Accurate, point-level crime analysis and targeted hotspot policing can help reduce murder and robbery in South African cities. Using Durbanville and Nyanga, an analysis of SAPS point level murder and aggravated robbery data from 2006 to 2018 by place and time reveals crime hotspots and time patterns. The report shows that crime and harm cluster together, and outlines examples of evidence-based police interventions that may have a positive impact in such areas. This report illustrates how accurate, point-level crime analysis and targeted hotspot policing can reduce murder and robbery. It begins by introducing evidence based policing as a concept, and how it can improve police effectiveness. It then presents an analysis of crime in two Cape Town precincts – Durbanville and Nyanga – to illustrate how crime analysis should inform targeted police interventions across South Africa. It ends by highlighting concerns about the way in which some SAPS data is captured.
