DURBAN - Research and Emergency Response service company AURA has said there was an increase in organised, syndicate, and opportunistic crime in South Africa.
AURA released its inaugural Crime Trend Report 2021 on Wednesday, providing insight into SA crime statistics in key categories from armed robberies to attempted hijackings and gender-based violence.
The report gathered data over the past year from AURA’s nationwide network and smart emergency response app of over 250 private security and medical companies comprising thousands of response vehicles and over 300 000 active users.
AURA chief executive Warren Myers said: “By having a clear and accurate picture of the threats people face, technology can then be used to combat and even prevent crime.”
He said data sets helped understand how to apply technology to make the country a safer place for everyone.
While AURA’s report focused on 2021, it planned to release statistics every quarter as part of its commitment to measure and analyse trends against those who were being reported at a national and industry level.
Myers said the country’s high levels of crime led to people living in a near-perpetual state of fear and anxiety.
“We should never become so desensitised to the crime that we lose sight of its devastating impact at every level of society. Combating it swiftly and intelligently is an urgent priority.”
The report found an overall 109% increase in reported incidents between 2020 and 2021; a 20.6% increase in incidents reported between Q3 & Q4 of 2021; a total of 4 973 hijackings were reported in 2021 – a 3.5% increase from the same period last year.
The report found that suspicious activity, vehicle breakdown, an altercation with a third party, followed by armed robbery were the most popular reasons cited for South Africans calling for help via an AURA platform.
The report found that in 2021, the highest volume of incidents were recorded in Gauteng, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
There was also a 47% increase in incidents of domestic violence in Q2 compared with Q1. Aura recorded a further 45% increase in cases of gender-based violence between Q2 and Q3, followed by yet another rise of 41% between Q3 and Q4.
Other key findings from AURA’s report showed a “concerning increase in both organised, syndicate and opportunistic crime”.
Myers noted that a rise in opportunistic incidents is indicative of ongoing tough socio-economic conditions.
“The bottom line is that we need to make it far more difficult to be a successful criminal regardless of the crime. This will require building and integrating technologies that criminals simply cannot avoid or outsmart. These technologies are here in AURA, and it is exciting to put them to good use for everyone’s benefit,” he said.
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