NCJ Number
176860
Date Published
1998
Length
129 pages
Annotation
A survey of residents of the Pretoria metropolitan area of South Africa gathered information about the nature and extent of crime, who is most at risk of particular crimes, fear of crime, and the perceptions of victims and the public about the police and other initiatives to support crime victims.
Abstract
More than 54 percent of the residents were victims of at least 1 crime between 1993 and April 1998, a higher rate of victimization than indicated in earlier surveys of other major South African cities. African and Asian people were more likely than white and colored people to have been crime victims. Sixty-nine percent of the crimes were reported to the police. Thirty-six percent of the participants had positive attitudes toward the police; 77 percent of African victims and 45 percent of white victims were dissatisfied with the police. Victims of property crimes were more satisfied than were victims of violent crimes. Forty-three percent of participants reported feeling very safe and 38 percent felt fairly safe walking in the areas where they lived during the day. In contrast, 50 percent felt very unsafe and 19 percent felt a bit unsafe walking in the same areas at night. Non-victims felt almost as unsafe as victims at night. Nearly half of the victims across all crime types said that they turned to families and friends for assistance. Victims reported little inclination to seek assistance from the groups such as community police forums, street committees, counselors, and religious organizations, although this finding may relate partly to perceptions of availability of such agencies. Figures, tables, and appended instrument and table