Spotlight: Making sense of crime in SA
The ISS is the leading source for independent and quality analysis of South Africa's crime statistics.
Published on 15 October 2015 in
Impact
With its extensive research and analysis on violence prevention, crime and criminal justice, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has established itself as the go-to organisation for those who want to better understand what lies behind the official crime statistics and what can be done about crime in South Africa.
During this year’s release of the annual crime statistics, ISS experts undertook more than 60 radio, television and print media interviews, including international media such as Al Jazeera, the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian.
The ISS explained how the increase in violent organised crime shows a failure of police strategy, but that the South African Police Service can’t shoulder the burden alone if overall levels of violence are to reduce. It also provided updated maps, infographics and fact sheets on the key trends shortly after the statistics were released.
ISS has researched crime and the criminal justice system in South Africa for almost 20 years
‘Our experts have a good understanding of the types of crimes that make up the different crime categories and how these figures compare to other sets of data and information,’ says Gareth Newham, Head of the Governance, Crime and Justice division at the ISS. ‘They are not afraid to tackle tough topics such as domestic violence, rape and understanding violent offending.’
Before the SAPS crime statistics were released, the ISS hosted a meeting of civil society organisations with an interest in crime, justice, gender, migration and parenting. The aim was to stimulate a broad and constructive response to the statistics from groups who work with the causes and impact of crime, including UNICEF, the Centre for African Migration Studies, Sonke Gender Justice, Social Justice Coalition and the Right 2 Know Campaign.
The ISS has undertaken research into crime and the performance of the criminal justice system in South Africa for almost 20 years. ‘Given this extensive experience, we are able to offer important, reliable and contextual analysis and insights into what the official crime statistics tell us about public security’, says Newham.
The ISS has made crime statistics more accessible by innovations such as the ISS’ Crime and Justice Hub. The Hub is the most comprehensive source for statistics and analysis on crime and safety in South Africa. It provides open access information on crime trends at the national, provincial and city level through interactive maps and fact sheets. These tools enable stakeholders from government, the NGO sector, the media, researchers and communities to contribute to a safer and just society.
The ISS assists policy makers, practitioners and the public to better understand what the crime statistics actually mean and what matters most. This approach means the ISS is able to offer considered advice on what needs to be done on a practical level, and by who, to improve public safety in South Africa.
For more information, contact:
Gareth Newham, ISS: +27 82 887 1557, [email protected]
