South Africa has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world, a lot of which is concentrated in Gauteng. Here, armed robberies have spilled over from the ghettoes and informal settlements into the more affluent suburbs. Despite sophisticated security measures, house attacks have increased dramatically.
In 2006, police recorded 195,000 house robberies and, of these, 126,000 were armed attacks - a 25% increase from the previous year. It means a staggering number of people have faced being killed in their own homes, violated in the place where they should feel most safe. It has sent waves of fear through a country already traumatized by crime.
But it is not just the rate of crime that is alarming, it is the extraordinary levels of violence that are involved.
In the past, criminals would try to avoid confrontation, robbing a house when it was empty. But this has changed. Now, armed gangs attack when people are at home, using their presence to by-pass alarms and beams. With more and more sophisticated security measures in place, the weak link is a terrified and vulnerable person. So criminals are prepared to kill and torture, not only to get what they want from their victims, but also to spread fear. With a growing reputation for excessive violence, they are more likely to get co-operation the next time they rob.
What is driving what some would call an epidemic of violent crime? Traditionally, it’s put down to poverty and desperation. But crime researcher Antony Altbeker believes that people are jumping on the bandwagon because not enough of the bad guys have been arrested, prosecuted and locked up. It’s the copy-cat syndrome.
In response to the shocking crime stats, communities are taking action, as are the police. Special Assignment looks at some of the recent successes and also examines the potential problem of citizens arming themselves.
God bless this home is produced by Sasha Wales-Smith and filmed by Byron Taylor.
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