Contact crimes — apart from rape and indecent assault — are down in the financial year 2004/05, according to the South African Police Service.
The report — issued on Wednesday and entitled Crime Situation in South Africa, Crime Trends between 2001/02 and 2004/05 — indicates that the murder rate is down to 40,3 per 100 000 of the population.
This has previously dropped from 47,8 in 2001/02 to 47,4 in 2002/03 and again to 42,7 in 2003/04. The latest figure represents a drop of 5,6%.
The statistics, released by Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula in Pretoria and beamed to Cape Town, showed that while rape saw a declining trend in the first three of these years — from 121,1 per 100 000 in 2001/02 to 115,3 in 2002/03 and then to 113,7 in 2003/04, this rose to 118,3 in 2004/05.
Indecent assault has been on the rise consistently in these years, from 17,1 per 100 000 in 2001/02 to 21,7 in 2004/05.
Attempted murder, however, rose initially from 69,8 per 100 000 to 78,9 in 2001/02 and 2002/03 but then began dropping — to 64,8 in 2003/04 and to 52,6 in the past financial year.
This amounts to a decrease in this form of crime by 18,8% from 2003/04 to 2004/05.
Assault with the intention of grievous bodily harm decreased by 4,5% in the years 2003/04 to 2004/05, with the figure dropping from 560,7 per 100 000 to 535,3. The figure for 2001/02 was 589,1, while it dropped to 585,9 in 2002/03.
Common assault also showed a downward trend in the past three years after an initial upward movement. In 2001/02, it was 584,3 per 100 000, rising to 621,6 in 2002/03. It fell to 605,7 in 2003/04 and then to 575 in 2004/05.
Robbery with aggravating circumstances rose in the first three years but fell in the past year. The figures are 260,5 per 100 000, 279,2, 288,1 and then 272,2 in those years.
The last category in the contact-crime category showed an initial rise and then a gentle fall. For common robbery, the figure was 201,2 per 100 000 in 2001/02, rising to 223,4 in 2002/03 and then falling to 206 in 2003/04. It fell further to 195 in 2004/05. — I-Net Bridge