I had a brainwave about fighting crime in SA

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StrongTurd

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If you really think about it, what good does all this recent talk about crime statistics do for the average man on the street? Sure, it's nice to know if crime stats are up or down but there's nothing that we can really DO with those stats.

In war, you should always know as much as possible about your enemy. Likewise in South Africa, if you want to fight crime, you should know as much as possible about the scum that wants to kill you and rape your wife.

Here's what I suggest: Instead of building a crime database, why doesn't someone compile a database of the actual DETAILS of crime cases? Suppose, for instance, if you consider the fact that housebreakings are way up in the latest crime stats. OK that's bad but so what?

Suppose we were able to gain detailed statistics of how, when, why and by whom these housebreakings were committed, then we'd actually be able to reduce our own risk of becoming part of those statistics. In order to combat housebreakings you need to know:

(1) HOW - How did the scum gain access to the house? Did they climb over a wall? Did they use a crowbar to break open a gate? Did they hold the domestic worker hostage? Did they force the electric gate of the rail? Did they poison the dogs? How did they make their escape? Etc, etc etc...

(2) WHEN - Did they predominantly break in while the residents were away? Did they wait for the residents to come home and then force them to open the house? Did they usually break in during the middle of the night?

(3) WHY - Did they usually break in just to steal the DVD player and the cellphones? Did they ask for the safe keys? Did they break in in order to rape and murder or just to steal?

(3) BY WHOM - Are the burglars known to the gardener and the domestic? How many people were involved? Is there a possibility that the security company was involved?

I could go on and on but what I'm getting at is the following: If we were to know that 68 percent of housebreakers gained access by cutting open the burglar bars, 82% of housebreakings occurred during office hours, 91% of the time the motive was to steal money and 61% of time the gardener was involved (all numbers just for illustration) then I could actually do something to reduce my risk.

If they are 70% likely to gain access by cutting the burglar bars then I can upgrade my burglar bars to "prison spec". If the gardener was likely to be involved then I can start pushing my own lawnmower. I can go on and on but you get the idea.

The same set of questions can be asked about murder, hijackings, assault etc. and by countering the most likely scenarios, we can all gain an advantage over the criminals.

How does that sound?
 
We all know who commits these crimes and why but are just to politically correct to state the obvious...

Why should you have to upgrade to "prison spec" bars!

Am sitting here looking out bar-free windows at little kids playing in the park and people are walking thier dogs and not one is worried about crime...
 
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lion_fish said:
We all know who commits these crimes and why but are just to politically correct to state the obvious...

Why should you have to upgrade to "prison spec" bars!

Am sitting here looking out bar-free windows at little kids playing in the park and people are walking thier dogs and not one is worried about crime...
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Dude, you moved eventually, hows the weather and the chicks? :D
 
Pointless really.... we know who commits the crimes... they dont even need a "WHY" they will kill you for fun after robbing you of a cellphone...


WHEN AND HOW also wont make you any safer. Crime happens during the morning hours when no ones around... and in BROAD DAYLIGHT (like when 12 AK wielding goons storm a shopping centre and rob a bank)

There is no one to stop them, so criminals really arent deterred by 'what time is best for them to commit their crimes'
 
Great. So you're all saying that crime is committed by blacks and that I should move the Promised Land, England. Thanks, that was very helpful. :rolleyes:
 
StrongTurd said:
Great. So you're all saying that crime is committed by blacks and that I should move the Promised Land, England. Thanks, that was very helpful. :rolleyes:
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Basic human nature - fight or flight. ;)

What makes you think that the information you refer to isnt already being collected from the police reports?
 
bwana said:
Basic human nature - fight or flight. ;)

What makes you think that the information you refer to isnt already being collected from the police reports?
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I prefer the former option.

And that info might be collected by the police but it is rather useless if we don't have access to it.
 
