Hillbrow Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Hillbrow precinct?
The Hillbrow SAPS precinct recorded 6,080 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 8% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 1,444 crimes, roughly unchanged vs Apr–Jun 2025 (1,443).
Largest categories
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
6,080
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs pre-COVID baseline
↓ 34.8%
below 2018-2019
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
What's changing?
Biggest category changes vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
Serious assault dropped significantly (-137) while Commercial crime increased (+103).
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
↓ 15.6%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 39%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026
| Crime category | Reported count |
|---|---|
| Aggravated robbery | 797 |
| Carjacking | 57 |
| Truck hijacking | 1 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 23 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 49 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 |
| Bank robbery | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | |
| Common assault | 783 |
| Commercial crime | 735 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 689 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 507 |
| Common robbery | 503 |
| Drug-related crime | 386 |
| Serious assault | 361 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggravated robbery | 797 | 847 | -50 |
| Carjacking | 57 | 74 | -17 |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 23 | 28 | -5 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 49 | 59 | -10 |
| 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. | |||
| Common assault | 783 | 791 | -8 |
| Commercial crime | 735 | 632 | +103 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 689 | 790 | -101 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 507 | 470 | +37 |
| Common robbery | 503 | 576 | -73 |
| Drug-related crime | 386 | 351 | +35 |
| Serious assault | 361 | 498 | -137 |
| Theft from vehicle | 262 | 384 | -122 |
| Malicious damage | 203 | 219 | -16 |
| Shoplifting | 130 | 102 | +28 |
| Rape | 125 | 124 | +1 |
| Vehicle theft | 108 | 153 | -45 |
| Murder | 81 | 121 | -40 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 67 | 66 | +1 |
| Kidnapping | 62 | 93 | -31 |
| Attempted murder | 61 | 83 | -22 |
| Residential burglary | 60 | 125 | -65 |
| Business burglary | 45 | 70 | -25 |
| Sexual assault | 34 | 37 | -3 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 32 | 25 | +7 |
| Crimen injuria | 28 | 17 | +11 |
| Culpable homicide | 16 | 24 | -8 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 3 | 7 | -4 |
| Arson | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Contact sexual offences | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Public violence | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock-theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Compare with nearby areas
Other precincts in Johannesburg
Sorted by total reported crimes (lowest first)
See Hillbrow 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 Gauteng precinct around it.
Open Hillbrow on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Hillbrow
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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 →