Cape Town CBD crime drops by 35%, security measures proving effective
Crime in the CBD dropped
Image: File picture
Crime incidents in the Cape Town CBD dropped by 35 % year-on-year from January to mid-September, according to statistics released by the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID).
The number of crime-related incidents reported to CCID Safety & Security’s 24-hour control room in the city centre dropped from 1 186 incidents to 773 from 1 January – 15 September 2024 compared with the same reporting period this year.
A notable decrease was recorded in cases of credit card fraud and scamming, with incidents dropping from 116 in 2024 to 51 for the same period in 2025.
“This is a decrease of 56 % which is very positive as card swapping is a huge concern, not only in the CBD but in the neighbouring precincts and other areas in greater Cape Town where there are high volumes of tourists,” said Jurie Bruwer, manager of CCID Safety & Security.
The statistics are part of the department’s analysis of crime patterns and trends within the CCID’s 1.6 km² geographical footprint in the Cape Town CBD and apply only to this area.
Bruwer said: “This huge drop in the total number of incidents is due to increased and strategic deployment of the CCID’s Public Safety Officers and mobile units who work in shifts in the CBD 24/7.”
The statistics exclude incidents of being in possession of an illegal substance. They include crimes such as credit card fraud, theft out of motor vehicles, general theft, common robbery, armed/business robberies, cell-phone theft, shoplifting, drinking & driving, being in possession of stolen goods, and being in possession of a dangerous weapon.
General theft decreased by 66 %, dropping from 80 to 27 incidents, followed by a 65 % decrease in cell-phone theft, a 56 % decrease in credit-card/ATM fraud and a 50 % decrease in armed/business robberies.
Shoplifting was down from 52 to 38 incidents (27 %), while theft out of motor vehicles dropped from 188 incidents to 121 (36 %).
However, the number of incidents related to drug possession increased from 83 to 407, with the CCID helping secure 366 arrests – with assistance from SAPS and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement – of criminals found in possession of an illegal substance.
“There was also an increase of 129 % in the number of drinking & driving incidents which went from 14 in 2024 to 32 in 2025 for the period under review,” said Bruwer.
He added that the reduction in most crime categories was a result of dedicated policing of the CBD by the CCID in collaboration with its partners, SAPS and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement, as well as CCID-funded City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Officers.
“We conduct up to 100 joint crime-prevention operations in town every week and also have a very good working relationship with the City of Cape Town’s Traffic department and its camera surveillance unit, Cyclops,” he said.
The CCID’s 327 security officers work in shifts day and night. “They are strategically deployed to avert crime in our area,” Bruwer said.
He concluded that the department’s effective use of technology had made it easier to proactively identify known criminals and monitor their behaviour before they commit a crime. “This has also played a role in the drop in crime incidents,” he said.
Key statistics from January – mid-September 2025 compared with 2024:
- Overall crime incidents: down 35 % (1 186 to 773)
- Credit card fraud/ATM scams: down 56 % (116 to 51)
- General theft: down 66 % (80 to 27)
- Cell-phone theft: down 65 %
- Armed/business robberies: down 50 %
- Shoplifting: down 27 % (52 to 38)
- Theft out of motor vehicles: down 36 % (188 to 121)
- Drug possession: up 390 % (83 to 407) – 366 arrests made
- Drinking & driving: up 129 % (14 to 32)
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za