THE NATION WITH THE 2ND HIGHEST GUN CRIME RATE ON EARTH

From the Daily Mail

South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime and many homeowners carry weapons to defend themselves against intruders.

An average of nearly 50 people are murdered there each day, while there are also high levels of assault, rape, robbery and carjackings.

But a case last year was so vile the largely desensitised public of South Africa was still shocked.

Last summer a gang of robbers gunned down a father, raped and murdered his wife. Then, in a final act of sickening brutality, they drowned the couple’s 12-year-old son in scalding bath water.

According to United Nations research, South Africa has one of the highest firearm-related homicide rates in the world, second only to Colombia.

The rate, which was measured per 100,000 people, put the country's score four times higher than the United States.

According to statistics 12.7 in every 100 people in South Africa own a gun and it is estimated there are almost six million civilian firearms.

In the UK during an average year there might be 600 murders, but in South Africa this would be more than 18,000. On top of this there are also 18,000 attempted murders each year.

As a result of these high levels of violent crime, many people choose to live in gated communities and employ private security guards.

These are especially common for middle class residents and often involve high perimeter fencing and alarm systems linked to security teams.

The South African Police Service also often employs security companies to protect their own police stations, with the private security industry estimated to be worth 14 billion South African rand (£1 billion).

Fear of crime is high, with the Institute for Security Studies estimating that 50 per cent of people in Pretoria feel 'very unsafe' walking in their area at night.