Bryte SA crime tracker: February 2017

Cloud Saungweme, Chief Claims Officer at Bryte Insurance.

• Theft continues to intensify • Contact crime at a low • Security tip: Don’t flaunt your valuables on social media

Bryte Insurance, a proactive business risk specialist, today released its February 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 February 2017

The Bryte Crime Tracker reflected a 1.3% contraction in February 2017 when compared to the same month in 2016. The Theft category increased to a 3.8% annual growth in February 2017 from 3.6% in January 2017 and 1.0% in December 2016. This is the highest growth rate for theft in the series to date. Growth in total crimes against individuals accelerated to a 9.4% annual growth rate in February 2017 from 1.3% in January 2017, while growth in total crimes against businesses accelerated to a 1.3% annual contraction in February 2017, from a 9.5% contraction in January 2017.

“The continued increase in theft is a concern and calls for a systematic analysis of key risks. A prevalent form of theft is the so-called smash-and-grab technique, which mainly targets electronics such as cell phones,” 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 23.5% in February 2017 from a 15.5% annual contraction in January 2017. This is the lowest value for contact crime to date. Malicious Damage (to fixed and movable assets) increased to 1.4% growth in February 2017 from 8.8% annual contraction in January 2017. Theft continued its steady rise from its low point of an annual contraction of 22.6% in January 2016, to gradually move into growth territory in November 2016 and has increased to 3.8% growth in February 2017 from 3.6% in January 2017.

“The theft of electronic devices is unfortunately a challenge that society creates for itself, since the market for stolen goods fuels this kind of activity. Buyers should take extra care when purchasing second-hand electronic goods and make sure the reseller is reputable and complies with the Second Hand Goods Act,” continued Saungweme.

As a security tip, he recommends that individuals should be mindful of what they disclose publicly about high value personal items such as jewellery and electronic devices. Constantly sharing your location could also help criminals map out your movements, which could help them in planning a targeted hijacking or house robbery. This is particularly relevant to social media – as criminals are now using digital and social media platforms such as Facebook to look for their next victims.

Graph 2: Contact crime, malicious damage and theft

To read the full report click here.