PYC3702/CMY3702 Crime
Typologies EXAM PACK 2023
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, Theme
Theme 1: 1: Crime
Crime Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Definitions & Concepts:
1. CRIME is a transgression of the law and if the transgressor is found guilty by
the court, the state may impose punishment.
2. CRIME PATTERNS describe the incidence of the different types of crime in a
specific year.
3. CRIME TRENDS are the increases and decreases in the different types of
crime in a specific year.
4. CRIME STATISTICS are numbers that comprise all the information regarding
crime, scientifically arranged and tabulated in order to give a total picture of
the crime problem.
5. CRIME CLASSIFICATION refers to the division or arrangement of crime data
into specific classes. Classification is based on the fact that data on certain
crimes show definite underlying similarities (such as property taken without
permission, i.e. property-related crimes) (Herbig 2004:55–56).
According to the SAPS, the national broad categories of crime include contact
crimes, contact-related crimes, property-related crimes, crimes heavily dependent on
police action for detection, and other serious crimes. The DCS’s categories of crime
include economic, aggressive, sexual, narcotics and other crimes.
TABLE 1: SAPS 2012/13 ANNUAL REPORT (2012/13:114–115); SAPS WEBSITE
2007/2008 AND DIFFERENT CRIME CATEGORIES DCS’S ANNUAL REPORT
(2012/2013:- 12–13) (DCS WEBSITE 2008)
SAPS DCS
1. Contact crimes: common robbery, rape, 1. Economic: fraud, house breaking and entering,
attempted murder, robbery (aggravated), assault and theft
(common), murder, assault (GBH), indecent
assault
2. Contact-related crimes: arson and malicious 2. Aggressive: murder and armed robbery
damage to property
3. Property-related crimes: burglary at residential 3. Sexual: all sex-related crimes (i.e. rape and
and business premises, and theft of motor indecent assault)
vehicles or from motor vehicles
4. Crimes heavily dependent on police action for 4. Narcotics: drug-related crimes
detection: illegal possession of fi rearms and
ammunition, drug-related crimes, and driving
under the influence of alcohol and drugs
5. Other serious crime: all theft not mentioned 5. Other: public disorder, some traffic crimes and
elsewhere, commercial crime and shop-lifting by-law offences
,South African serious crime categories The SAPS distinguishes between the
following serious crime types (SAPS Annual Report 2012–2013; SAPS website
2012/2013):
• Contact crimes: robbery (common and aggravating), rape, attempted murder,
assault (common), murder, assault (GBH), indecent assault
• Contact-related crimes: arson and malicious damage to property
• Property-related crimes: burglary at residential premises, burglary at non-
residential premises, theft of motor vehicles or from motor vehicles
• Crimes heavily dependent on police action for detection: ille.g.al possession of
fi rearms and ammunition, drug-related crime, driving under the influence of alcohol,
and drugs
• Other serious crimes: all theft not mentioned elsewhere, (including theft of cell
phones and garden tools), commercial crime, and shoplifting
• Subcategories of aggravated robbery: carjacking, truck-jacking, cash-in- transit
robberies, bank robbery, robbery at residential premises, and robbery at business
premises
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS (Study for Exams)
QUESTION 1 Crimes such as selected civil claims, missing persons, nuclear crimes and
weapons of mass destruction are perceived as which one of the following crimes?
1.1 priority
1.2 serious
1.3 global priority
1.4 military-intelligence-driven
QUESTION 2 “Crime classification’’ refers to one of the following options:
2.1 the categorisation of types of crimes in order to differentiate between crime data, crime
statistics and legal definitions representative of criminal acts
2.2 the connection between types of crime in order to separate crime data, crime statistics
and legal definitions representative of criminal acts
2.3 the distribution or arrangement of crime data into precise classes based on the fact that
data on certain crimes show distinct fundamental similarities
2.4 the partition or arrangement of crime data into segments representative of legal
definitions of criminal acts, according to recorded crime statistics
QUESTION 3 Murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault are perceived as priority crimes
in one of the following countries:
3.1 Australia
3.2 England
3.3 America
3.4 South Africa
, QUESTION 4 Cash-in-transit robberies are linked to one of the following crime categories:
4.1 property-related
4.2 noncontact
4.3 aggravated robbery
4.4 social fabric
QUESTION 5 The following factors are strongly related to all contact crimes.
5.1 brutality and a disregard for human life
5.2 alcohol and other substance abuse
5.3 poverty and unemployment
5.4 substance abuse and child abuse
QUESTION 6 Inhumanly severe penalties for offences occur in which one of the following
countries? 6.1 South Africa
6.2 America
6.3 Saudi Arabia
6.4 Botswana
QUESTION 7 Socially motivated contact crimes include which of the following crimes?
7.1 murder, rape and robbery
7.2 murder, rape and assault
7.3 murder, rape and car hijacking
7.4 murder, rape and vehicle theft
QUESTION 8 The Priority Crimes Litigation Unit (PCLU) is a specialist unit located within the
…
8.1 Department for Serious Crimes.
8.2 National Prosecuting Authority, Serious Crimes Division.
8.3 National Prosecuting Service, Priority Crimes Division
8.4 South African Police Service.
QUESTION 9 Crimes heavily dependent on police action for detection include
9.1 illegal possession of fi rearms, drug-related crime, driving under the influence of alcohol
and drugs, and rape
9.2 drug-related crime, driving under the infl uence of alcohol and drugs, rape and
prostitution
9.3 illegal possession of fi rearms and ammunition, drug-related crime, driving under the
influence of alcohol and drugs
9.4 corruption of police officials, prostitution, drug-related crime, driving under the infl uence
of alcohol and drugs
QUESTION 10 According to which crime categories does the Department of Correctional
Services categorise offenders?
10.1 violent and serious crimes, narcotics, economic and sexual crimes
10.2 economic, sexual, narcotics, aggressive, and other crimes
10.3 sexual, violent, robbery, narcotics and other crimes
10.4 robbery, sexual, serious contact, narcotics and economic crimes
