By Mava Scott
The regular quarterly release of crime statistics gives the South African Police Service (SAPS) and society a clearer picture of how crime impacts individuals and communities. It provides credible data which is used to plan and at times intervene where challenges are detected.
Prior to 1994 this was not the case as the security forces and the justice system worked only for a small section of society, lacked legitimacy and functioned as an instrument of control.
Today our police and other crime fighting agencies act in accordance with the law and the Constitution. The protections as entrenched in our Constitution, which we commemorate this year are a guarantee of the rights of citizens, and part of our commitment to ensuring that all South Africans are and feel safe.
The latest crime statistics reveal an encouraging picture across a number of categories, and while overall levels of crime continue to remain unacceptably high, the decline shows that interventions by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to make South Africa safer are yielding results.
South Africa recorded a 9.5% decrease in murders during the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, with 546 fewer people killed compared with the same period a year earlier.
While presenting the crime statistics for the period January 1 to March 31, 2026, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia announced that murders declined from 5 727 in the corresponding quarter of the previous year to 5 181. Furthermore, compared with the same quarter in 2024, murders fell by 1 355 cases, representing a 20.7% reduction.
There has also been a notable reduction in serious violent crime, with contact crimes having decreased by 4.6%, with 7 405 fewer cases reported than in the same quarter last year. This positive trend is echoed in aggravated robbery categories, where house robberies fell by 20.4%, business robberies by 18.3%, and robberies at non-residential premises by 22%.
There were also significant drops in property-related crimes, including burglary and theft of and from motor vehicles, which declined by 8.5%, while other serious crimes such as general theft and shoplifting dropped by 4.2%.
While these statistics are encouraging and point to the collaboration between the police and communities in fighting crime, overall levels of crime remain unacceptably high. The deployment of the South African National Defence Force in support of the SAPS as a force multiplier to combat illegal mining and gang-related violence across five provinces: the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, North West, and Western Cape is helping to ensure safer communities.
Yet we can never rest when the statistics show that there was an average of 58 murders a day during the quarter. Acting Minister Firoz Cachalia righty said that: “A decrease in crime is not the same as achieving safety. Our goal is not just fewer crimes, but that communities are and feel safe everywhere.”
These words are a sobering reminder that we must do more to make our streets and communities safer for all. By joining the fight against crime, you can make a difference.
One way to do so is by joining Community Policing Forums (CPFs), which are a conduit between the community and their local police station. CPFs are key to ensuring that the police know about problems, and in identifying crime hot spots.
By joining the fight against crime, you could make a difference. Sometimes it only takes one brave citizen to make a difference, if you see something, say something by reporting criminal activities and instances of crime.
Report crime at your local police station, or call Crime Stop on 08600 10111, this service is available 24 hours a day and the caller may choose to remain anonymous.
*Scott is Chief Director: Cluster Communication (Justice, Crime Prevention and Security) at the Government Communication and Information System.
