Bryte SA crime tracker: January 2017
Cloud Saungweme, Chief Claims Officer at Bryte Insurance.
• Theft continues to accelerate • Household crime moderate • Security tip: don’t keep valuables in your car
Bryte Insurance, a proactive business risk specialist, today released its January 2017 Crime Tracker; an indicator of long-term crime trends in South Africa as captured by insurance claims. The Crime Tracker measures the annual change, on a monthly basis, in crime-related claims due to hijacking, robbery, theft and malicious damage, committed against individuals and businesses.
Crime trends in January 2017
The Bryte Crime Tracker reflected a 4.8% contraction in January 2017 when compared to the same month in 2016. The Theft category increased to a 3.6% annual growth rate in January 2017 from 1.0% in December 2016 and a 10.9% average contraction for 2016. On a positive note, growth in total crimes against individuals moderated to a 1.3% annual growth rate in January 2017 from 6.8% in December 2016 and an 8.1% average growth for the whole of 2016.
“While the decrease in criminal activity is certainly welcome, it is too early to draw conclusions on the trend going forward. Recent SAPS activity, such as visible policing, has played a role in disrupting criminal activity at the start of the year, but we suspect that criminals may be adapting their modus operandi in response. Vigilance remains necessary as new ways of targeting victims may arise,” said Cloud Saungweme, Chief Claims Officer at Bryte Insurance.
Graph 1: The Bryte crime tracker
Contact crime, malicious damage and theft
The Bryte Crime Tracker for Contact Crime (robbery and hijacking) contracted by 15.5% in January 2017 from a 2016 average negative growth rate of 6.5%. Malicious Damage (to fixed and movable assets) fell considerably to a 8.8% annual contraction in January 2017 from a 5.1% growth in December 2016. Theft has shown a steady rise from its low point of an annual contraction of 22.6% in January 2016, to gradually increase to growth territory in November 2016 at 1.3%, and has now increased further to a 3.6% growth in January 2017.
“Individuals and home-owners in South Africa are mostly aware of crime risks, and often do well in investing in home security systems. However, security awareness does not stop at your driveway, as many individuals unfortunately become victims to crime when away from the home,” continued Saungweme.
As a security tip, he also recommends that car owners should refrain from keeping items visibly in their cars, even when driving. This applies equally to valuable items such as cell phones and even plastic bags, since they attracts unwanted attention from opportunistic criminals. The financial damage from a typical smash-and-grab is normally well-above the value of the stolen item, but far more importantly, the emotional trauma impacts on individual and their families.
Graph 2: Contact crime, malicious damage and theft
