JOHANNESBURG — The government should focus attention on all forms of armed violence rather than exclusively on house and business robberies, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) said yesterday.
"We are concerned that the crime statistics will be used once again to motivate for focus on the trio robberies [house, business and vehicles] when there is clearly a need for a renewed and comprehensive engagement by government with the overall problem of violent crime," said CSVR researcher David Bruce in a statement.
He said this after the 2008/09 crime statistics revealed increases of 27,3% in household robberies, 41% in business robberies, and five percent and 14,4% respectively in car and truck hijackings.
This, says Bruce, could overshadow other forms of violent crimes like incidents of sexual violence, which are usually committed with the use of weapons like guns and knives.
"The government must focus on all armed violence, not just trio robberies. This implies focusing on the overall problem of armed violence … involving violent crimes committed with guns or knives, as well as sexual violence," he said.
On releasing the crime statistics, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said sexual offences have increased by 10,1%, but added that the increase could be attributed to changes in the legislation whereby new categories were added to the category of sexual offences.
Bruce said, "CSVR recognises the seriousness of the problem with trio robberies. However, we would caution against an exclusive focus on these robberies [because] at this point they make up 38% (47 273 cases) of aggravated robberies in crime statistics and therefore do not make up the bulk of aggravated robberies."
He said that prioritising trio robberies reflects the fact that wealthier South Africans are prioritised more than their poorer counterparts because they tend to complain more than poor South Africans.
Focusing on violent crime generally and disarming criminals will help reduce murder, rape and aggravated robbery cases, said Bruce.
In The Witness
CSVR is a multi-disciplinary institute that seeks to understand and prevent violence, heal its effects and build sustainable peace at the community, national and regional levels.
