Durban Central Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Durban Central precinct?
The Durban Central SAPS precinct recorded 9,738 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 6.1% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 2,317 crimes, down 13.2% vs Apr–Jun 2025 (2,668).
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 6 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 6 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
9,738
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs pre-COVID baseline
↓ 34.2%
below 2018-2019
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
What's changing?
Biggest category changes vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
Theft from vehicle dropped significantly (-274) while Drug-related crime increased (+147).
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
↓ 16.1%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 27.2%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026
| Crime category | Reported count |
|---|---|
| Commercial crime | 1,536 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 1,250 |
| Theft from vehicle | 936 |
| Aggravated robbery | 928 |
| Carjacking | 30 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 8 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 45 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 |
| Bank robbery | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | |
| Drug-related crime | 845 |
| Common robbery | 710 |
| Common assault | 597 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 501 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial crime | 1,536 | 1,426 | +110 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 1,250 | 1,230 | +20 |
| Theft from vehicle | 936 | 1,210 | -274 |
| Aggravated robbery | 928 | 1,078 | -150 |
| Carjacking | 30 | 73 | -43 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 8 | 5 | +3 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 45 | 85 | -40 |
| 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. | |||
| Drug-related crime | 845 | 698 | +147 |
| Common robbery | 710 | 811 | -101 |
| Common assault | 597 | 635 | -38 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 501 | 451 | +50 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 498 | 482 | +16 |
| Shoplifting | 418 | 523 | -105 |
| Vehicle theft | 364 | 451 | -87 |
| Business burglary | 203 | 273 | -70 |
| Serious assault | 200 | 236 | -36 |
| Malicious damage | 198 | 203 | -5 |
| Kidnapping | 109 | 134 | -25 |
| Rape | 79 | 99 | -20 |
| Attempted murder | 65 | 98 | -33 |
| Murder | 64 | 80 | -16 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 51 | 55 | -4 |
| Crimen injuria | 48 | 64 | -16 |
| Culpable homicide | 48 | 57 | -9 |
| Residential burglary | 46 | 47 | -1 |
| Sexual assault | 31 | 16 | +15 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Arson | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Public violence | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock-theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Compare with nearby areas
Other precincts in eThekwini
Sorted by total reported crimes (lowest first)
See Durban Central 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 Durban Central on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Durban Central
Check another area
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 →