JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 27 -- About 1.5 million housebreaking incidents occurred in the 2023/2024 financial year, affecting 1.1 million households in the country, according to the latest crime report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) Tuesday.

This represents 5.9 percent of all households in South Africa. Significantly, only 44 percent of affected households reported these incidents to the police, showed the Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey -- Victims of Crime Report.

The report also touched on home robberies that occurred during the same period. "An estimated 263,000 incidents of home robberies occurred, affecting 209,000 households in 2023/2024," said Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke.

Maluleke highlighted that theft of personal property was one of the most prevalent crimes experienced by individuals aged 16 and older. According to the report, about 1.4 million incidents of theft of personal property occurred in 2023/2024, impacting approximately 1.3 million individuals aged 16 and older.

The crime report also revealed that street robberies were the second most common crime experienced by individuals. Significantly, 443,000 people fell victim to street robbery, with an estimated 497,000 incidents occurring.

The report said about 44.2 percent of these individuals reported some or all incidents to the police. "About 24 percent of victims were injured during incidences of street robbery, and 66 percent required medical attention. Only 3.6 percent of the individuals that experienced street robbery received counseling," Maluleke said.

During the same period, 295,000 people experienced assault in a total of 506,000 incidents. Over 55 percent of the victims said knives were used in the attacks.

The report examined various criminal activities, including motor vehicle hijacking, murder, sexual offenses, and consumer fraud, and also evaluated public perceptions of safety, police effectiveness, and judicial system performance.

  - Xinhua