While burglaries and robberies have declined over the past year in South Africa, this doesn’t tell the full story, and some areas are harder hit by criminals than others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has published the latest crime statistics for the first quarter of 2024\/25, which covers April to June 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the SAPS\u2019 data, burglaries at residential premises decreased by 7.4% year-on-year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, while robberies with aggravated circumstances at houses increased by only 0.2% year-on-year, they were up by almost 1.3% from the second quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While similar in nature (criminal trespassing and theft), burglaries and robberies are differentiated by the presence of the victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Burglaries occur when a thief enters a home intending to steal while the victim is absent, while robberies happen when the victim is present and threatened during the theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite decreasing year-on-year, burglaries still far outstrip robberies in South Africa in number, and \u2013 after drug-related crime and assault \u2013 is the biggest crime subcategory in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data captured at police stations across\u00a0the country recorded 34,075 cases of home burglaries between April to June 2024 \u2013 roughly 379 incidents a day. Meanwhile, the SAPS recorded\u00a05,641 house robberies over the same period \u2013 or 63 every day.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, this doesn’t tell the full story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Stats SA has published the latest Victims of Crime (VoC) survey, showing that South Africa\u2019s crime statistics are likely far worse than what the Police Department reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n South Africa\u2019s official crime statistics are based on incidents or crimes reported at police stations and crimes discovered by the police. This means the data can only reflect the crimes that go through the official process, leaving many crimes unaccounted for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The VoC Survey, on the other hand, looks at crimes through the victim\u2019s experience, including the significant number of crimes that go unreported in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey’s data shows that burglaries and robberies increased by 4.6% and 7.2% from 2022\/23 to 2023\/24, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This shows an increasing trend for both break-ins and robberies in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The data further indicates that there are roughly 94,167 burglaries and 17,417 robberies across South Africa every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts have warned that solar panels, gas bottles, and gate motors top the list of items being stolen from properties in South Africa in 2024.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n