According to a recent report by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), nearly 20% of crime victims who contacted the police reported that officers never showed up, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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The findings were part of a comprehensive victims of crime survey released on Tuesday, which sampled 30 000 households nationwide.
The survey asked victims about the police response times to their reports of crime. The data revealed that 19.5% of those who called for help said the police did not arrive at the scene. Additionally, over 16% of victims experienced delays of more than two hours, while 29.2% saw police within 30 minutes.
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Gareth Newham, head of justice and violence prevention at the Institute for Security Studies, commented that the report raises more questions than answers. He pointed out that the statistics do not specify the types of crimes reported or their severity, noting that the police prioritise responses based on the seriousness of the incident.
For example, an Alpha complaint involves immediate threats, while a Bravo complaint concerns incidents that have already occurred without immediate danger, and a Charlie complaint covers less severe issues like loitering.
Newham observed a troubling proportion of unaddressed complaints but emphasised the lack of clarity on whether police were prioritising more urgent calls. He also suggested potential vehicle fleet management issues as a possible factor.
Criminologist Guy Lamb expressed difficulty interpreting the data, noting that police response times might be better in lower-crime areas and that vehicle access could contribute to delays.
He also highlighted the role of station management in influencing response effectiveness, with a strong station commander making a significant difference.
The survey also assessed public dissatisfaction with the police. It found that 17.9% of households were unhappy due to delays in police response, 17.7% due to perceived laziness, 12.5% due to corruption, and 8.7% due to insufficient crime investigation.
Despite these concerns, 59.3% of households expressed satisfaction with local police, citing reasons such as commitment (33.2%), timely arrival at crime scenes (25.8%), and trustworthiness (13.2%). Additionally, 69.2% believed police operations had helped reduce crime.
The report highlighted a discrepancy between high crime rates and low reporting. For instance, housebreaking was the most common crime in the 2023/24 financial year, with an estimated 1.5 million incidents affecting about 1.1 million households, marking a 5% increase from the previous year.
However, only 44.1% of these incidents were reported to the police, with 22% of victims believing that reporting would be futile and nearly 21% handling the situation themselves.
Reasons for not reporting included belief that police would be ineffective or lack proof (21.9%), considering police involvement unnecessary (10.5%), or reporting to other authorities (7.6%). Some resolved issues with family (5.5%) or did not trust the police (3.6%).
The survey also noted that theft of personal property was the most common crime experienced, with 1.4 million incidents reported in 2023/24 affecting 1.3 million people aged 16 and older. Despite the high incidence, only 28.5% of victims reported these thefts to the police.
According to News24, nearly half of respondents said they would turn to neighbours rather than police in a potential crime situation, and only 43.8% would contact the police upon witnessing a crime.
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