The Safer Places: Resilient Institutions and Neighbourhoods Together (SPRINT) project aims to institutionalise area-based violence prevention interventions across government policies, programmes and practices. Resource Note 2 outlines the reality of crime and violence in South Africa, particularly for certain vulnerable groups, and motivates why safety should be at the centre of development planning in South Africa. It further argues that a focus on safety goes beyond security responses to address the underlying risk factors to violence and crime and bolster protective factors.