The dynamics of crime

This research paper analyzes the dynamics of the six most common crimes in South Africa—housebreaking, property theft, theft from vehicles, robbery, assault, and corruption—using data from victim surveys conducted in 1998, 2003, and 2007. Key findings indicate a trend of crimes increasingly occurring within residential areas and homes, particularly housebreakings and assaults. While weapon use in assaults has declined, it has increased in robberies. Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are identified as the provinces with the highest crime levels, while the Northern Cape has the lowest. The paper highlights a high level of familiarity between victims and perpetrators and notes a permissive societal attitude toward 'minor' corruption, such as paying bribes for traffic fines.

• Housebreaking was the most frequently experienced crime across all three survey periods (1998, 2003, and 2007). The dynamics of these crimes shifted toward occurring almost exclusively at night, with only 9 per cent occurring during the day in 2007. Furthermore, victims were increasingly present during the crime; while 44 per cent were home in 1998, virtually all respondents in 2007 reported being at home during the housebreaking.
• Property theft patterns shifted between 2003 and 2007, with the most likely location of theft moving from the home (34 per cent in 2003) to the street in 2007. The most commonly stolen items in 2007 were cell phones (69 per cent), followed by money (43 per cent) and purses or wallets (23 per cent). Reporting rates for property theft declined significantly from 59 per cent in 1998 to 44 per cent in 2007.
• Theft from vehicles most frequently occurred when cars were parked at home (63 per cent in 2007) and peaked on Fridays, when nearly one in three thefts occurred. Perpetrators primarily targeted car radios (49 per cent in 2007) and car parts other than tyres (19 per cent in 2007). Only 10 per cent of victims were in the vehicle at the time of the theft, suggesting 'smash-and-grabs' are not the primary type of vehicle theft.
• Robberies most commonly occurred in residential streets (58 per cent in 2007). Weapon use in robberies increased over the decade, with 60 per cent of victims in 2007 reporting that perpetrators used weapons. However, the proportion of injured victims requiring hospitalization decreased from 56 per cent in 1998 to 42 per cent in 2007.
• Assaults are frequently committed by people known to the victim, including community members (24 per cent in 2007), friends or acquaintances (18 per cent), and spouses or partners (13 per cent). Women are the primary victims of domestic assault, with 70 per cent of those assaulted by a spouse or partner being women in 2007. Weapon use in assaults declined from 55 per cent in 2003 to 30 per cent in 2007.
• Corruption in the public sector is most prevalent in relation to policing and traffic fines, with 33 per cent of South Africans asked to pay a bribe for a traffic fine. Most bribes are requested as money (84 per cent in 2007). While corruption levels decreased in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and the Western Cape, they increased in Gauteng, where 45 per cent of respondents reported such requests in 2007.
• Provincial trends show that Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal consistently experience the highest levels of most crime types, while the Northern Cape consistently reports the lowest. Specifically, the Western Cape saw the steepest increase in robberies, and KwaZulu-Natal saw the steepest increase in housebreakings since 1998.

APA

Pharoah, R. (2008). The dynamics of crime. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper177.pdf

Chicago

Pharoah, Robyn. The dynamics of crime. Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper177.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pharoah |first1=Robyn |title=The dynamics of crime |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=December 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper177.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pharoah2008dynamics, author = {Pharoah, Robyn}, title = {{The dynamics of crime}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper177.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }