Policing alone cannot solve South Africa’s violence

In the past financial year, the number of murders increased from 56 to 58 a day on average. Over the past seven years murder has risen by 35%. This reverses the downward trend that was evident between 1995 and 2011 during which time murder decreased by 55%.

The persistent rise of violence in South Africa demonstrates that strengthening the rule of law is crucial but not sufficient for improving public safety. South Africa urgently needs to support violence prevention programmes, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said in response to the latest crime statistics released by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Thursday 12 September in Parliament.

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