StrongTurd, related to this subject I would like to see a video compilation from the city cameras of crimes being committed. I think a lot can be learned, and I know it would be controversial to release such a compilation, but I do think some of us could put such information/visuals to use.
 
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Bonus points for the proactive attitude, but there are a couple of problems:
1) Statistics are not the right tool for fighting AK wielding tsotsies
2) If everyone upgrades their security, then the net effect is close to zero because the main effect of heavy security is to convince the burglar to hit your neighbor's house instead of yours.
3) The police are barely capable of answering 911 calls in reasonable time. Complicated databases & statistical analysis of crime is not going to work.
4) The chance of actual punishment for those arrested is small, unless the encounter with your cellmate is included under punishment.
5) Everyone knows that hijackings usually occur at traffic lights. Doesn't help much to know that.
 
Sounds like you are a veteran in fighting against crime.

I do not know how you have collected the information, but I fully agree with your opinion especially after I recently met a lady in Rondebosch.
Imagine, how does she call her house? She calls it, Pollsmoor. The two bed room house is surrounded by seven gates and the yard covered by burglar bar roof. When she goes out to hang washings she has to unlock two gates, while open two gates to water her front garden.

Some neigbours say she is crazy, but she believes she is taking ownership of her own safety.

What would you think of this?
 
Tygerburger said:
I do not know how you have collected the information, but I fully agree with your opinion especially after I recently met a lady in Rondebosch.
Imagine, how does she call her house? She calls it, Pollsmoor. The two bed room house is surrounded by seven gates and the yard covered by burglar bar roof. When she goes out to hang washings she has to unlock two gates, while open two gates to water her front garden.

Some neigbours say she is crazy, but she believes she is taking ownership of her own safety.

What would you think of this?
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Honestly, sounds to me like the type of person likely to be murdered by someone she willingly lets in. Trying to find security by locking everything out and ultimately finding that the enemy is already within. The universe has a sick sense of humour that way.
 
This is the type of lateral thinking that should be encouraged.

The problem is that the SAPS are just not interested in either getting or releasing any information. We've been fighting for years to have them release information about crimes that are under 1 yr old, so you can see what we are up against.

In an ideal world a Criminal Intelligence Officer would collate these details and analyse it to try and work on prevention schemes. Say targeting a particularly bad street or setting up suveillance. I doubt whether they have the savvy or the resources to do anything useful unless it's a major problem (with lots of publicity) like attacks on the mountain in Cape Town.

It also relies on an officer at the scene to get the details in the first place. If you've ever seen a PC at a crime scene then you would know this would be the 1st major hurdle.

This information would have to come directly from the victims - like it often does on e-blockwatch. You would surely have to get sponsorship from private sources. SA policing is done on the cheap.
 
The right to bare arms and the right to use them to protect and defend life and property.

I am wondering if the apparent reduction in the rate of domestic burglaries and the increase in robberies at places of business doesnt have something to do with the amount of people now shooting and killing intruders and thieves?
 
In a 'normal' democracy if the civilian population started shooting back, the government would blame the police and it would all get sorted quicksharp. Sadly with our dysfunctional lot any reaction is like throwing us a bone!
 
Debbie2 said:
StrongTurd, related to this subject I would like to see a video compilation from the city cameras of crimes being committed. I think a lot can be learned, and I know it would be controversial to release such a compilation, but I do think some of us could put such information/visuals to use.
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I could but then I'd be fired :p

I could say a lot more but like I said I'd probably get fired :D
 
StrongTurd Don't you think your idea will be just a bar lifting excercise,as you fit you new stronger bars they'll just find another way around em?
Kinda like software hacking where they improve the security but the hackers can also step up huh.
Crime in S.A how to fix?
i reckon 3 strikes your out is a better approach...3 offence's within the "list"
and hang em/shoot em/burn em/inject em whatever but after 3 your GONE,cleans up the over populated prison problem too.

Which way was Polokwane????
 
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