The case against stats

Community and public safety should not be measured by crime statistics alone. As humans, we have different perceptions and viewpoints and this makes us unique.

What one member of Grahamstown community may perceive as frivolous and not worth reporting to the SAPS, another will deem very serious and worth every minute of their time in reporting and having the matter dealt with.

And where one person may feel perfectly safe, another may refuse to go for fear of their individual safety.

We do not need crime statistics to tell us whether we are safe or not.

But we do need crime statistics to remind us that, even when crime is not knocking on our own door, it may indeed be knocking very loudly two doors up, two streets away or in a neighbouring community.

And it is this reminder that we have once again received from the SAPS.

Whether you agree with the method; the calculations; the true reflection or not, crime is part of our society.

As long as we have groups of children, weenies, teens and young adults who are dropping from school and have nowhere to go or nothing to do except commit crime, we will have to accept crime as part of our society.

• Captain Milanda Coetzer is the Grahamstown Crime Intelligence Officer for the SAPS