CHAPTER 2 FIREARM CRIME IN SOUTH AFRICA |
Robert Chetty
National Secretariat for Safety and Security
Most crimes involving firearms are on the increase in South Africa. In particular. firearms are playing a key role in contributing to the countrys distinctively high murder rate. A total of 57 106 murders and 111 000 attempted murders with firearms there reported over the last 5 rears 1994 98. In 1994. 41.50 of all reported murders were committed with firearms. By 1998, this figure had risen to 49.4%. indicating that in the latter rear. nearly half of all reported murders were committed with firearms. Where weapons are being used during robberies. they are more often than not firearms. In 1998. 85 of all serious robberies were committed with firearms, a ratio of 6:1 to other weapons used during robberies.
Handguns. usually pistols and revolvers, are the firearms of choice in most firearm crimes. Handguns also feature prominently among the high numbers of firearms that are being lost or stolen from their owners.
Children are also victims in shooting incidents. Firearm use is extremely high in the killing of police officers. In taxi violence, firearms outnumber other weapons by 17 to 1. In addition, there is an increase in reported cases of firearm negligence.
Crimes Involving Firearms
M | ost crimes involving firearms in South Africa are on the increase. From 1994 to 1998, 57 106 cases of murder and 111 000 cases of attempted murder where firearms were used were reported to the police, and for the three year period 1996 to 1998, 180 088 robberies were committed using firearms. |
Coinciding with the time period in which all the above-mentioned offences were committed, 99409 firearms were reported stolen and 13283 firearms were reported as lost, bringing the number of firearms that left their owners control between 1994 and 1998 to 112 692. More detailed statistics on the above-mentioned trends follow later in this chapter. The table below provides comparative statistics on crimes involving firearms for the period 1994 to 1998: |
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