Buffalo Flats Crime Statistics
How much crime was reported in Buffalo Flats?
The Buffalo Flats SAPS precinct recorded 1,467 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, up 8.7% compared with Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
A raw count, not adjusted for population: larger police areas serve more people and record more crime.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 359 crimes, about the same as Apr–Jun 2025 (356).
High volume for Eastern Cape: the second-highest fifth of its 200 precincts by reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
Nationally High: the second-highest fifth of the 1,165 precincts that reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
Whole-precinct figures, reported crime only, raw counts. Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics (saps.gov.za), Apr 2025–Mar 2026.
What this data can't tell you
How we handle these →Where within the precinct. SAPS reports one figure for the whole area.
Unreported crime. Only crime reported to police is counted, so real incidence is higher.
Crime per resident. Raw counts, no population adjustment — the trend is the steadier signal.
Reported crimes
1,467
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
→ 1.2%
about the same as in 2018/19, before the pandemic
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026, with change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
| Crime category | Reported count | Change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Serious assault | 283 | -5 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 184 | +22 |
| Residential burglary | 158 | -7 |
| Malicious damage | 158 | +17 |
| Common assault | 112 | +14 |
| Aggravated robbery | 93 | +8 |
| Carjacking | 5 | |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 8 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 14 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Commercial crime | 76 | +11 |
| Theft from vehicle | 75 | +19 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 40 | +26 |
Crime over time
Reported crimes per SAPS financial year, by category
Crime trend by year
Dashed: Apr–Jun 2026 only (1 of 4 quarters published) — a partial year, not comparable with the full years before it.
Hollow points with dashed lines indicate years with fewer than 4 quarters of data — those totals may be lower because SAPS has not released every quarter.
Over the past decade, crime here has fallen.
The numbers behind that — recent years vs earlier years, averaged to see past a one-year spike
Over ~5 years
→ about the same
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 22.1%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 359 |
| 2025/26 | 1,467 |
| 2024/25 | 1,349 |
| 2023/24 | 1,383 |
| 2022/23 | 1,506 |
| 2021/22 | 1,428 |
| 2020/21 | 1,191 |
| 2019/20 | 1,513 |
| 2018/19 | 1,449 |
| 2017/18 | 1,339 |
| 2016/17 | 1,466 |
| 2015/16 | 1,649 |
| 2014/15 | 1,825 |
| 2013/14 | 1,913 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious assault | 283 | 288 | -5 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 184 | 162 | +22 |
| Residential burglary | 158 | 165 | -7 |
| Malicious damage | 158 | 141 | +17 |
| Common assault | 112 | 98 | +14 |
| Aggravated robbery | 93 | 85 | +8 |
| Carjacking | 5 | 7 | -2 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 8 | 15 | -7 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 14 | 12 | +2 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bank robbery | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. SAPS reports these both individually and within the aggravated-robbery figure. | |||
| Commercial crime | 76 | 65 | +11 |
| Theft from vehicle | 75 | 56 | +19 |
| Drug-related crime | 50 | 49 | +1 |
| Crimen injuria | 45 | 41 | +4 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 40 | 14 | +26 |
| Rape | 36 | 40 | -4 |
| Attempted murder | 34 | 27 | +7 |
| Common robbery | 27 | 26 | +1 |
| Business burglary | 25 | 26 | -1 |
| Murder | 24 | 21 | +3 |
| Sexual assault | 15 | 10 | +5 |
| Kidnapping | 10 | 12 | -2 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 5 | 2 | +3 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| Culpable homicide | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Vehicle theft | 3 | 9 | -6 |
| Arson | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Shoplifting | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Public violence | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock-theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Buffalo Flats, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Buffalo Flats SAPS
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
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Data Sources & Notes
- Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics
- SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Crime reporting rates vary by area. How much crime goes unreported? →
- This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for safety or property decisions. Full disclaimer
- Full methodology →