Sydenham Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Sydenham precinct?
The Sydenham SAPS precinct recorded 3,116 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 4% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 796 crimes, up 8.6% vs Apr–Jun 2025 (733).
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 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
3,116
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs pre-COVID baseline
↓ 16.2%
below 2018-2019
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 | 499 | -143 |
| Drug-related crime | 369 | +54 |
| Aggravated robbery | 319 | +35 |
| Carjacking | 24 | |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 57 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 38 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Common assault | 277 | -27 |
| Commercial crime | 244 | +9 |
| Residential burglary | 211 | -9 |
| Serious assault | 184 | +35 |
| Theft from vehicle | 181 | -31 |
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
↓ 12.2%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 31.8%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 499 | 642 | -143 |
| Drug-related crime | 369 | 315 | +54 |
| Aggravated robbery | 319 | 284 | +35 |
| Carjacking | 24 | 23 | +1 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 57 | 39 | +18 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 38 | 34 | +4 |
| 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. | |||
| Common assault | 277 | 304 | -27 |
| Commercial crime | 244 | 235 | +9 |
| Residential burglary | 211 | 220 | -9 |
| Serious assault | 184 | 149 | +35 |
| Theft from vehicle | 181 | 212 | -31 |
| Vehicle theft | 172 | 181 | -9 |
| Malicious damage | 135 | 141 | -6 |
| Attempted murder | 82 | 68 | +14 |
| Shoplifting | 63 | 78 | -15 |
| Rape | 61 | 68 | -7 |
| Common robbery | 54 | 78 | -24 |
| Murder | 53 | 50 | +3 |
| Kidnapping | 52 | 32 | +20 |
| Culpable homicide | 35 | 47 | -12 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 28 | 34 | -6 |
| Crimen injuria | 27 | 29 | -2 |
| Business burglary | 26 | 28 | -2 |
| Sexual assault | 18 | 15 | +3 |
| Public violence | 8 | 14 | -6 |
| Arson | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 3 | 6 | -3 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Stock-theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Sydenham, listed alphabetically
See Sydenham 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 KwaZulu-Natal precinct around it.
Open Sydenham on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Sydenham
Check another area
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 →