South Africans increasingly at risk in their homes: better, visible policing urgently needed – IRR

Better, visible policing is becoming all the more critical as the latest statistics show that South Africans are increasingly at risk in their own homes, says the Institute of Race Relations (IRR).

The levels of South Africans’ perceptions of safety while out and about have been waning for years. However, of mounting concern is that, according to the latest Victims of Crimes Report from Statistics South Africa, households are becoming the target of increased criminal activity.

Under the category of ‘Trends in household crimes’, the 2023/24 survey finds that an estimated 2 609 000 households experienced a house burglary over the past five years, a 12% increase over the previous reporting period. Second to break-ins are home robberies, experienced by 459 000 households, followed by assault at 257 000 households (of which a majority − 47.9% − reportedly occurred at the victims’ home).

The ‘individual experience of crime’ data indicates that in the year leading up to the survey the crime experienced by the most individuals in the country was theft of personal property (1 324 000), the highest it has been in the past five years. Second to this was street robberies (experienced by 443 000 individuals in 497 000 – nearly half a million – incidents).

Demonstrably, more and more individuals are repeat victims of crime.

The proportion of households headed by females as well as households in the metropolitan areas are slightly more likely to experience home robberies than male-headed households or households away from the metro, at the rate of 1,1% and 1,2% respectively.

Says Makone Maja, Campaign Manager at the IRR: “A return of law and order is necessary to improving levels of safety and security in our cities and communities. Beyond its devastating effects on people, rampant crime not only damages trust in key institutions but it also hurts businesses which are either forced to close shop entirely, relocate to safer areas, or hire private security to keep them safe − all which come at an additional cost and which are a deterrent to doing business.”

Media contact: Makone Maja, IRR Campaign Manager Tel: 079 418 6676 Email: makone@irr.org.za 

Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za