Infographic: 2015/16 National Crime Statistics

On Friday 2 September 2016 the South African Police Services (SAPS) briefed the Portfolio Committee on Police on the 2015/16 National Crime Statistics.

According to SAPS, significant strides have been made in efforts to reduce all categories of serious crime except contact crimes. Contact crimes refer to those "crimes where victims themselves are the targets of violence or property is targeted and the victims in the vicinity during the commission of the crime are subjected to threats of violence or the use of violence."

There are 18 673 murders recorded for 2015/16, up 4.9% since 2014/15. In its briefing SAPS noted that murders happened mostly indoors, among people known to each other and that alcohol abuse was prominent in such crimes.

Other important stats to note is that:

• More than 2.1 million criminal offences recorded in 2015/16 - 83% of these crimes were reported and 17% detected as a result of police action
• All contact crimes increased except common assault (-1.5%) and sexual offences (-3.2%). Highest increases recorded for murder (4.9%) and attempted murder (3.4%)
• Highest murder rate increases recorded in Limpopo, (15.6%), Eastern Cape (9.9%) and North West (6.3%)
• 51 895 sexual offences recorded in 2015/16 - down 3.2% from 2014/15

See infographic below for more on the 2015/16 crime statistics: