Living in fear of rampant crime

CRIME has become such a big concern for Western Cape residents that almost half of them say they no longer go to open spaces or parks for fear of becoming a statistic.

Analysis of the most recent victims of crime survey reveals the province has the highest proportion of households which believes crime has increased, while levels of satisfaction with the police and the justice system declined.

Statistician-general Pali Lehohla painted a gloomy overall picture, saying South Africans felt that violent and property crime had increased to the extent that the majority of households did not feel safe to walk alone or allow their children to play freely in their suburbs.

Housebreaking has been listed as the most common and most feared crime in the country, with a respective total of 58.8% and 49.2% of respondents in agreement.

Home robbery is the second most feared crime and street robbery, murder and assault round out the top five.

“As a result of fear of crime, households in South Africa take measures to protect themselves and their property,” Lehohla said.

“More than half of the house-

holds took physical protection measures for their homes and slightly more than a third of vehicle owners took protection measures for their vehicles,” he said.

The Western Cape – at 66.9% – had the highest number of households in the country which took physical protection measures for their homes, followed by Gauteng and Mpumalanga, ranking at 65.3% and 50% respectively.

The victims of crime survey also detailed high percentages of households in the province which were avoiding going to open spaces or parks, indicating that figure stood at 48.4% – while 42.9% of surveyed parents or guardians refused to allow their children to play outdoors in their suburbs.

The Western Cape – at 52.2% – clocked the highest proportion of households who said that crime had increased in their area.

“The decline in satisfaction with the police was most severe in the Western Cape from 71.3% in 2011 to 57.1% in 2015/16. Those who were satisfied with the courts thought that courts passed appropriate sentences, while of those who were satisfied with the police were of the opinion that the police were gender and disability sensitive and tolerant.

“The survey also provides evidence of a decline in police visibility during the last five years. From 2011 to 2015/16, a noticeable decline was observed in the percentage of households who felt safe walking alone both during the day or when it was dark, while throughout the period the majority felt safer walking during the day than in darkness,” Lehohla said. A total of 83.2% of households believed crime was committed because of drug-related needs.