ISS Seminar Report: The 20008/9 South African Crime Statistics

The ISS seminar report analyzes South Africa's 2008/09 crime statistics, noting a 0.2% overall increase in reported crimes (2,098,229 cases). While murder rates declined, 'trio crimes' (house robbery, business robbery, and carjacking) rose significantly. Gauteng is highlighted as a critical area, accounting for 42% of the country's aggravated robberies, leading to the implementation of an intelligence-driven strategy targeting approximately 3,000 high-frequency offenders.

• For the 2008/09 financial year, the South African Police Service (SAPS) reported 2,098,229 cases of crime, representing a 0.2% increase from the 2007/08 period. Serious crimes were divided into five categories: contact crime (32.7%), other crime (26.3%), property related crime (25.4%), crimes dependent on police action (8.9%), and contact related crime (6.7%).
• While murder rates in South Africa continued to decline—dropping from 49.6:100,000 in 2000 to 37.5:100,000 by 2009—there were worrying increases in 21 serious crime categories. Specifically, 'trio crimes' saw significant rises: business robbery increased by 47.4%, house robbery by 13.5%, and carjacking by 4.4%.
• Gauteng province is a major hotspot for aggravated robbery, accounting for 42% of all such cases in South Africa. In 2008/09, 50,886 cases were recorded in Gauteng, averaging 140 per day. Residents of Gauteng have a victimisation rate of 487 cases per 100,000 people, making them nearly twice as likely to be victims as the average South African resident.
• The Gauteng Aggravated Robbery Strategy is an intelligence-driven approach based on the belief that approximately 3,000 individuals are responsible for the majority of aggravated robberies in the province. The strategy aims to arrest these offenders through specialized investigation task teams, enhanced forensic support, strengthened crime intelligence, and the establishment of a Crime Management Centre.
• Reported sexual offences increased by 10.1%, though the SAPS did not analyze this in detail for the 2008/09 year due to changes in the Prevention of Sexual Offences (and Related Matters) Act that expanded the covered crime categories.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). ISS Seminar Report: The 20008/9 South African Crime Statistics. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/8OCT09CRIME.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. ISS Seminar Report: The 20008/9 South African Crime Statistics. 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/8OCT09CRIME.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=ISS Seminar Report: The 20008/9 South African Crime Statistics |date=8 October 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/8OCT09CRIME.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2009iss, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{ISS Seminar Report: The 20008/9 South African Crime Statistics}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/8OCT09CRIME.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }