The role of firearms in crime in South Africa : A detailed analysis of police dockets

Abstract

Police dockets provide one of the few comprehensive sources of information from which to draw a broad range of data on firearm-related crimes. In this research, it was found that docket analysis as a source was limited by the incomplete evidence contained in police dockets. The challenge of the exercise became an attempt to understand the nature of firearm-related crime in South Africa, and to provide an acceptable conclusion of the debate on the interpretation of data within these constraints and the interpretation of data findings. Firearm-related crime is increasing significantly in South Africa. The analysis of police dockets showed that both legal and illegal firearms are involved in firearm-related crime in south Africa. For more in-depth information on specific firearm-related crimes, Summaries are provided in the second part of the monograph.