action for a safe sa 24th june 2008

Action for a Safe SAAction for a Safe SACape TownCape Town2424thth June June 2008 2008Barbara HoltmannBarbara [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

© CSIR 2006 www.csir.co.za

Action for a SAFE SOUTH AFRICA

• Problem statement:- How do we change South African thinking, spending and action in

response to crime and violence

• Overview

- Crime in South Africa - How unsafe are we?- What is a Safe South Africa?- What does it look like right now?- A macro view - the cycle of crime, violence and distrust


Crime in South Africa

• Recorded Crimes- > 2 000 000 priority crimes reported in 2006/2007 - 721,129 contact crimes (murder, attempted murder, hijacking)- Burglary steadily down- Robbery steadily up- 415,000 “All theft not mentioned elsewhere” – no action expected or

offered

• Criminal Justice Capacity:- Under reporting estimated @ between 33 & 66%- 2 year case backlog in Courts- Capacity for 114 000 inmates in Correctional Facilities- Current population of Correctional Facilities 164 000


How unsafe are we?• Non-Natural Death

- Children 6x more likely - Women are 5x more likely- Men are 8x more likely

• Alcohol Abuse- R41 billion on alcohol in 2006 - R16 out of every R100 spent- 47% homicide victims test positive for alcohol at time of death - 66% of people presenting in trauma units @ hospitals - >50% rape victims are “high or drunk” @ the time of the incident

• Arms/Guns- 62% homicides committed with guns- 66 guns a day lost or stolen from legal to illegal pool- 192 000 new violent crimes in the course of last year- 528 per day (SAPS Annual Report)


What is a Safe South Africa?

• Visioning Exercise For a Safe South Africa- Children play safely in the streets of leafy suburbs- Lawns lead down to picket fences- Parents sit by open doors making supper to eat in the garden- The sound of laughter and street cricket, football- Bicycles lean against the pavement- Picnics in the park- Schools the centre of community- Vegetable gardens- Effective transport systems- Everyone is busy- Women walk alone in the dark- Old people sit peacefully outside


What does it look like right now?

• Private Security - R46 billion- Building fortresses- Armed response- Electric fences- Surveillance cameras- Guns- Boom gates- Exclusion- Burglar bars- Security gates- Alarm systems

• National Response- 60000 extra police by 2010

• Total - 193 000- Review of Criminal Justice System

• Integration of departments• Performance standards

- 4 000 more social workers by 2010• Total - 15 000 social workers

- Uncertain future for best unit- Acting Head of SAPS- Acting Head of NPA

Undercurrent of fear and distrustGrowing demand for more and more punitive justice

A Macro View – the Cycle of Crime, Violence and Distrust


Thank you – Panel Discussion

action for a safe sa 24th june 2008

Travel

asafe south africa children

cycle of crime

violence overview crime

south african thinking

likely women

priority crimes

contact crimes murder

criminal justice capacity