Drugs and crime in South Africa: A study in three cities

Certain drugs have been found to be pivotal in promoting both crime and HIV/AIDS in countries around the world. Until now, little formal research has been done into the drugs-crime link in South Africa. The monograph, based on interviews and urinalysis of nearly 3000 arrestees in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, is the first step in addressing this gap in the research. Although the study does not shed enough light on the causal links between drugs and crime, it does show, using internationally accepted methodology, that parts of "South Africa's arrestee population have levels of drugs use that stand up to those of any other part of the world where similar research has been done. If the drug use is indeed driving crime in South Africa, every effort must be made to diminish its input.