AURA, South Africa’s leading security and medical response marketplace has released its inaugural Crime Trend Report, providing new and unique insight into South Africa’s crime stats in key categories from armed robberies to attempted hijackings and gender-based violence.
The report gathered data over the past year from AURA’s nationwide network of over 250 private security and medical companies comprising thousands of response vehicles and over 300,000 active users.
By having a clear and accurate picture of the threats South Africans face technology can then be used to combat, and even prevent crime, says AURA CEO Warren Myers. “With these powerful data sets, which are being refined and improved daily, we are beginning to really understand how to apply technology to make our country a safer place for everyone.”
While AURA’s report focuses on 2021, it plans to release stats every quarter as part of its commitment to measure and analyse trends against those that are being reported at a national and industry level. “Our unacceptably high levels of crime mean South Africans live in a near perpetual state of fear and anxiety. We should never become so desensitised to crime that we lose sight of its devastating impact at every level of society. Combatting it swiftly and intelligently is an urgent priority,” explains Myers
The cutting-edge safety platform noted an increase in activity relating to its user’s safety. Usage of AURA’s services to request help when they feel unsafe, such as when on the side of the road during a vehicle breakdown or in the event of suspicious activity, steadily increased throughout 2021. 
Key highlights from the AURA 2021 Trend Report include:
- An overall 109% increase in reported incidents between 2020 and 2021.*
- A 20.6% increase in incidents reported between Q3 & Q4 of 2021.
- A total of 4,973 hijackings were reported in 2021 – a 3.5% increase from the same period last year.
- Suspicious activity, vehicle breakdown, an altercation with a 3rd party, followed by armed robbery are the most popular reasons cited for South Africans calling for help via an AURA-powered platform.
- In 2021, the highest volume of incidents were recorded in Gauteng, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
- Protest action and armed robbery per province reported for 2021 can be directly linked to the civil unrest that engulfed the country in the third quarter, particularly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
- AURA recorded a 47% increase in incidents of domestic violence in Q2 compared with Q1. It recorded a further 45% increase in cases of gender-based violence between Q2 and Q3, followed by yet another rise of 41% between Q3 and Q4.
- In May 2021, AURA reported a 61% increase in the number of medical related incidents, coinciding with the beginning of the country’s devastating third wave of COVID-19 infections.
- AURA’s median response time for 2021 was brought down to just 7 minutes and 41 seconds in Q4, a clear indication of AURA’s increased marketplace and response network.
Other key findings from AURA’s report show a concerning increase in both organised, syndicate crime and opportunistic crime. Myers notes that while syndicates are becoming even more sophisticated, a rise in opportunistic incidents is indicative of ongoing tough socio-economic conditions.
“The bottom line is that we need to make it far more difficult to be a successful criminal regardless of the crime. This will require building and integrating technologies that criminals simply cannot avoid or outsmart. These technologies are here in AURA and it is extremely exciting to put them to good use for everyone’s benefit.”
The full AURA 2021 Trend Report can be downloaded here: https://www.aura.services/trend-report/
* partly attributable to user growth
