Summary
Summary Crime Statistics
- Course
- Criminology 120
- Institution
- University Of Pretoria (UP)
This document covers crime statistics, crime trends and the different type of statistic sources in South Africa
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Crime statisticsImportance of crime statistics
• It is important to have access to crime statistics from every region of the country=study
the nature and extent of the crimes committed.
→ priority crimes can be identified and strategies developed to combat criminality
→ This information is also of importance to government agencies in the Criminal Justice
System (CJS)
They use it to plan and manage strategies and policies.
→ published crime statistics also make the public aware of the extent of certain crimes.
• Why is crime statistics important for criminologists?
→ crime statistics are used to study criminal behaviour, as well as the characteristics
and motives of criminals.
→ They use crime statistics to collect data to verify theories on crime.
→ contribute to extending and developing criminological theories.
Crime trends
• Crime trends: are revealed by studying the increase and decrease in the rate of a
specific crime, such as murder, rape or burglary, over a period (usually a year).
→ This influenced by factors such as:
the economic climate in a country
the level of education
and the average age of the victims and perpetrators
• different types of crimes are committed in different areas or regions at different rates.
• crimes of a particular type, such as rape, are committed more often in certain areas than
crimes of another type, such as business fraud.
• In South Africa, crime trends and patterns are calculated= using variable, such as class,
age, gender and region.
Example of crime trends in South Africa:
(why is crime increasing/ why is crime decreasing?)
(still part of the example)
, ✓ Over the course of the past three years (2020/2021, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023), a clear
upward trend is observed in the total count of 17 community-reported crimes as shown in
Table 1. Likewise, contact crimes, contact-related crimes, and other serious crimes have
all demonstrated upward trends. In contrast, property-related crimes experienced a
decline in 2021/2022, followed by an increase in the 2022/2023 financial year.
✓ The total of the 17 community-reported serious crimes increased by 7,1% or 105 745
counts in 2022/2023. The category of other serious crimes experienced the highest
increase of 11,2% or 43 920 counts. Contact crimes increased by 7,7% or 46 890
counts, with a total of 654 053 counts recorded in 2022/2023 compared to the preceding
period where a total of 607 163 counts were recorded. Similarly, property related, and
contact-related crime increased by 3,8% and 1,1% respectively
Crime statistics sources
• There are 2 sources from which crime statistics are derived:
Official sources of crime statistics
→ Crimes reported to the SAPS (police statistics) that resulted in prosecutions (court
statistics) and convictions (correctional statistics).
→ Crimes not reported and crimes that do NOT result in prosecutions, are not reflected
in official crime statistics
→ InSA, crime statistics are published in the annual reports of the Commissioners of the
SAPS and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
→ Statistics concerning prosecutions of and convictions for certain offences are
published annually in Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reports
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller meniqueabrie. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R163,33. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
69052 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 15 years now