Reporting all crime is essential, says security company

THE latest crime statistics released by Police Minister Bheki Cele for the first quarter of 2021/2022 revealed an increase, mostly in contact crimes. Contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, sexual offences and all categories of assault registered a 60.6% increase, compared to the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

Minister Cele said that the South African Police Service also reported an increase of 72.4% in incidents of rape – translating to 10,006 victims of rape during the period between April 1 and June 30.

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Both common assault and assault with grievous bodily harm registered double-digit increases, translating to a combined 76,936 cases. Over 15,000 cases of domestic violence were reported over the period alone. Carjacking also increased.

“An important first step in addressing these crime levels is to make sure that each and every incident is reported to the police. Simply because an incident of a mugging or car theft is reported on a community WhatsApp group does not make it a reported crime,” said Charnel Hattingh, head of marketing and communications for the Fidelity Services Group.

“Yes, social media platforms are valuable for many reasons. For example, if an incident occurs and is posted it helps to quickly mobilise resources to search for the perpetrators or offer emergency help, and it makes the community aware. It is vital they report the incident to the police so that it can be logged as a crime stat,” said Hattingh.

According to Hattingh crime statistics help police strategise and allocate the appropriate resources to suburbs, in conjunction with private security companies and other stakeholders, to protect lives by better managing crime, curbing trends and equipping the justice system.

“The importance of this is hampered by people thinking the crime was petty and not worth reporting. Some people also say they have no faith in the justice system so ‘what is the point?’

“Petty criminals very often become serious offenders somewhere down the line – perhaps years after getting away with bag snatching or shoplifting which nobody bothered to report. It is an unfortunate reality that many people feel lucky to be alive and just want to move on after they have fallen victim to a criminal. She pointed out that trauma is also often a reason victims prefer not to go to the police; they do not want to relive the events by giving a statement,” said Hattingh. 

She added that no crime is too small to be reported and everyone can play a role in curbing crime in the country by reporting the incidents. “The only value a crime has is that when it is reported it becomes intelligence for police and other security resources to use to fight criminals and get them off our streets,” added Hattingh.

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