Welkom Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Welkom precinct?
The Welkom SAPS precinct recorded 4,056 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 13.8% compared with Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
A police station opened next to this one in the last two years, so part of this change may come from a boundary change rather than a change in crime.
A raw count, not adjusted for population: larger police areas serve more people and record more crime.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 878 crimes, down 6.6% compared with Apr–Jun 2025 (940).
Very High volume for Free State: the highest fifth of its 113 precincts by reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
Nationally Very High: the 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; all 5 suburbs share it.
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.
View 5 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
4,056
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
↓ 28.2%
fewer than 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 |
|---|---|---|
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 788 | -147 |
| Common assault | 443 | +3 |
| Residential burglary | 408 | -50 |
| Commercial crime | 380 | -60 |
| Theft from vehicle | 230 | -44 |
| Serious assault | 210 | -8 |
| Aggravated robbery | 198 | -65 |
| Carjacking | 15 | |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 21 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 22 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Business burglary | 196 | -116 |
| Shoplifting | 174 | -110 |
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
↓ 3.7%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 23.5%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 878 |
| 2025/26 | 4,056 |
| 2024/25 | 4,707 |
| 2023/24 | 5,250 |
| 2022/23 | 5,051 |
| 2021/22 | 4,422 |
| 2020/21 | 3,935 |
| 2019/20 | 4,968 |
| 2018/19 | 5,650 |
| 2017/18 | 5,633 |
| 2016/17 | 5,750 |
| 2015/16 | 5,683 |
| 2014/15 | 5,897 |
| 2013/14 | 6,735 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 788 | 935 | -147 |
| Common assault | 443 | 440 | +3 |
| Residential burglary | 408 | 458 | -50 |
| Commercial crime | 380 | 440 | -60 |
| Theft from vehicle | 230 | 274 | -44 |
| Serious assault | 210 | 218 | -8 |
| Aggravated robbery | 198 | 263 | -65 |
| Carjacking | 15 | 7 | +8 |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 21 | 48 | -27 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 22 | 59 | -37 |
| 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. | |||
| Business burglary | 196 | 312 | -116 |
| Malicious damage | 193 | 158 | +35 |
| Shoplifting | 174 | 284 | -110 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 141 | 109 | +32 |
| Common robbery | 114 | 124 | -10 |
| Drug-related crime | 97 | 135 | -38 |
| Attempted murder | 93 | 124 | -31 |
| Rape | 83 | 71 | +12 |
| Kidnapping | 64 | 58 | +6 |
| Crimen injuria | 63 | 93 | -30 |
| Vehicle theft | 58 | 51 | +7 |
| Sexual assault | 20 | 23 | -3 |
| Murder | 19 | 17 | +2 |
| Culpable homicide | 18 | 28 | -10 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 17 | 23 | -6 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 17 | 22 | -5 |
| Stock-theft | 17 | 22 | -5 |
| Arson | 5 | 7 | -2 |
| Public violence | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 3 | 5 | -2 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 5 | -5 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Welkom, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Welkom SAPS
Lejweleputswa District Municipality
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Welkom on the national crime map
View this precinct's boundary in context, with a year-by-year timeline back to 2013/14 and every other Free State precinct around it.
Open Welkom on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Welkom
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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 →