Stats mock Nqakula claims - DA
2007-07-03 17:39
Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance says the latest crime statistics make a mockery of Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula's assurances to foreign business that the crime rate is under control.
Opposition parties said the latest crime statistics released on Tuesday proved crime was out of control despite government assurances to the contrary.
Dianne Kohler-Barnard of the DA said the figures made a mockery of Nqakula's assurances.
There had been some reported decreases, such as attempted murder (3%), rape (5.2%) and indecent assault (5.5%), but because the absolute figures were not yet available, actual performance could not be compared to previous years , she said.
What also needed to be taken into account was that many of the categories indicating decreases were crimes where the victim might be strongly influenced not to report due to risks of secondary trauma, inadequate victim support and lack of victim-friendly processes.
'Crime is out of control'
"This is especially true for sexual offences."
Inkatha Freedom Party spokesperson Velaphi Ndlovu said: "We are alarmed at the increase in murder (2.4%), the 118% increase in bank robberies, 52.5% increase in robberies at business premises, the 21.9% increase in cash-in-transit heists, and the sharp increase in robberies at residential premises (25.4%).
"It once again proves without doubt that crime is out of control in South Africa and that the levels of crime remain alarmingly high, despite empty government promises," he said.
The IFP believed the statistics again highlighted the need for increased visible policing at banks, business premises, shopping malls and within residential areas.
"It seems that whenever police are able to stop criminals targeting one specific crime, criminals just move on to something else."
Ndlovu said that, with the increase of robberies at residential premises, it was vital for police to start working closer with neighbourhood policing groups to turn the tide against property crimes and make communities safer.
Kohler-Barnard said: The crime categories seeing the biggest increases were predominantly those crimes requiring a case to be opened for insurance claim purposes.
"Therefore, there is likely to be a high reporting rate, necessary in order to claim.
Many crimes not reported
"There are no such gains to be made from reporting a rape or indecent assault.
"It is crucial to remember that what we are looking at is not actually the crime rate, but the reporting rate.
"At least one third of crimes are not reported, and these unreported crimes are most likely to be the personally devastating crimes such as rape and indecent assault," said Kohler-Barnard.
- SAPA