Is Knowledge A Right Or A Privilege?

South Africa's new Police Commissioner, Bheki Cele, stated this week that he would support reintroducing a moratorium on the release of crime statistics, which until 1999 were published quarterly but at present are only released annually although the police compile the figures monthly. Current legislation does not speak directly to the availability of crime statistics and for the past decade the on-off nature of their release has been a matter of policy. In 1997 the then Minister of Safety and Security, Sydney Mufamadi, appointed a ministerial committee of inquiry to look into the gathering of crime statistics.
The committee found problems relating to: the recording of exact crime locations; crime classification (which has been resolved by the introductionof a new system in about 2002); and updating police data with the outcome of the case once it had been through the court system. Importantly, the committee found the routine and widespread public scepticism about crime levels were UNFOUNDED, and it suggested informationbe released more regularly. A current on-line survey by the DA shows that 71% of respondents (sample size not given) would like to see monthly statistics. Our high crime rate is rightly a source of shame for the country and is often brought up in discussions about the 2010 FIFA World Cup.Most people in SA accept that they have to protect themselves. To do so we can chose from a wide range of security products and services, with private security apart of many households' budgets and essential for any business. But generally we do not know which suburbs are suffering what types of crimes, often resulting in inaccurate and alarmist 'urban legends'. A look at the most recent official statistics show a drop in many areas of crime (seehttp://www.saps.gov.za, under documents). Property crimes, such as theft of motor vehicles or house-breakings often follow patterns and knowledge of these trends may help the public to protect themselves and be more observant.
Local newspapers, especially those available or summarised on-line can increase public awareness, as does the SAPS's own weekly 'PoliceFile' TV program. However, residents who wish to follow crime trends can often obtain exact monthly and year-on-year statistics from their local station by attending their Community Policing Forum meetings, although this is at the discretion of the Station Commissioner.