Barberton Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Barberton precinct?
The Barberton SAPS precinct recorded 2,437 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, up 4.8% 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): 592 crimes, down 9.6% compared with Apr–Jun 2025 (655).
Very High volume for Mpumalanga: the highest fifth of its 90 precincts by reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
Nationally High: the second-highest fifth of the 1,165 precincts that reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
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
Reported crimes
2,437
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
↑ 8.1%
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 | 518 | -2 |
| Serious assault | 303 | +5 |
| Common assault | 263 | +47 |
| Aggravated robbery | 210 | -11 |
| Carjacking | 15 | |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 71 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 19 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Residential burglary | 174 | -31 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 174 | +101 |
| Commercial crime | 152 | +2 |
| Malicious damage | 105 | -20 |
| Rape | 88 | +30 |
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
↑ 3.2%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↑ 18.6%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 592 |
| 2025/26 | 2,437 |
| 2024/25 | 2,325 |
| 2023/24 | 2,244 |
| 2022/23 | 2,428 |
| 2021/22 | 2,252 |
| 2020/21 | 2,056 |
| 2019/20 | 2,479 |
| 2018/19 | 2,255 |
| 2017/18 | 2,206 |
| 2016/17 | 1,815 |
| 2015/16 | 1,891 |
| 2014/15 | 2,018 |
| 2013/14 | 1,998 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 518 | 520 | -2 |
| Serious assault | 303 | 298 | +5 |
| Common assault | 263 | 216 | +47 |
| Aggravated robbery | 210 | 221 | -11 |
| Carjacking | 15 | 11 | +4 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 71 | 84 | -13 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| 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. | |||
| Residential burglary | 174 | 205 | -31 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 174 | 73 | +101 |
| Commercial crime | 152 | 150 | +2 |
| Malicious damage | 105 | 125 | -20 |
| Rape | 88 | 58 | +30 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 61 | 46 | +15 |
| Attempted murder | 55 | 47 | +8 |
| Murder | 46 | 47 | -1 |
| Business burglary | 43 | 55 | -12 |
| Shoplifting | 42 | 41 | +1 |
| Drug-related crime | 41 | 39 | +2 |
| Common robbery | 39 | 48 | -9 |
| Theft from vehicle | 34 | 40 | -6 |
| Stock-theft | 19 | 26 | -7 |
| Culpable homicide | 14 | 18 | -4 |
| Kidnapping | 14 | 12 | +2 |
| Vehicle theft | 14 | 20 | -6 |
| Crimen injuria | 9 | 4 | +5 |
| Arson | 6 | 3 | +3 |
| Sexual assault | 6 | 8 | -2 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Public violence | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Barberton, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Barberton SAPS
Ehlanzeni District Municipality
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Barberton 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 Mpumalanga precinct around it.
Open Barberton on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Barberton
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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 →