How much crime was reported in the Athlone precinct?
The Athlone SAPS precinct recorded 4,734 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 4.9% 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): 1,161 crimes, up 6.6% compared with Apr–Jun 2025 (1,089).
Very High volume for Western Cape: the highest fifth of its 152 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 7 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 7 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
4,734
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
↓ 28.4%
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 | 1,177 | +201 |
| Common assault | 563 | -51 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 539 | -90 |
| Malicious damage | 360 | -42 |
| Aggravated robbery | 329 | -76 |
| Carjacking | 32 | |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 2 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 14 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Commercial crime | 310 | -36 |
| Theft from vehicle | 288 | -40 |
| Serious assault | 145 | +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
↓ 12%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 35%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 1,161 |
| 2025/26 | 4,734 |
| 2024/25 | 4,977 |
| 2023/24 | 5,178 |
| 2022/23 | 5,151 |
| 2021/22 | 4,980 |
| 2020/21 | 4,546 |
| 2019/20 | 5,767 |
| 2018/19 | 6,615 |
| 2017/18 | 7,406 |
| 2016/17 | 7,238 |
| 2015/16 | 7,204 |
| 2014/15 | 7,800 |
| 2013/14 | 7,915 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug-related crime | 1,177 | 976 | +201 |
| Common assault | 563 | 614 | -51 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 539 | 629 | -90 |
| Malicious damage | 360 | 402 | -42 |
| Aggravated robbery | 329 | 405 | -76 |
| Carjacking | 32 | 35 | -3 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 2 | 10 | -8 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 14 | 25 | -11 |
| 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 | 310 | 346 | -36 |
| Theft from vehicle | 288 | 328 | -40 |
| Serious assault | 145 | 104 | +41 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 141 | 182 | -41 |
| Common robbery | 128 | 155 | -27 |
| Residential burglary | 122 | 136 | -14 |
| Vehicle theft | 111 | 99 | +12 |
| Shoplifting | 104 | 104 | 0 |
| Crimen injuria | 91 | 109 | -18 |
| Attempted murder | 75 | 55 | +20 |
| Business burglary | 67 | 93 | -26 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 64 | 105 | -41 |
| Murder | 39 | 48 | -9 |
| Sexual assault | 25 | 29 | -4 |
| Rape | 23 | 27 | -4 |
| Kidnapping | 12 | 13 | -1 |
| Culpable homicide | 9 | 8 | +1 |
| Arson | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Public violence | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Stock-theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Athlone, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Athlone SAPS
City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality
Report a fault:
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Athlone 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 Western Cape precinct around it.
Open Athlone on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Athlone
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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 →