Work Programme - Statistics South Africa

2.1.6 Safety and security
A safe and secure environment is a necessary condition for the well-being of citizens. The policy focus for
policing and justice over the medium term is to reduce the high level of serious crimes, improve investigative capacity and
increase access to justice services in underserved areas. (Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, 2011)
The rule of law is the foundation of a fair and just society. The National Crime Prevention Strategy advocates a dual
to reduce the occurrence of crime.
Crime statistics are indispensable tools of knowledge for any society that aims to reduce its crime rate and improve its
administration of the justice system. There are a number of organs of state that produce statistical information on ‘safety
Service (SAPS), the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the Department of Correctional Services.
During 2011, conceptualisation work started on the development of an integrated statistical information system that
includes survey data and administrative records from various role players in order to provide a more comprehensive picture
of crime in the country.
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Strategic objective:
Objective statement:
Expand the statistical information base by increasing its depth, breadth and geographic spread
Inform social and economic development planning, monitoring and decision-making by providing
accurate, relevant and timely statistical information on safety and security
Baseline: Number of statistical releases on an annual basis: 1
information on victims of crime
Links:
Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS): The Victims of Crime Survey is recognised as a tool to assist government and the
public to understand the dynamics of crime. The VOCS is a national household-based survey that examines crime from
the Institute of Security Studies. One of the limitations of all three studies was the relatively small sample size (less than
5 000 households). While the VOCS is not intended to replace police statistics, it can provide vital information that can
assist in crime prevention. The VOCS can also examine the extent of reporting or underreporting of crime, complement
crime statistics provided by administrative sources, explore the perceptions about the police and police service, and act as
a benchmark against which future surveys of the same nature can be compared.
Stats SA will conduct the second annual Victims of Crime Survey in close collaboration with other role players in the Safety
and Security cluster in 2012. The survey will be conducted with a sample of approximately 30 000 households in all nine
provinces. The data will primarily be used for the development of policies and strategies, crime prevention and public
education programmes and to complement administrative records.
During 2012/2013, Stats SA and the SAPS will continue to investigate the possibilities of a joint publication. This work will
form an integral part of the development of a national crime statistics system.
the South Africa I know, the home I understand