‘swept’ under the carpet
South Africa’s crime statistics for the third quarter of 2023 show that people continue to face a serious problem of violent crime, especially murder and attempted murder.
The country’s per capita murder rate for 2022/23 was the highest in 20 years at 45 per 100 000 (a 50% increase compared to 2012/13).
In response to the crisis, the SAPS has reconfigured its policing strategies and plans. Yet, the approaches offer little innovation. They mostly reaffirm the way the police have typically pursued policing for the past three decades – fighting a “war” on
