Survey reveals rising concerns over crime in communities

DESPITE decreases in house-break-ins, murders, and theft of motor vehicles in the past five years, South Africans continue to face significant safety challenges according to a recent survey.

Community policing forums and security companies report criminals becoming increasingly brazen.

According to a newly-released Statistics South Africa’s Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey, from April 2024 to March 2025, in respect of the number of households that experienced a specific type of crime, there were 1 123  000 reported house-break-ins during this period. 

However, while there was a decrease compared to the previous year, it was not statistically significant.

In addition, during this period, from the households that were surveyed, there were also 213 000 home robberies, 123 000 assaults, 62 000  theft of motor vehicles, 99 000 deliberate damaging to dwelling, 14 000 murders and 35 000 sexual offences. 

The survey also looked at trends for individual crimes over the 12 month period (2024/2025), whereby 1 160 000 people said they had their personal property stolen, while 470 000 were robbed on the street, 363 000 were a victim of assault, and 102 000 had been hijacked. 

In addition, 44 000 people said they were a victim of a sexual offence, and 337 000 experienced  psychological violence, which is coercion, defamation, verbal insult or harassment.

According to the survey, during the 2024/25 period, more than half of the households did not report a house-breakin incident to the police.

Most households indicated the reason for this was due to the ‘police could do nothing/lack of proof’, followed by the ‘police would not do anything about it’ or ‘solved it myself’. 

In respect of theft of motor vehicles and deliberate damaging to dwellings, the majority of victims reported the incidents to the police.

According to the survey, in the incidences of home robberies and assaults during 2024/25, the weapons mainly used were guns, followed by knives and axes/pangas.  It also found that only 36.1% of South Africans felt safe walking alone at night in their own communities.

Community Policing Forums (CPFs) 

Vishal Lachman, public relations officer for the Chatsworth CPF said the survey painted a sobering picture of the state of crime in communities. 

“In our local community, these figures resonate with daily realities. Through CPF reporting structures and neighbourhood communication groups, we receive numerous reports of incidents daily, ranging from home invasions and robberies to vehicle-related crimes. 

“The trend has shown that criminals are becoming increasingly brazen and violent, striking not only at night but also in broad daylight. Families are often confronted in their own homes, and hijackings at busy intersections and public spaces have become alarmingly frequent,” he said. 

Lachman, who is also the chairperson of the Shallcross Community Policing Sub Forum, said several factors are believed to be driving these crimes. 

These included high unemployment, poverty, and drug abuse are major contributors, alongside the operations of organised criminal networks.

“In action, a lack of visible policing and the slow pace of investigations often embolden offenders, many of whom are repeat criminals who act with little fear of accountability.”

Lachman said the CPF together with dedicated residents, continues to combat these challenges through increased patrols, improved visibility, partnerships with SAPS and metro police, and stronger collaboration with private security companies. 

“Also, awareness campaigns and the use of technology such as CCTV, community radios, and WhatsApp crime alerts play a vital role in prevention and rapid response. However, more needs to be done at a broader law enforcement level.

“To restore safety and rebuild public trust, we urge authorities to increase visible policing, especially in identified hotspots, strengthen investigations and prosecutions to ensure meaningful consequences for offenders . The government also needs to invest in resources and manpower for local police stations, enhance community engagement so that residents feel safe to report crimes and prioritise youth-focused interventions to address the root causes of crime.

“Our community remains resilient, but we cannot win this battle alone. A united front between law enforcement, CPFs, and residents is essential if we are to turn the tide against crime and ensure safer neighbourhoods for all,” he said. 

Mark Nadesan, vice-chairperson of the Phoenix CPF, said crimes in and around the area remained a growing concern. 

“We have seen an increase in house break-ins, mainly where copper pipes and gate motors are being stolen. We receive between eight to 10 calls a day.  In addition to this, the theft of motor vehicles from homes, business premises, shopping malls and even hospitals are on the rise. Reports of sexual offences such as rape are also becoming prevelant and it is quite alarming. 

“in addition, people who wait for their transport on the roadside in the morning or those who walk home in the evening are being robbed. The problem we are faced with is the unkempt bushes which have become a hiding spot for criminals. The streetlights also don’t work. However, hijackings and drive-by shootings are not as bad as they used to be,” he said. 

