Housebreaking rises 10% to top crime list

Housebreaking, the most common crime experienced by households, increased 10% in the 2022/23 period compared with the 2021/22 period, Stats SA says.

This is one of the findings of the governance, public safety and justice survey conducted by the body, which released its “Victims of Crime” report yesterday.

An estimated 1.6-million incidents of housebreaking occurred in 2022/23, affecting 1.1-million households, or 5.7% of all households in the country.

The second most common type of crime experienced by households is home robbery, with 238,000 incidents affecting 195,000 households in 2022/23. The number of affected households represents 1% of all households. A total 56.8% of households that experienced home robbery reported some or all incidences to the police.

The experience of theft of motor vehicles by households increased from 42,000 in 2021/22 to 73,000 in 2022/23.

Stats SA said in a media release on its report that 51.4% of households that experienced housebreaking reported some or all incidences to the police.

KwaZulu-Natal had the highest proportion (8.5%) of households that experienced housebreaking, followed by the Eastern Cape with 7%.

A total 68,000 households experienced assault in 85,000 incidences. Less than 1% of all households experienced assault. About 54% of households that experienced assault reported some or all incidences to the police.

Weapons were used in some of the incidences of assault, most commonly a knife. An estimated 28% of households reported that the perpetrators of assault were a relative or other household member.

An estimated 1.5-million incidences of theft of personal property occurred in 2022/23, affecting 1.2-million individuals aged 16 years and older. The number of affected individuals represents 2.9% of the population. About 41% of individuals who experienced theft of personal property reported some or all incidences to the police.