The GPSJS indicates a growing trend of citizens losing faith in the SAPS Photo Pexels
South Africa – The Statistician-General has released the Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS) for 2021/2022. The survey, which is conducted annually, runs from March to April the following year. The report covers the experience of specific types of crime by households and individuals. Alarmingly, the report also implies a growing number of South Africans are starting to lose confidence in the justice system and police.
While the South African Police Service (SAPS) have their own crime statistics, the GPSJS covers crimes reported and unreported by households and individuals. It is a survey conducted by Stats South Africa. The aim is to look at the trend of crime. According to the report, which was released in August, housebreaking is still the number one type of crime households experience followed by home robberies.
The importance of the GPSJS
The GPSJS is important as it includes crimes which haven’t been reported to the SAPS. According to Solly Molayi, Chief Director Social Statistics at Stats SA, the report is made to be as accurate as it can. This report is then prepared and given to their stakeholders in order for them to understand what crimes are taking place and help them to be better prepared.
“From our end we prepare a report which is then shared with our stakeholders. SAPS is the main stakeholder in the justice system. We do have our own workshops where we present our results to them because they are the policy makers. We indicate what are the types of crimes South Africans are experiencing. In the survey itself we even measure which types of crimes most South Africans don’t report to police so that they are aware there are certain crimes South Africans don’t report.”
The survey also takes into account whether South Africans feel safe. Molayi notes that over time they have found that South Africans, regardless of gender, have indicated they do not feel safe walking alone. The survey also ask participants what they have done to make themselves feel safe.
“Some South Africans have said they have changed their way/pattern of walking. They don’t walk alone, they walk at certain times. South Africans’ level of safety currently, based on the survey, shows they are not feeling safe. These two indicators are key indicators.”
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Reluctance to report crime
The buying and selling of stolen cars has become a profitable business in South Africa, whether those cars are sold over the border or stripped of their parts. The GPSJS indicates hijackings are on the rise. Hijackings have increased from 64 000 to 134 000. What is interesting to note, according to Molayi, is that only 63% of the victims reported these types of crime.
“Whether there is a syndicate, SAPS have to find that out. We didn’t measure that aspect because I think it’s going to be very difficult for South Africans to give us a true sense of whether this spark is because of a syndicate. What we know is that South Africans are experiencing this and only 63% are only reporting this.”
The reluctance to report these crimes could have various reasons. However, Molayi pointed out that hijackings are the most reported crimes from everything they have on the survey.
“Hijacking, as much as it is only 63%, is the highest [reported] when compared to other types of crime. This has to do with a car needing to be reported for insurance. You are more likely to go and report it so you can claim back. There are types of crimes that most South Africans don’t necessarily take an effort to report. For example, theft of personal property. That’s where we are seeing low reported levels. We have noticed from the survey that South Africans don’t experience one incident, it’s more than one incident [home break-ins or robberies]. They normally report the first incident but then if there’s no action, they don’t necessarily report the second one or the third one.”
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Publishing the GPSJS
Stats SA is a government organisation but furthermore, Molayi firmly believes releasing these stats will help South Africans to be more aware of their surroundings. These stats are not just for citizens but also scholars and students. The survey also shows which crimes impact provinces the most and at what times of the year they most often occur. These stats are vital to help SAPS figure out which areas they need to focus and at what times of the year. It is the hope of Stats SA that the report will help policymakers make the calls and will help them fight crime more effectively.
