Garden Route Crime Insights
What the data reveals for 21 precincts in Garden Route
District Overview
The big picture for Garden Route
Garden Route has 21 police precincts reporting a combined 42,966 crimes in the latest period. Of these, 4 precincts are improving, 12 are worsening, and 5 are stable.
43.0k
Total crimes
4
Improving
12
Worsening
5
Stable
District avg. trend
+6.1%
vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
Provincial avg. trend
+2.9%
Western Cape average
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, Apr 2025–Mar 2026 vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. 21 precincts in Garden Route.
Top Improvers & Worseners
Which precincts in Garden Route are moving the most?
Of 21 precincts, 4 saw crime decrease and 12 saw crime increase vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. Here are the most significant movers.
Biggest decreases
Five-year trajectories
| Precinct | 5-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Mossel Bay | -23.7% | improved |
| Oudtshoorn | -21.2% | improved |
| Da Gamaskop | -17.4% | improved |
| Groot Brakrivier | -15.8% | improved |
| Plettenberg Bay | -11.7% | improved |
| Calitzdorp | -10.9% | improved |
| Kwanonqaba | -9.2% | improved |
| Conville | -4.1% | improved |
| George | +3.2% | worsened |
| Riversdale | +3.4% | worsened |
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics. Change vs prior year for 2025-2026 vs 2024-2025. Five-year change compares earliest and latest complete annual periods.
Precinct Rankings
All 21 precincts ranked by total crime
From the quietest to the busiest — every precinct in Garden Route ranked by total reported crime for the latest period.
| # | Precinct | Total | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Rust | 427 | ↑7.3% |
| 2 | Still Bay | 593 | →1.4% |
| 3 | Calitzdorp | 661 | ↑15.8% |
| 4 | Uniondale | 717 | →0.4% |
| 5 | Groot Brakrivier | 856 | →0.0% |
| 6 | Riversdale | 933 | ↑2.8% |
| 7 | Dysselsdorp | 982 | ↑31.3% |
| 8 | Heidelberg(C) | 1,069 | →0.0% |
| 9 | Albertinia | 1,157 | ↑16.5% |
| 10 | Kwanokuthula | 1,170 | ↑18.7% |
| 11 | Mossel Bay | 1,202 | ↓10.2% |
| 12 | Ladismith | 1,311 | ↑14.6% |
| 13 | Da Gamaskop | 1,957 | ↓14.5% |
| 14 | Plettenberg Bay | 2,011 | ↑13.0% |
| 15 | Pacaltsdorp | 2,438 | ↑15.1% |
| 16 | Kwanonqaba | 2,461 | ↓4.3% |
| 17 | Thembalethu | 3,119 | ↑12.3% |
| 18 | Conville | 3,467 | ↑8.7% |
| 19 | George | 5,056 | →0.2% |
| 20 | Oudtshoorn | 5,260 | ↓4.2% |
| 21 | Knysna | 6,119 | ↑4.7% |
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, Apr 2025–Mar 2026 vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. Ranked by total reported crimes.
Province-wide insights
Western Cape — all 152 precincts
Garden Route overview
All precincts and suburbs
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Data Sources & Methodology
- Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, publicly available at saps.gov.za
- Analysis covers 21 precincts in Garden Route, Western Cape
- Change vs prior year uses the period: 2025-2026 vs 2024-2025
- COVID recovery compares 2018-2019 (pre-COVID) to 2022-2023 (post-COVID) financial years
- SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Under-reporting varies by area and crime type.
- This analysis is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for safety or property decisions. Full disclaimer
- Full methodology →