Pietermaritzburg Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Pietermaritzburg precinct?
The Pietermaritzburg SAPS precinct recorded 5,447 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, up 4.4% 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): 1,266 crimes, about the same as Apr–Jun 2025 (1,253).
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 8 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 8 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
5,447
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
↓ 17.2%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Drug-related crime | 1,159 | +173 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 884 | -73 |
| Common assault | 408 | +16 |
| Commercial crime | 353 | +20 |
| Aggravated robbery | 327 | -76 |
| Carjacking | 10 | |
| Truck hijacking | 2 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 9 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 46 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 1 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 307 | +240 |
| Shoplifting | 303 | -13 |
| Common robbery | 279 | -41 |
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
↓ 6.2%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 26.9%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 1,266 |
| 2025/26 | 5,447 |
| 2024/25 | 5,219 |
| 2023/24 | 5,712 |
| 2022/23 | 5,379 |
| 2021/22 | 4,719 |
| 2020/21 | 4,305 |
| 2019/20 | 6,578 |
| 2018/19 | 6,581 |
| 2017/18 | 7,300 |
| 2016/17 | 7,552 |
| 2015/16 | 7,534 |
| 2014/15 | 7,729 |
| 2013/14 | 7,140 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug-related crime | 1,159 | 986 | +173 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 884 | 957 | -73 |
| Common assault | 408 | 392 | +16 |
| Commercial crime | 353 | 333 | +20 |
| Aggravated robbery | 327 | 403 | -76 |
| Carjacking | 10 | 11 | -1 |
| Truck hijacking | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 9 | 16 | -7 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 46 | 28 | +18 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 1 | 1 | 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. | |||
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 307 | 67 | +240 |
| Shoplifting | 303 | 316 | -13 |
| Common robbery | 279 | 320 | -41 |
| Serious assault | 258 | 260 | -2 |
| Theft from vehicle | 245 | 257 | -12 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 215 | 169 | +46 |
| Business burglary | 179 | 171 | +8 |
| Malicious damage | 107 | 130 | -23 |
| Residential burglary | 75 | 75 | 0 |
| Rape | 67 | 70 | -3 |
| Vehicle theft | 53 | 63 | -10 |
| Attempted murder | 52 | 60 | -8 |
| Crimen injuria | 41 | 38 | +3 |
| Murder | 33 | 49 | -16 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 32 | 32 | 0 |
| Kidnapping | 22 | 34 | -12 |
| Sexual assault | 21 | 14 | +7 |
| Culpable homicide | 18 | 16 | +2 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 6 | -3 |
| Contact sexual offences | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Public violence | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Abduction | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Arson | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Stock-theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Pietermaritzburg, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Pietermaritzburg SAPS
uMgungundlovu District Municipality
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Pietermaritzburg
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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 →