This article examines the effectiveness of South Africa’s Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS), focusing on its core themes: an effective criminal justice system, early intervention, victim support, integrated service delivery, violence prevention through developmental design, and community participation. Despite the comprehensive framework of the ICVPS, crime and violence rates in South Africa remain high, with challenges in implementation, coordination, and accessibility of services undermining the strategy’s impact. The study reveals uneven progress across key thematic areas, highlighting resource constraints, fragmented interdepartmental coordination, limited victim support access, and underutilization of environmental design principles. Furthermore, community participation, while critical, faces barriers such as limited awareness and engagement. By synthesizing recent empirical data and policy analyses, this article identifies practical gaps and success factors in the ICVPS’s implementation. It offers evidence-based recommendations to enhance integrated service delivery, strengthen victim-centred approaches, and foster inclusive community involvement in crime prevention. Achieving sustainable crime and violence reduction in South Africa requires renewed focus on multi-sectoral collaboration, investment in early intervention and victim support, and empowerment of communities as active partners. The article contributes to both academic discourse and policymaking by providing actionable insights to strengthen the ICVPS and improve public safety outcomes.