“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 787 police dockets demonstrated that both legal and illegal firearms are involved in firearm-related crime in South Africa.”
