What you need to know about the latest South Africa crime statistics

The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Stats SA have published quarterly crime statistics for the third quarter of the 2020/21 period, covering criminal activity between October and December 2020.

Presented the latest data, Police Minister Bheki Cele said the numbers represent the crimes between Level 1 and Adjusted Level 3, which went into effect on December 15.

He said the statistics revealed some of the loopholes that exist in certain categories of police, as well as some of the police deficiencies that have occurred in certain provinces.

“The national crime statistics from October to December 2020 do not paint a good picture and therefore force us as SAPS to dig deep and put our shoulders behind the wheel.”

One of the biggest problems, according to Cele, is an increase in the number of murders. The statistics show an increase of 6.6% over the reporting period.

This means that 389 more people were killed than in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

Mpumalanga Province recorded the highest increase (13.7%) over the same period in the previous fiscal year.

Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape provinces saw decreases in homicide cases, of which 193 related to domestic violence.

The four main causes of these deaths are disputes, household and business robberies, mob justice incidents, and gangs-related murders, said Cele.

A total of 2,481 people were murdered in public areas, namely on the street, in the open field or in parking lots. Murders were also likely to have occurred in the victim or perpetrator’s home and in liquor stores.

SA crime statistics: Q2 2020 vs Q3 2020

Q2 against Q3 Jul – Sep 2020 Oct – Dec 2020 change
Contact crime 135 821 171 764 + 26.5%
Contact-related crimes 26 991 30,989 + 14.8%
Property crime 95 516 99 034 + 3.7%
Other serious crimes 93 949 97 931 + 4.2%
Overall publicly reported 352 277 399 718 + 13.5%
Crimes discovered as a result of police operations 42 121 59 800 + 42.0%
total 394 398 459 518 + 16.5%

SA crime statistics: Q3 2019 vs Q3 2020

2019 versus 2020 Oct – Dec 2019 Oct – Dec 2020 change
Contact crime 174 157 171 764 -1.4%
Contact-related crimes 30 597 30,989 + 1.3%
Property crime 117 583 99 034 -15.8%
Other serious crimes 107 767 97 931 -9.1%
Overall publicly reported 430 104 399 718 -7.1%
Crimes discovered as a result of police operations 75 160 59 800 -20.4%
total 505 264 459 518 -9.1%
  • Contact crime These include murder, attempted murder, and sexual offenses, as well as frequent assault and robbery.
  • Contact-related crimes This includes arson and malicious property damage.
  • Other serious crimes This includes white collar crime, shoplifting, and all other types of theft. Heightened robberies include kidnappings, robberies in dormitories, and robberies on cash transports and bank robberies.
  • Police crime cover crimes discovered through active policing, such as roadblocks and robberies. Categories that are covered by this are illegal possession of firearms, DUI or driving under the influence (of drugs or alcohol); and the use, possession or trafficking of illegal drugs.

Crime categories

Other important statistics are:

  • Sex offenses identified as a result of police action increased by 5%. Between October and December last year, 12,218 people were raped – an increase of 181 cases, an increase of 1.5% over the previous reporting period.
  • Inanda in the Eastern Cape and Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape are the areas where the highest number of rapes have been recorded.
  • 18 murders occurred on farms and small businesses.
  • All property-related crimes decreased by 15.8% – this includes livestock theft, break-ins and vehicles;
  • 50,124 cases of bodily harm were opened within three months. Cele said this was largely due to alcohol abuse.
  • Heightened robberies such as carjacking increased by 7%. There has been a significant increase in the hijacking of trucks, delivery drivers and couriers. There was also a 66% increase in van hijackings;
  • The number of robberies in residential areas increased, while the number of robberies in companies decreased compared to the same period last year.

Biggest increase to biggest decrease in crimes Q3 2020/21

category Oct – Dec 2019 Oct – Dec 2020 change
Cash robbery in transit 39 65 + 66.7%
Truck hijacking 325 436 + 34.2%
Attempted murder 5 014 5 452 + 8.7%
White-collar crime 21 725 23 428 + 7.8%
carjacking 4,462 4,794 + 7.4%
murder 5 908 6 297 + 6.6%
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs 2 515 2 642 + 5.0%
Sexual offenses 15 325 15 595 + 1.8%
Malicious property violation 29 598 30 032 + 1.5%
Attack with the intention of causing serious injury 49 428 50 124 + 1.4%
Robbery in residential buildings 5,704 5,781 + 1.3%
Joint attack 47 599 47 875 + 0.6%
Arson 999 957 -4.2%
Robbery in non-residential buildings 5 426 5 052 -6.9%
Warehouse theft 8 437 7 854 -6.9%
Robbery with aggravating circumstances 37 352 34 599 -7.4%
Burglary in non-residential buildings 17 179 15 550 -9.5%
Drug crime 41 520 37 546 -9.6%
Joint robbery 13 351 11 822 -11.5%
All thefts are not mentioned elsewhere 71 509 62 195 -13.0%
Theft of automobiles and motorcycles 11 772 10 099 -14.2%
Shoplifting 14 533 12 308 -15.3%
Burglary in residential buildings 51 737 42 834 -17.2%
Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition 4 114 3 353 -18.5%
Theft from or from motor vehicles 28 458 22 697 -20.2%
Sexual crimes discovered as a result of police operations 27 011 16 259 -39.8%
Bank robbery 0 0 – –

Read: South Africa’s Latest Crime Statistics – All You Need To Know

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