’s big plan to fight crime – including high-tech gunshot detection and drones
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