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By Tanya waterworth 
1 hour ago
Durban – Durban has been named as one of the most dangerous cities in the world to live in.
It is one of the six South African cities ranked among the 20 most dangerous cities in the world.
While Caracas in Venezuela ranks first as the most dangerous city in the world, followed by Port Moresby in New Guinea, The Crime Index by City 2021 survey conducted by statistics website Numbeo.com places Pretoria in third place followed by Durban in fourth place, Johannesburg in fifth place, Pietermaritzburg in seventh place with Port Elizabeth ranking 14th and the 19th city being Cape Town.
Other cities perceived as dangerous, such as Damascus in Syria, ranked 31st, Baghdad in Iraq ranked 55, and Bogotá in Colombia ranked 58.
On the other side of the scale, Abu Dhabi ranked as the safest city in the world, while Dubai and Sharjah, also in the United Arab Emirates, placed in the top ten, along with Doha in Qatar, Geneva in Switzerland, Taipei. in Taiwan and Quebec City, Canada.
Numbeo, which conducts surveys on quality of life, cost of living, crime rates and cost of ownership around the world, said the Crime Index By City 2021 survey was a perception index based on the sentiments of respondents rather than on crime statistics.
He said the survey questions were similar to many scientific and government surveys and that they were filtered to remove potential spam. He added that the survey “is a snapshot of current indices at a specific time.”
“To generate a current index, we use data up to 36 months old. We only include cities for which there are at least a certain number of contributions. The Crime Index is an estimate of the overall level of crime in a given city or country.
“We consider crime levels below 20 as very low, crime levels between 20 and 40 as low, crime levels between 40 and 60 as moderate, crime levels between 60 and 80 as high, and finally, crime levels above 80 as very high, “he said.
In the survey results, the crime rate for Pretoria was 81.94, Durban 80.84, Johannesburg 80.65 and Pietermaritzburg 79.73.
DialDirect’s Bianca de Beer, which published the global survey, said her own research on crime trends during lockdown level three indicated that some criminals took advantage of the 9 p.m. curfew to increase their activities.
De Beer said his investigation showed an increase in car theft at night from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the next morning, while home burglaries and pre-closing burglaries took place between 9pm and 5am, they changed between 4pm and 9pm this year.
“The authorities keep reminding us that Covid-19 is not on vacation. This investigation tells us that criminals are not on vacation either. People must remain vigilant and take all security precautions to avoid becoming a crime statistic,” De said Beer.
As an example of the level of blatant crime taking place in South Africa, the managing director of advanced driving training company MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, highlighted a video clip circulating on social media, showing a new hijacking technique in which hijackers they target the victim on an exit ramp blocking it from the front.
“The driver was blocked by the hijacker’s car preceding her and soon by traffic behind her.
“A key way to avoid being in this position is to make sure you keep at least ten feet between you and the car in front of you when it is stopped. Admittedly, in the video clip, it would have been difficult to move between the hijackers. your position seems to have been chosen carefully, but in many cases, it could give you the space to move quickly and safely.
“Quickly moving around a car that stops unexpectedly in front of you can make a difference. When driving, accept that someone who stops suddenly in this manner can be a threat and that your best response is to immediately move around the obstacle. Prepare and practice for such a situation, so your response is immediate, “Herbert said.
Meanwhile, Tracker’s vehicle crime statistics from July to December 2020 showed a 13% decrease in the number of vehicle crime activities reported nationally, though he noted that hijacking “remains prevalent.” Tracker has 1.1 million vehicles in its base and its figures show that car theft decreased by 21%, but hijacking only 5% during the period, and hijacking accounts for more crimes than motor vehicle theft.
Tracker data also indicated that an opportunistic element could be at play, with a notable increase in vehicles destined for their loads, particularly fast-moving consumables, while drivers carrying large amounts of cash were also under attack.
Most of the vehicles were reported as hijacked or stolen by the end of the week, and most of the hijackings were reported between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The motor vehicle theft occurred Wednesday through Saturday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Tracker’s operational services executive Ron Knott-Craig said the 13% decrease in vehicular crime could be attributed to fewer vehicles on the road due to Covid-19 restrictions compared to the previous year.
“It is important that we not become complacent. While driving, be aware of your surroundings. Be alert and aware of suspicious people and vehicles, and avoid distractions, such as talking on the phone,” he said.
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