DURBAN - THE Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has expressed concern over the dramatic increase in contact crimes, which it said tended to amount to crimes committed against women and girls, such as gender-based violence (GBVF) and femicide.
Member of LGBTQI community were also disproportionately affected by contact crimes.
Spokesperson for the CGE, Javu Baloyi said analysis of contact crime figures in the first quarter of the past five years indicated that contact crimes had been on an upward trajectory.
“For instance, in 2017/18, a total of 140 821 incidents of contact crimes were recorded, while in 2018/19, a total of 141 115 were recorded. An increase was noted in 2019/20 where 144 267 incidents were recorded. In 2021/22 the figures have increased yet again, to 145 120. This means that the drop that was recorded in 2020/21 was a clear anomaly, when the overall figure dropped to 90 376 – the lowest figure recorded in the five-year period. This was an unusual year, due mainly to the Covid-19 hard lockdown nationwide restrictions,” Baloyi said.
The latest quarterly (April-June) crime statistics, released by the SAPS on August 29, revealed that categories of contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, sexual offences and all categories of assault increased by a staggering 60.6% compared to the corresponding period of the previous financial year.
Baloyi said during the lockdown, the closing down of taverns, liquor outlets, night clubs, sporting activities and places of entertainment was an important factor in the drop in contact crimes.
“The minister of Police dubbed this period ’a crime holiday' – a statement that inadvertently carries an admission that the drastic drops recorded in the rates of contact crimes during the first quarter of 2020/21 cannot be attributed to any robust action by the police, including efficient policing, but that rather an accidental occurrence due to Covid-19-related hard lockdown restrictions.
“We continue to highlight the lack of gender-disaggregated data in SAPS reporting of crime statistics as well as the fact that the statistics do not include gender-based violence as a crime category, especially in a country where gender-based violence has reached epidemic levels.”
Baloyi said that adequate resourcing, capacity-building and effectiveness of community policing should be prioritised as part of a long-term community policing strategy for bringing down levels of crime in the country, on a consistent and long-term basis.
If you are victim of sexual violence and abuse, call, toll-free, 0800 007 709 to report this.
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