Newcastle Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Newcastle precinct?
The Newcastle SAPS precinct recorded 5,424 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, about the same as 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): 1,197 crimes, down 14.6% compared with Apr–Jun 2025 (1,402).
Very High volume for KwaZulu-Natal: the highest fifth of its 184 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 17 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 17 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
5,424
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
↑ 7.9%
more 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 | 958 | +52 |
| Commercial crime | 838 | +61 |
| Drug-related crime | 643 | +55 |
| Common assault | 561 | -46 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 367 | +13 |
| Serious assault | 312 | -41 |
| Residential burglary | 307 | -19 |
| Malicious damage | 245 | -10 |
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 risen.
The numbers behind that — recent years vs earlier years, averaged to see past a one-year spike
Over ~5 years
↑ 20.6%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↑ 24.5%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 1,197 |
| 2025/26 | 5,424 |
| 2024/25 | 5,430 |
| 2023/24 | 6,187 |
| 2022/23 | 4,812 |
| 2021/22 | 4,695 |
| 2020/21 | 4,104 |
| 2019/20 | 4,996 |
| 2018/19 | 5,025 |
| 2017/18 | 4,703 |
| 2016/17 | 4,866 |
| 2015/16 | 4,763 |
| 2014/15 | 4,568 |
| 2013/14 | 4,361 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 958 | 906 | +52 |
| Commercial crime | 838 | 777 | +61 |
| Drug-related crime | 643 | 588 | +55 |
| Common assault | 561 | 607 | -46 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 367 | 354 | +13 |
| Serious assault | 312 | 353 | -41 |
| Residential burglary | 307 | 326 | -19 |
| Malicious damage | 245 | 255 | -10 |
| Aggravated robbery | 198 | 178 | +20 |
| Carjacking | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Truck hijacking | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 27 | 13 | +14 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 24 | 11 | +13 |
| 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. | |||
| Shoplifting | 155 | 165 | -10 |
| Theft from vehicle | 140 | 156 | -16 |
| Common robbery | 116 | 131 | -15 |
| Business burglary | 115 | 147 | -32 |
| Crimen injuria | 104 | 134 | -30 |
| Attempted murder | 94 | 82 | +12 |
| Stock-theft | 61 | 56 | +5 |
| Rape | 58 | 58 | 0 |
| Vehicle theft | 34 | 42 | -8 |
| Murder | 23 | 20 | +3 |
| Kidnapping | 22 | 25 | -3 |
| Sexual assault | 22 | 26 | -4 |
| Culpable homicide | 20 | 21 | -1 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 17 | 10 | +7 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 7 | -4 |
| Abduction | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Arson | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Public violence | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Newcastle, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Newcastle SAPS
Amajuba District Municipality
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Newcastle 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 KwaZulu-Natal precinct around it.
Open Newcastle on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Newcastle
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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 →