Crime in South Africa

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South African police date-rape poster.

Crime is a major problem in South Africa. According to a survey for the period 1998-2000 compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, South Africa was ranked second for assault and murder (by all means) per capita, in addition to being ranked second for rape and first for rapes per capita. ^[1] Total crime per capita is 10th out of the 60 countries in the dataset. Other data rank South Africa second in the world for murders per capita and first for assaults and rapes.^[2] Nevertheless, crime has had a pronounced effect on society: many wealthier South Africans moved into gated communities, abandoning the central business districts of some cities for the relative security of the suburbs. This effect is most pronounced in Johannesburg, although the trend is noticeable in other cities as well. Many emigrants from South Africa also state that crime was a big factor in their decision to leave. Crime against commercial farmers has continued to be a major problem in the country. South Africa also has a bad record for car hijackings.

1 Background
2 Gated communities
3 Private security companies
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Background

Violent crimes such as murder and robberies have decreased in recent years, with the year 2004 seeing a drop of 4.6% and 5.3% respectively for these two offences. The rape and hijacking rates, however, showed no signs of such a slowdown. Hijackings and cash in transit heists particularly have been shown to be on the increase. The situation with rape has become so bad that the country has been referred to as the 'rape capital of the world'.^[3]

Recently the government has had a widely-publicised gun amnesty programme to reduce the number of weapons in circulation. In addition, it adopted the National Crime Prevention Strategy in 1996, which aimed to prevent crime through reinforcing community structures and helping individuals back into work.^[4]

The government has been criticised for doing too little to stop crime. Some question the effectiveness of the South African Police Service.^[5] The Government was criticized when the Minister of Safety and Security was in Burundi promoting peace and democracy while there was a spate of crime in Gauteng. This spate included the murder of an alarming number of people, including members of the South African Police Service killed while on duty.^[6] The criticism preceded an announcement by the minister that the government would put effort into quelling the alarming increase of crime by 30 December 2006. In one province alone, 19 police officers lost their lives in the first 7 months of 2006.

The Minister of Safety and Security, Charles Nqakula caused outrage among South Africans in June 2006 when he responded to opposition MPs in parliament, who were not satisfied that enough was being done to counter crime, saying that MPs who complain about the country's crime rate, should stop whining and leave the country.^[7]

[edit] Gated communities

One of the most visible results of South Africa's crime problem is the increasing number of gated communities that have been built in an effort to promote the safety of inhabitants. The gated communities are generally located in wealthy areas whose residents can afford this type of property. The issue of gated communities is a controversial one, with some arguing that they are akin to a return to the pass laws, and research suggesting that they are a threat to democracy and risk causing further community division.^[8]

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[edit] Private security companies

In order to protect themselves and their assets, many businesses and middle- to high-income households in South Africa make use of privately owned security companies with armed security guards. The SAPS uses private security companies to guard certain police stations.

Police response is deemed too slow and unreliable, and thus security companies are a popular form of protection. Many levels of protection are offered, from suburban foot patrols to complete security checkpoints at the entry points of homes. Most security companies offer panic buttons and armed response. Some security systems are highly complex, and may include guard patrols on the property, buried vibration sensors, motion sensors and laser beams.