Solidarity in numbers: A nation on the brink of great success

For years, the South African government has identified the fight against crime as one of its top priorities. While the issue – and with it both domestic and foreign investment – had long been a topic of heated discussion, the government has now formally recognised that targeted actions against criminal activities are paramount in driving forward the country and economy.

Positive indications toward issues of crime prevention were underlined earlier in the year when, in the national Budget Speech, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced there would be a substantial increase in resources provided for national safety.

This year’s Budget designated a total of R12.8 billion to the departments of Police, Justice and Constitutional Development, Correctional Services and the Independent Complaints Directorate. In this, R2.1bn was set aside for the increase in police personnel from 190 000 to 202 260 in 2013, as well as an additional R670 million allocated to the upgrade of information technology over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period.

The importance attached to this is clear, in that the total being spent on public order and safety functions is set to amount to R91bn in 2012, increasing to R105bn in 2013/14.

To provide clarity, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has released a framework that underlines the current crime scenario being faced. This publicly available document is a breakdown of the reported national serious crime figures for the 2009/2010 financial year.

It stated that 2010 saw a number of “significant successes achieved in combating crime”. The three key categories of contact crime experiencing declines were murder, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

In the most high-profile statistic, for the first time since the establishment of the SAPS in 1995, the national murder rate has declined to below 17 000 cases. The framework underlined that the decrease from 26 877 to 16 834 cases, between 1995 and 2010, represented a 50% decline in the murder ratio – something that will go a long way toward swaying positive investor attention.

When taking a more in-depth overview, the SAPS stressed that additional declines of 8.6% and 6.1% in the occurrence of murder and attempted murder, respectively, can be directly attributed to the notable reductions in public robbery and carjacking. It added that the latter was accompanied by a stabilisation in the number of residential and business robberies reported nationwide.

What the SAPS – as well as more grassroots anti-crime initiatives – is finally realising, is that just as there are no simple methods in reducing crime rates, there are no sure-fire recipes in reducing specific crimes.

There does, however, seem to be a growing consensus among the government, investors and public services that through a disciplined process of experimentation, assessment as well as investment, national government may be able to amplify its effectiveness in providing safety and security to both citizens and investors.

Key elements that have proven effective include the careful analysis of specific crime patterns, development of experimental interventions that engage multiple governmental departments, as well as partnerships between law enforcement and the public (businesses as well as  the community).

These realisations have served to lay the foundation for what could be an influential era in the country’s history as well as a significant investment and economic foundation moving forward.

One cannot deny that an astronomical crime rate has long been the Achilles heel of a nation bursting with investor potential.

While national crime figures are still high in comparison to competitive regions, a 50% decline in the national murder rate would go a long way in quashing fears that South Africa is on a downward spiral. This would do wonders to present the country’s investor potential to not only the international but also the domestic investor community, and leave this nation on the brink of a promising investment era.

Adam Currie