Nadesan said while the CPF were the ‘eyes and ears’ for the police there was a need for more police resources to increase visibility and quicker response times. 

“While the CPF members can arrive at a crime scene first, we are not allowed to act in terms of making an arrest. However, this is a country-wide issue where there are not enough police vehicles. If there were more police vehicles on the road, then maybe we would see a decrease in crimes. 

“There also needs to be harsher punishment  imposed on criminals, even on those that commit petty crimes such as copper pipe theft. They walk out the court  and within a few days they are back on the streets committing the same crimes,” he said.  

Security companies

Prem Balram, spokesperson for Reaction Unit South Africa, said on average they received about 130 calls a day - of which about 45 to 50 were related to ‘emergencies’. 

“While we operate from the Durban central area to the North Coast, we receive ‘emergency  calls’ which are serious crimes such as armed robberies, shootings, rape and kidnappings in progress in areas such as Phoenix, Verulam and Tongaat. The other calls are often related to a suspicious vehicle or the dogs are barking as someone is in a yard.

“The crime scenes are no longer just in rural areas or fields where no one can see. People are now shooting in full public view, even in front of schools. The scenes have also become more gruesome. We are also seeing a high number of sexual offences, many of which have been related to minors in recent weeks. Life also has no value. We responded to an incident where a man was shot and killed, while his wife was raped. All the suspects took was R4.50. In another instance, a man was stabbed and killed over a beer.”

Balram added that there was a need for a stronger partnership between police, security companies and the public to curb crime. 

“If we all work together we can win this fight against crime. We have seen these types of partnerships yield positive results. This will also help build trust between law enforcement and the public,” he said. 

Gareth Naidoo, spokesperson for KZNVIP Protection Services, said the majority of their callouts were related to crimes such as copper and gate motor thefts, theft of motor vehicles, and house break-ins. 

He said they operated across the greater Durban area, with active presence and services in Phoenix, Newlands West, Verulam and uMhlanga, among other areas. 

“Copper theft is currently the most prevalent crime as we receive a minimum of five incidents reported daily. The suspects have also become increasingly violent and often armed. Armed suspects now openly confront both homeowners and armed reaction officers. In recent months, we have seen multiple incidents where suspects resisted arrest violently. Communities are becoming increasingly traumatised by attacks which also occur in the day.” 

Naidoo said there were various driving forces behind the escalating crimes such as widespread poverty and drug addiction. 

“There is also a thriving market for stolen goods, where criminals are incentivised by high demand. For many offenders, criminal activity is treated as a daily job, often guided by the highest bidders.” 

Naidoo said the company was committed to proactive, aggressive, and collaborative efforts to combat crime. 

“We have high-visibility patrols across all operational zones as well as have partnerships with SAPS, CPFs, and other local security organisations. We have joint operations such as stop-and-search initiatives, roadblocks and crime prevention drives and awareness campaigns. Our tactical armed response teams are also deployed in hotspots

“However, in our view there is a need for stricter laws and stronger prosecution to deter repeat offenders, and closing of legal loopholes that criminals exploit to avoid accountability. Currently, many community members have lost faith in the system, often opting not to open cases due to low conviction rates or lack of follow-up. This must change,” he said. 

Dhevan Govindasamy, spokesperson and tactical unit manager for PT Alarms Fire and Security, said they often received callouts related to hijackings, house robberies, theft of motor vehicles and Gender-Based Violence.  

They operates across eThekwini including in areas such as Chatsworth, Isipingo and Merebank. 

“We receive at least five to 10 day calls related to hijackings or house-breakins in a day. Criminals have also seemingly become ruthless and merciless. In Crossmoor, Chatsworth recently, a home owner and the family’s pet dog were shot and killed. It seems poverty, unemployment, substance abuse and mostly greed are driving crimes in communities.” 

Govindasamy said they had undertaken to work closely with law enforcement units, CPFs and neighbourhood crime patrol groups to clamp down on crime in the areas. 

“We have stepped up patrols and increased manpower to ensure the safety of our clients and the community. However, police visibility needs to be stepped up and the quota of police officers deployed to the various high-risk areas needs to increase. 

“We need a bigger and stronger police force so that there are more boots on the ground. In addition, when assisted by security personnel, greater territory is covered and we have a powerful team to crack the whip on criminals,” he said. 

The provincial and national police did not comment at the time of publication. 

THE POST