Individual articles are hosted on the Academy of Science of South Africa's Open Access Journals system. To access individual articles for this edition, click here

In September 2005 the SAPS released its latest batch of crime statistics for the country, covering the period April 2004 to March 2005. The trends that emerge from these figures suggest that South Africans should be encouraged by the successes shown in managing down the levels of crime. Antony Altbeker describes some of the key trends and explains what can and cannot be read into them.

Cheryl Frank examines children in organised armed violence. The problem of gangs is not new to South Africa. This is one of the reasons that Cape Town has been included in an innovative international study that has identified the phenomenon of ‘children in organised armed violence’.

The legislation passed in 1997 that provides for mandatory minimum sentences for serious crimes was recently extended for another two years. At the time, the aim was to reduce serious and violent crime, achieve consistency in sentencing, and satisfy the public that sentences were sufficiently severe. Julia Sloth-Nielsen and Louise Ehlers debate that the legislation has achieved little or no significant impact with regard to these goals.

The kidnapping and murder of both Leigh Mathews and Frances Rasuge in 2004, and the criminal trials of their respective killers, have heightened awareness and concern about kidnapping for ransom in South Africa. Several media articles have suggested an increase in the number of kidnappings, or at the very least that kidnapping for ransom is a significant problem that South Africans ignore at their peril. Robyn Pharoah examines the evidence for such claims as well as issues that should lead to caution in describing kidnapping for ransom trends.

Finally Antony Altbeker reflects on two sources of statistics on murder – the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System and the MRC’s Burden of Disease estimates – and argues that the incautious use of these data can lead to erroneous conclusions.