Affiliations: Statistics South Africa, De Bruyn Park Building,
Pretoria, South Africa
Note: [] Corresponding author: Joseph Lukhwareni, Statistics South
Africa, De Bruyn Park Building, 170 Thabo Sehume Street, Pretoria, 0002, South
Africa. Tel.: +27 12 310 8911; E-mail: josephl@statssa.gov.za
Abstract: During the 1990s, National Statistical Agencies (NSAs) experienced
significant and rapid evolution in the collection, coordination and
dissemination of statistics. In this regard, the field of crime statistics is
considered as one of the statistical areas where NSAs have to increasingly play
a leading role in coordinating the scope and quality of statistical collection
and dissemination. In South Africa, safety and security has been identified as
one of the strategic priorities of Government. Consequently this increases the
importance of and need for more comprehensive statistics on the patterns of
crime and victimisation in the country. The South African National Development
Plan 2030 states that by 2030, people living in South Africa should feel safe
and have no fear of crime. This paper examines the relationship between crime
and victimisation statistics, and the impact it has on the daily activities of
South Africans. Policies related to safety and security can only begin to
improve the living conditions of ordinary citizens if they are based on
evidence in this regard: comprehensive statistical databases that include
information not only from administrative sources, but also from victimisation
surveys. The results of the Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) 2011 revealed that
most South Africans fear becoming victims of housebreaking and robbery.
Furthermore, many South Africans do not feel safe walking alone in their
neighbourhood, and a significant proportion refraom from its daily activities as a
result of a fear of victimisation. The paper explores how these statistics
inform crime prevention policies and strategies and also establishes
performance targets and indicators for the assessment of interventions and
progress in relation to safety and security.
Keywords: Victimisation, national statistical agency, safety and security
