Even though government spending on crime increased by 1 500% from 1990 to the current R68 billion, people are no safer, Jody Kollapen of the SA Human Rights Commission told the Action for a Safe South Africa conference organised by the Institute for Democracy in SA.
People were isolating themselves because of crime, and even humanitarian instincts like stopping to help someone in distress were moderated by a fear of crime: "That's not the kind of people we want to be".
Indeed it isn't. Fear of violent crime has changed communities, made many public spaces like parks no-go areas, especially for women and children, and become the major push factor for emigration.
It's become easy to largely blame poverty and inequality. Yet populous and largely poor India and China do not have anything like our violent crime.
Barbara Holtman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research believes alcohol is a major factor and rather naively suggested no sales on pay days. She said 47% of murder victims tested positive for alcohol as did 66% of trauma victims – and 50% of rape victims, particularly young girls.
She questioned increased use of security companies, saying this caused movement of crime to other areas and changed its nature by making criminals more prepared to do battle. That may be so but no-one would agree to reducing privately-funded strat-egies – in the absence of faith in the police.
David Bruce of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation perhaps got closest to the causes. South Africans were too ambivalent towards crime and the law. And we just aren't getting the moral leadership and serious action from government. Right on.
In The Citizen
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.
