With public confidence in the justice system sagging the government has gone onto the offensive, releasing a string of statistics indicative of successes in justice, crime prevention and security. A recent Stats SA report, Victims of Crime, showed that fear of crime was increasing and that most people believe that the incidence of violent and non-violent crime had increased between 2011 and 2014.According to a Transparency International survey of perceptions of corruption in sub-Saharan Africa, 83% of South Africans believe corruption has worsened in the past year.At a justice, crime prevention and security cluster briefing in Pretoria yesterday, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko said that during the police's Operation Fiela 398firearms and 737 vehicles had been seized, and about 41000 arrests made.He said 462555 people and 38 495 premises had been searched in 3205 operations."The successes are over and above arrests and successes achieved in day-to-day policing."Nhleko said R1.8-billion lost to the state because of corruption had been recovered since 2013.Assets frozen in connection with allegations of serious economic offences amounted to R5.7-billion.Nhleko promised improved efficiencies in the courts. He said that during the first and second quarters of this year, the lower courts had finalised 248487 criminal cases, of which 160189 were finalised with a verdict, and 88298 cases had been finalised through alternative dispute resolution.He said this exceeded the target of 244131 criminal cases being finalised.Nhleko said that, compared to last year, the High Court had finalised 33 more cases (241 cases against the previous 208) during the first and second quarters of this year."Performance reports from the National Prosecuting Authority indicate that high conviction rates were maintained by all courts and the targets were significantly exceeded."The NPA reports show that the divisions of the High Court achieved an 89.9% conviction rate, beating its target of 87%. Regional courts achieved a 77.7% conviction rate against a 74% target. District courts had a 94.3% conviction rate, exceeding the 88% target."Noteworthy is that the courts achieved a 93.2% conviction rate in the prosecution of complex commercial crimes... the lower courts had an 88.2% conviction rate in respect of organised crime," Nhleko said.The conviction rate for sexual offences had also increased in the first two quarters, to 69.5% (2618).Nhleko said most of the complaints about the police involved allegations that criminal cases were not pursued to an acceptable conclusion. More attention would be given to "cold cases" - old cases on which dockets had been opened but not brought to finality...