Besters Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Besters precinct?
The Besters SAPS precinct recorded 486 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 4.5% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 113 crimes, up 15.3% vs Apr–Jun 2025 (98).
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 2 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 2 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
486
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs pre-COVID baseline
↓ 16.4%
below 2018-2019
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
What's changing?
Biggest category changes vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
All theft not mentioned elsewhere dropped significantly (-59) while Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs increased (+25).
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
↓ 7.1%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↑ 7.4%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026
| Crime category | Reported count |
|---|---|
| Common assault | 106 |
| Serious assault | 68 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 48 |
| Malicious damage | 39 |
| Crimen injuria | 36 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 32 |
| Residential burglary | 23 |
| Stock-theft | 23 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common assault | 106 | 92 | +14 |
| Serious assault | 68 | 66 | +2 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 48 | 107 | -59 |
| Malicious damage | 39 | 33 | +6 |
| Crimen injuria | 36 | 17 | +19 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 32 | 7 | +25 |
| Residential burglary | 23 | 38 | -15 |
| Stock-theft | 23 | 29 | -6 |
| Rape | 22 | 12 | +10 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 19 | 0 | +19 |
| Theft from vehicle | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| Aggravated robbery | 11 | 14 | -3 |
| Carjacking | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| 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. | |||
| Commercial crime | 10 | 16 | -6 |
| Common robbery | 10 | 14 | -4 |
| Business burglary | 9 | 20 | -11 |
| Murder | 4 | 11 | -7 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Kidnapping | 3 | 7 | -4 |
| Attempted murder | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Sexual assault | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Culpable homicide | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Vehicle theft | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arson | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drug-related crime | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Public violence | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shoplifting | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Compare with nearby areas
Other precincts in Uthukela
Sorted by total reported crimes (lowest first)
See Besters 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 Besters on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Besters
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 →