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Washington Crime Statistics

Langa Precinct |City of Cape Town
3 of 4 quarters (Apr 2025 – Dec 2025) SAPS Data
Precinct-level data
Washington falls within the Langa police precinct. SAPS reports crime at precinct level — all suburbs in this precinct share the same statistics. Other suburbs: Langa.
Crime in the Langa precinct area (covering Washington) increased 7.9% year-on-year with 1,961 reported serious crimes, and is 4% below its pre-COVID level. The most reported crime is Drug-related crime (371 cases). Drug-related crime saw the biggest increase (+70).
About this data

These are raw crime counts from SAPS — not adjusted for population. Areas with more residents will naturally report more crimes. The most reliable indicator is the trend over time, which compares this area against its own history. Learn more

Crime volume

High

relative to other WC precincts

Reported crimes

1,961

2025-2026 · 9 of 12 months

Year-on-year

↑ 7.9%

more crimes vs 2024-2025

(based on 3 of 4 quarters)

vs its pre-COVID level

↓ 4%

below 2018-2019

Crime in the Langa precinct area (covering Washington) rose 7.9% year-on-year.
This area reports 112% more crimes than the provincial median (925.5 crimes).

Crime by type

Year-on-year change by crime category. Murder is shown separately but is included in the violent crime total.

Murder

62

↑ 10.7% YoY

Violent crime

1,015

↑ 8.3% YoY

Property crime

210

↓ 24.5% YoY

Other crime

736

↑ 22.3% YoY

What's changing?

Biggest year-on-year movements in crime categories

Drug-related crime(301→371)
+70
Residential burglary(201→134)
-67
Common assault(252→317)
+65
Malicious damage(139→160)
+21

Crime trend by year

Hollow points with dashed lines indicate years with fewer than 4 quarters of data. These totals may be lower because not all quarters have been released by SAPS.

Crime breakdown

Top reported offences in 2025-2026

Drug-related crime371
Common assault317
Serious assault257
Aggravated robbery242
Malicious damage160
Residential burglary134
Common robbery74
Murder62

Compare with nearby areas

Other precincts in City of Cape Town

Sorted by total reported crimes (lowest first)

Table Bay Harbour

182 crimes ↓ 6.9%

Simon's Town

204 crimes ↓ 17.8%

Camps Bay

206 crimes ↓ 10.4%

Melkbosstrand

210 crimes ↓ 5.7%

Philadelphia

220 crimes ↓ 10.4%

Rondebosch

412 crimes ↓ 30.3%

Compare Washington

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about crime in Washington

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Data Sources & Notes

  • Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics
  • Population: City of Cape Town Census 2022 Police Precinct Profiles
  • SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Crime reporting rates vary by area.
  • 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 →