South Africa's official quarterly crime statistics, covering the period from the start of April to the end of June, should have been released already. But, because of the policing scandal, this has not happened.

The breakdown and number of crimes committed in South Africa between the start of April and the end of June, as recorded by the SA Police Service (SAPS), should have been released to the public already.

But this is yet to happen.

It means we do not know if violent crimes, including murder and attempted murder, have increased or decreased compared to the previous three months.

We also do not know if gang violence has picked up or abated in South Africa's gangsterism capital, the Western Cape, where multiple shootings are constantly reported.

The same not knowing applies to which police stations -- and therefore the areas where we reside -- have experienced a surge or drop in different kinds of lawbreaking.

'Important link'

The SAPS website details the significance of its statistics, saying they are "an important link in the value chain of the statistics system [that] informs policy development and planning in the criminl [sic] justice system".

An official crime statistics release calendar for the 2024/2025 financial year, which National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola signed off on, shows that quarterly crime statistics are usually released within the second month after the period under scrutiny ends.

Previously released...