President Thabo Mbeki this week came under fire when he said that, contrary to popular perceptions ‘crime was under controlâ€. This week the South African Institute of Race Relations released statistics that showed Mbeki was right in some areas and wrong in others. Researchers at various institutes that study crime suggest 10 ways in which crime can be reduced.
Political leadership
As with HIV/Aids, government needs to acknowledge that the scourge is real and needs tackling. It should be seen to be preaching a uniform message and act firmly against criminals regardless of where they are found. This will require that the political leaders stop justifying crime and downplaying its seriousness by suggesting, as they often do, that it is declining.
Improve policing skills
There should be no room for functionally illiterate officers in the police service. Even the police agree that detective services, DNA and fingerprint analysis are areas that need urgent attention. Police need more training in the ‘softer†skills, such as interacting with their communities and with people who present themselves as complainants at police precincts.
More visible cross-border cooperation with neighbouring countries
You might have seen the bakkie advert in which local authorities and their Mozambican counterparts cooperate to find and destroy arms that move between the countries’ borders. South African police say that many such operations are conducted in the Southern African region. The regional police chiefs have formed the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation but their influence appears too office-bound to deter cross-border syndicates.
Decentralise police accountability and strategies
There is no use saying police commissioners have control over their jurisdictions when policing priorities are set elsewhere. As a recent Institute for Race Relations study showed, different provinces have different crime problems. A centralised system of setting priorities robs provincial commissioners and local station commanders of the ability to mobilise their resources to fight local challenges.
Improve cooperation and coordination of the criminal justice system
There are too many stories of individuals committing crimes while they are out on bail. Communication between the police, the courts and jails needs to be improved. The speedier the trials, the smaller the prison population, made up mainly of awaiting trial prisoners — and the greater the chances of those in jail being rehabilitated.
Improve cooperation between criminal justice and the social development clusters of government
One of the pillars of the National Crime Prevention Strategy was ‘environmental designâ€. This meant that when planning residential areas, the town planners would ensure there were enough schools, street lighting and that the surroundings were managed so as not to create opportunities for criminals. Abandoned buildings, tall grass and dark streets present such opportunities.
Increase sin taxes on commodities with proven links to criminal action, specifically alcohol
Statistics show that most murders occur when people known to each other are socialising and drinking alcohol. Making alcohol more expensive would reduce the number of people who drink. The knock-on effect is that it will reduce incidents caused as a result of drunkenness.
Faith communities and community organisations must jack up their role
Crime is not purely a policing matter. Communities must start isolating criminals and raising their voices as they did against apartheid. Faith communities also have a role in advancing moral regeneration and reinstilling values that make it shameful to be a criminal or to benefit from the proceeds of crime. As one expert put it: ‘In 2007 there should not be an excuse for committing crime or disobeying the law.â€
Rearranging social values
A society that worships unbridled consumerism without creating equal opportunities for wealth, create a sense of helplessness in those excluded from the boom. Most violence employed in the commission of crime is linked to the desire to own those goods society identifies as a requirement for respect and admiration.
Media must play its role
The media is seen as negative and as concentrating on important but isolated cases to create an impression of things falling apart. One expert said the example that things were actually getting better was that in 1994, there were 26 000 murders in the country and last year the number was 18 000.
Just as the media played an important anti-apartheid role, it can play a role in exposing criminals and criminal trends and pushing for decisive action by the authorities.
All the numbers
The South African Institute of Race Relations this week released statistics comparing crime levels in 1994 with those in the past policing year.
Murder
Actual numbers in 1994/05: 25 965
Ratio per 100 000: 66,9
Numbers in 2005/06: 18 528
Ratio per 100 000: 39,5
Decrease by 28,6%
Ratio decrease by 41%
Attempted murder
Actual numbers:1994/05: 26 806
Ratio/100 000: 69,1
Actual Numbers in 2005/06 20 571
Ratio/100 000: 43,9
Decrease 23,3%
Ratio decrease: 36,5%
Rape
Actual number cases reported in 1994/05: 44 751
Ratio per 100 000: 115,3
Numbers in 2005/6: 54 926
Ratio: Per 100 000: 117,1
Actual numbers increased by 22,7%
Ratio increase: 1,6%
Robbery with aggravating circumstances
Actual Numbers in 1994/05: 84 785
Ratio per 100 000: 218,5
Actual Numbers in 2005/06: 119 726 255
Increase actual numbers: 41,2%
Ratio increase: 16,8%
Burglary at residential and business premises
Actual numbers in 1994/05: 231 355
Ratio/100 000: 596,2
Actual numbers in 2005/06: 262 535
Ratio per 100 000: 559,9
Increase in actual numbers: 13,5%
Decrease per ratio: 6,1%
Car theft
Actual numbers in 1994/05: 105 867
Ratio per 100 000: 272,8
Numbers in 2005/06: 85 964
Ratio/100 000: 183,3
Decrease in numbers: 18,8%
Decrease per ratio: 32,8%
Commercial crimes
Actual numbers 1994/05: 63 056
Ratio/100 000: 162,5
Numbers 2005/06: 54 214
Ratio/100 000: 115,6
Decrease in actual numbers: 14%
Decrease per ratio: 28,9%
Drug related crime
Actual numbers 1994/05: 45 928
Ratio per 100 000: 118,4
Actual numbers in 2005/06: 95 690
Ratio per 100 000: 204,1
Increase in actual numbers: 108,3%
Increase per ratio: 72,4%
Source: The South African Institute of Race Relations.