“Chapter one analyses the latest available official crime statistics at the time of
writing. During the 2001/02 financial year 2.5 million crimes were recorded in South Africa, some 25% more than in 1994/95. While recorded crime increased rapidly in the late 1990s, a less than 1% increase during 2001/02
may indicate that crime levels are beginning to stabilise. Nevertheless, levels of recorded violent crime remain extremely high. The budget allocation of the criminal justice system departments is analysed in chapter two. Chapter three focuses on the performance of the Department of Safety and
Security. Evaluating the performance of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is complicated by the fact that the goals of the police service are often vague, and information about police performance is not always made public. Any variation in the number of crimes recorded cannot be ascribed primarily to police action. The performance of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (which encompasses the National Prosecuting Authority) is evaluated in chapter four. Chapter five deals with the performance of the Department of Correctional Services. In the concluding chapter it is argued that the three criminal justice system departments performed satisfactorily during the period under review.”
