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 26,515 crimes in the latest period. Of these, 3 precincts are improving, 16 are worsening, and 2 are stable.
26.5k
Total crimes
3
Improving
16
Worsening
2
Stable
District avg. trend
+11.3%
vs Apr–Dec 2024
Provincial avg. trend
+4.1%
Western Cape average
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, Apr–Dec 2025 vs Apr–Dec 2024. 21 precincts in Garden Route.
Top Improvers & Worseners
Which precincts in Garden Route are moving the most?
Of 21 precincts, 3 saw crime decrease and 16 saw crime increase vs Apr–Dec 2024. Here are the most significant movers.
Biggest decreases
Five-year trajectories
| Precinct | 5-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Oudtshoorn | -25.9% | improved |
| Groot Brakrivier | -23.9% | improved |
| Mossel Bay | -18.3% | improved |
| Plettenberg Bay | -14.5% | improved |
| Calitzdorp | -11.5% | improved |
| Da Gamaskop | -10.6% | improved |
| Kwanonqaba | -6.7% | improved |
| Conville | -5.0% | improved |
| Riversdale | -4.2% | improved |
| George | +3.0% | 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 | 269 | ↑16.9% |
| 2 | Still Bay | 350 | ↑13.1% |
| 3 | Calitzdorp | 405 | ↑16.4% |
| 4 | Uniondale | 455 | ↑7.6% |
| 5 | Groot Brakrivier | 465 | ↑10.7% |
| 6 | Riversdale | 560 | ↓5.6% |
| 7 | Dysselsdorp | 643 | ↑36.5% |
| 8 | Heidelberg(C) | 651 | ↑3.3% |
| 9 | Albertinia | 708 | ↑25.7% |
| 10 | Mossel Bay | 716 | ↓3.2% |
| 11 | Kwanokuthula | 754 | ↑31.0% |
| 12 | Ladismith | 858 | ↑16.1% |
| 13 | Plettenberg Bay | 1,164 | ↑21.2% |
| 14 | Da Gamaskop | 1,258 | →0.7% |
| 15 | Pacaltsdorp | 1,511 | ↑13.6% |
| 16 | Kwanonqaba | 1,626 | →1.1% |
| 17 | Thembalethu | 2,186 | ↑17.6% |
| 18 | Conville | 2,238 | ↑7.7% |
| 19 | George | 2,758 | ↑6.3% |
| 20 | Oudtshoorn | 3,130 | ↓6.3% |
| 21 | Knysna | 3,810 | ↑10.0% |
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, Apr–Dec 2025 vs Apr–Dec 2024. Ranked by total reported serious crimes.
Province-wide insights
Western Cape — all 152 precincts
Garden Route overview
All precincts and suburbs
Explore Garden Route precincts
Search any suburb
Find crime statistics for any suburb in Western Cape
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 →