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The DA does not consider the miniscule decrease in crime as an indication that the government is doing everything it can to keep South Africans safe. These incremental changes are cold comfort to law-abiding citizens who live in fear of criminals.

Four key categories of crime (murder, sexual offences, aggravated robbery and residential robbery) showed an average decrease of only 1.43%, compared to 5.7% last year. Virtually no decrease (only 0.26%) was experienced in “aggravated robbery”, compared to a 10.8% decrease in this category last year. Murder dropped by just 331 – with 15 609 citizens murdered last year. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa refused to say this figure out loud during the briefing today.

Besides the distinct lack of progress in these serious crime categories, the DA has grave concerns about the manipulation of statistics to paint a rosy picture.

Certain categories of crime such as domestic violence, gang-related violence and violent public protests are absorbed into larger categories in an effort to hide the real situation on the ground. For example, domestic violence is subsumed under common assault and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. This makes it difficult to determine the precise number of domestic violence incidents which occur and whether we are winning the fight against domestic abuse.

As ever, the DA has questions about the validity and reliability of the crime statistics. National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega admitted today that there is no independent audit of the statistics. This means that we can’t determine whether the procedure followed in collating the statistics is valid. It is time for an independent body to take control of the crime statistics away from the police.

These statistics are also up to 18 months old. The DA wants to see real-time crime statistics made available to the public at station level. This will not only give the public information on the nature and extent of crime in their area, but also allow the SAPS to tailor local responses relevant to present-day realities.

The DA will be writing to the Minister of Police today to ask that the statistics reporting system be modified to include specific problematic categories of crime such as:
Domestic violence;
Gang-related violence;
Attacks on farms;
Cybercrime involving both our financial institutions and individual citizens;
Public protests and violence.
We will also ask for these statistics to be independently audited.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and National Police Commissioner Rhiya Phiyega should not pat themselves on the back for meagre progress. South Africans will certainly not feel any safer as a result of these crime statistics.