More data means better tools for South Africa

Abstract

In February this year, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released the findings of the 2015/16 Victims of Crime Survey, and announced that it would release the 2016/17 results in November. Victim surveys, though not without fault, capture valuable data relating to crime, justice and safety, that is not typically collected by criminal justice agencies. Much of their value lies in their ability to identify victimisation trends which may or may not appear in police data, and to gauge perceptions and experiences of criminal justice institutions.