Crime stats scrutinised

2003-09-26 19:52

Ivor Price

Cape Town - Some of the country's top criminologists expressed concerns on Thursday that the "veil of secrecy" surrounding the compilation of South African crime statistics was threatening democracy.

Although the figures discussed in the National Assembly this week cannot merely be swept from the table, it is understandable that people are doubting the validity thereof, Dr Mark Welman of the MTN centre for crime prevention at Rhodes University said on Thursday.

"Government should seriously consider appointing an independent audit on this issue, because the cornerstone of democracy determines that one should be able to debate these issues in public," he said.

Welman's reaction comes after the Democratic Alliance accused the minister of safety and security and the national police chief of deceiving the public with the latest crime statistics.

These statistics indicated that murders decreased by 1.3%, assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm by 1.1% and house-breakings by 0.9%.

Dr Irma Labuschagne, a leading criminologist from Pretoria, also expressed concerns over the statistics.

She said on Thursday that although "everyone is incredibly dependent on it, one has to be certain how it is compiled".

"It concerns me that no explanation has been given on how the statistics were compiled. I am of the opinion, for instance, that most armed robberies, rapes, attempted murders and house-breakings are not reported to police."

Labuschagne said the high cost of insurance also caused people not to report crimes.

"In the old days, you would run to the police if your handkerchief was stolen. These days, it is so expensive that you don't bother to report the crime," she said.

- Die Burger