Police say this may be because more people are becoming willing to step forward when attacked rather than more incidents taking place. This figure, however, probably represents only a fraction of the actual crimes committed.
Most experts agree that companies often fail to go public for fear of attracting negative publicity.
But not all crimes have increased. Ten of the 14 crime categories prioritised by Johannesburg police, including car theft and burglaries from residences and businesses show a drop in 1996 when compared with figures for the previous year. The figures cover central Johannesburg, and its northern and southern suburbs, but exclude Soweto. While Johannesburg police were blocked from disclosing their statistics, the Western Cape this week released figures showing they had reduced the incidence of gang-related crimes, drug peddling and taxi violence.