Public trust in South African police hits crisis point as crime victims stop reporting

Public trust in South African police hits crisis point as crime victims stop reporting

Mapaballo Borotho

• A new Stats SA survey shows growing public distrust in the police, with many crime victims no longer reporting cases.
• Civil society warns this reflects a broken relationship between citizens and law enforcement, leaving communities unsafe.
• Delays in the SAPS corruption inquiry are said to worsen the crisis, eroding accountability and public confidence.

Public trust in the South African Police Service (SAPS) is rapidly deteriorating, according to Statistics South Africa’s latest Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey 2024/25.

The data reveals that a significant share of households affected by crime are choosing not to report incidents to the police. 

Only 51% of the more than 200,000 households that experienced robberies came forward, while over 60% of the 1.3 million individuals affected by theft of personal property did not report their cases.

Civil society group Not in My Name International warns that these figures go beyond statistics and reflect a deep crisis of confidence between communities and law enforcement.

“When communities stop reporting crime, it is because they no longer believe the police can or will protect them. Such a breakdown in trust undermines both the rule of law and the fight against crime,” the organisation stated.

The survey also highlights that South Africans, particularly women feel unsafe even walking in their own neighbourhoods, a reality that undermines their constitutional right to safety and freedom of movement.

Not in My Name further criticised the delay in commencing the long-promised Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into corruption within SAPS. 

“Every day that passes without the Commission beginning its work only deepens the rot, erodes accountability, and emboldens corrupt networks within the police service,” it said.

The organisation has urged authorities to treat these findings as a national emergency.

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