Results of a City Victim Survey

This report presents the results of a victimisation survey conducted in July 1997 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It aims to provide a more accurate picture of crime levels and the nature of victimisation than official police statistics, highlighting the disproportionate impact of violent crime on African residents and the widespread dissatisfaction with police services.

• Between 1993 and July 1997, 62 per cent of Johannesburg's residents, or members of their households, were victims of crime.
• Burglary is the most frequent crime in Johannesburg, while mugging, robbery, and assault dominate the experience of victimisation. Approximately 44 per cent of crimes were against property and 45.5 per cent were against people.
• African residents are disproportionately affected by violent crimes, including assault, murder, and rape. Specifically, 73 per cent of car hijacking victims were African, contradicting media depictions of victims as primarily wealthy and white.
• Repeat victimisation is high across all major crime categories in Johannesburg, except for car hijacking. Additionally, 28 per cent of all interviewed respondents had experienced more than one type of crime in the five years preceding the survey.
• Reporting rates to the police vary significantly by crime type and demographic. While over 90 per cent of car thefts and hijackings and 70 per cent of housebreakings were reported, only 31 per cent of robbery and mugging victims contacted the police. African victims reported crimes at a lower rate (53 per cent) compared to white (76.5 per cent) and Asian (72 per cent) victims.
• A majority of victims (61 per cent) expressed dissatisfaction with the police response. The primary reasons for this dissatisfaction were inadequate investigations (29 per cent), poor treatment of victims (25 per cent), and a lack of follow-up information (24 per cent).
• Awareness and usage of specialised victim support agencies are low in Johannesburg. Only 11 per cent of crime victims used such services, with usage being lowest among inner city residents (3 per cent), despite many agencies being located there.
• Feelings of safety are lowest at night, with 65 per cent of victims feeling very unsafe in their neighbourhoods. The inner city (52 per cent) and townships (28 per cent) are perceived as the most unsafe areas, while suburbs are viewed as the safest.
• Victims overwhelmingly believe that increased and improved policing is the most effective way to enhance safety. 39 per cent called for more police and 19.5 per cent called for better policing. When policing was excluded as an option, 42.5 per cent identified job creation for the unemployed as the best solution.

APA

Louw, A., Shaw, M., Camerer, L., & Robertshaw, R. (1998). Results of a City Victim Survey. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono18.pdf

Chicago

Louw, Antoinette, Mark Shaw, Lala Camerer, and Rory Robertshaw. Results of a City Victim Survey. Institute for Security Studies, 1998. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono18.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Louw |first1=Antoinette |last2=Shaw |first2=Mark |last3=Camerer |first3=Lala |last4=Robertshaw |first4=Rory |title=Results of a City Victim Survey |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 1998 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono18.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{louw1998results, author = {Louw, Antoinette and Shaw, Mark and Camerer, Lala and Robertshaw, Rory}, title = {{Results of a City Victim Survey}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1998}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono18.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }