About 58% of households that experienced home robbery reported some or all incidences to the police.
The Victims of Crime 2023/2024 report, based on a sample size of 30,000 households across nine provinces, provides insights into crime trends. The report, redesigned in 2017 to accommodate new data, aims to complement SAPS crime statistics. The most commonly reported crimes by households include housebreaking, home robbery, theft of motor vehicles, assault, murder, sexual offences, and deliberate damage of dwellings.
In the latest report, an increase of 5% was noted in housebreaking incidents. Shockingly, only about 50% of housebreaking incidences were reported to the police, compared to 100% reporting for murder cases. However, the theft of motor vehicles saw a higher reporting rate due to insurance coverage.
Stats SA also highlighted a slight decrease in the number of people feeling safe walking alone in their neighborhoods. Interestingly, almost 40% of individuals took steps to protect themselves against crime, with calling the police being the first response for 43.8% of people witnessing a crime.
An estimated 1.4 million incidents of theft of personal property occurred in 2023/2024, affecting 1.3 million individuals, representing 3.0% of the population.
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