A Crime Harm Index May Benefit South Africa - Think Tank

Police crime statistics showed a 3% decline in murder for the second quarter of 2023 compared to 2022. The number of murders dropped from 6 424 in April-June 2022 to 6 228 in April-June 2023. More people were killed in the first quarter of 2023 than in any other first quarter on record - besides 2022.

In the wake of a release of crime statistics, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) posited the idea of a crime harm index, an idea pioneered by evidence-based policing advocates at Cambridge University over a decade ago and which has been introduced in several countries including England, Wales, New Zealand, Canada and Sweden. Each has modified it to fit their context. They have used different methods, but all have created weightings based on the sentencing guidelines or actual sentencing practices for each crime type.

According to ISS, this is a reliable and economical way to look at the true effect of criminal acts on society, and to target police and social interventions where and when harm is greatest. Because South Africa lacks clear, nationwide sentencing guidelines for each crime category, innovations will be needed to develop a crime harm index.