KwaZulu-Natal's crime statistics reveal alarming trends

The latest crime statistics in KwaZulu-Natal show that the province remains the epicentre of violent and property crimes, significantly contributing to South Africa's overall crime rate.

Once again, the province featured a high murder rate, with 20% of all the country's murders happening in KZN.

The worrying trends were brought to light in the recently released crime statistics by the SAPS for the second quarter of 2025, which relates to the period July to September.

According to the data provided, the KZN SAPS' stations that featured prominently for their high crime rate included Inanda, Umlazi, Plessislaer, Chatsworth, Phoenix, Pinetown, and Durban Central.

Yet again, the Inanda policing precinct recorded the most contact crimes in the province with 956 cases filed between April to June this year, which marked a 2.1% increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year (936 cases).

In contrast, Umlazi saw a positive shift in its contact crime figures, with the number of registered cases decreased from 842 in the same term last year to 762 in the current period in question, which reflected a 9.5% reduction.

Plessislaer (in Pietermaritzburg) also showed moderate improvement with 730 recorded incidents of contact crimes, which reflected a 9.8% decrease from the previous year's statistic of 809 cases.

However, Chatsworth has emerged as a growing concern, with a massive 21.3% increase in reported contact crime cases, rising from 578 last year to 701 in the current term.

Durban Central showed a dip with 689 reported cases, down from 728 in the previous year.

The Democratic Alliance's provincial spokesperson for Community Safety and Liaison, Riona Gokool, said despite a slight decline in murders in the province over the past two quarters, KZN still accounted for over 20% of all murders nationwide.

“Contact crimes such as assault, attempted murder, and aggravated robbery remain worryingly high, with many incidents occurring in public spaces, liquor outlets, and taxi ranks,” Gokool commented.

This highlighted what she termed as "gaps in visible policing, intelligence-led operations, and by-law enforcement." Gokool called for the immediate implementation of a Provincial Joint Crime Response Plan.

She stressed the need for coordinated efforts among the SAPS, metro police, traffic authorities, KZN's Department of Community Safety and Liaison, and municipal enforcement teams.

She advocated for identifying key hotspots, the establishment of joint command structures and demanded weekly operational reports to address the rising crime rates.

Gokool said that there is a need for the strengthening of KZN's crime intelligence capacity at high-burden SAPS stations together with improving incident tracking and launching targeted operations against gangs and organised crime networks.

She highlighted the importance of community engagement and cited that Community Policing Forums, neighbourhood watches, and rural safety structures needed adequate resources and support.

The recently released statistics reflected a broader national trend of a reported 4.9% decrease in serious crimes across South Africa, with an 11.5% drop in murder rates.

However, certain categories of crime remain persistently high, including contact sexual offences, which saw a 12.4% uptick, and kidnappings rose by 3.1%, with over 4,770 cases logged within the same quarter.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia acknowledged the decline in crime rates, yet he stressed the need for a relentless crackdown on the rising trends of sexual offences and the persistent threat of organised crime and gangsterism within communities.

He urged improved policing, effective investigation, and prosecution to counteract the networks that perpetuate violence and crime in the country.

Cachalia said that while the statistics reflected a national decrease in reported crimes, areas like KZN reveal a stark reality that demands urgent attention, concerted effort, and political will to reclaim safety and dignity for its communities.

The Phoenix Community Policing Forum’s (CPF) acting chairperson Val Pillay said they were aware that their local police station was identified as ranking among the top ten areas most affected by violent crime in the country.

Pillay said as a CPF, they took the crime statistics indicators seriously and remained committed to strengthening community safety, building partnerships, and ensuring accountability in crime-fighting efforts.

“The CPF, working closely with SAPS Phoenix and relevant stakeholders, has implemented and prioritised the following measures: increased community patrols, strengthening visibility by supporting the SAPS' operations, and mobilising accredited neighbourhood patrol groups.

Hotspot-focused interventions that targeted high-risk zones with intensified joint operations, including stop-and-searches, compliance inspections, and crime-prevention awareness drives, were another intervention of ours.

Youth and school safety initiatives were also a focal area, where expanding programmes aimed at preventing youth involvement in drugs, gangs, and violent activities,” she said.

Pillay vowed not to surrender Phoenix to crime. “The CPF remains committed to transparency, accountability, and meaningful action to restore safety and dignity to our community.”

DAILY NEWS