Cape Town Crime Statistics by Suburb (2026 Data)

Of Cape Town’s 744 suburbs, 736 map to a SAPS precinct and 482 receive a published safety index. The median safety index is 41/100 - half of scored suburbs sit below it. 81 suburbs fall in the lower reported crime band (67 or above), 260 are moderate (34-66), and 141 have higher reported crime (33 or below). Few public sources in South Africa provide suburb-level crime data at this granularity.

These scores are relative measures comparing suburbs within Cape Town, not absolute safety guarantees. A higher score means lower reported crime relative to other suburbs, not that a suburb is safe in any absolute sense. For how this works, see how we calculate safety indices.

How we measured this

StreetSignal’s safety index uses the Crime Harm Index (CHI) methodology, which weights each offence by its legislated minimum sentence rather than treating all crimes equally. A murder (5,475 imprisonment days) counts far more than a shoplifting incident (2 days). The composite score is the geometric mean (a way of combining two different scales) of two sub-indices: a per-capita harm rate and an absolute harm volume. Data source: SAPS Q4 2025/2026 (January-March 2026), mapped from police precincts to 744 suburbs.

SAPS publishes crime at precinct level, not suburb level. Multiple suburbs share a precinct, meaning suburbs under the same station receive the same safety index. This is a known limitation.

Which suburbs have the lowest reported crime?

Constantia scores 99+/100 on the safety index with both sub-indices at 100, making it the top-performing suburb in the metro. Brackenfell Central and Somerset West have suppressed scores because they sit in low-allocation precincts where SAPS data does not reliably reflect suburb-level conditions. Their annualised crime volumes (2,840 and 3,828 respectively) are recorded at precinct level but cannot be meaningfully converted to a safety index for these suburbs.

Rondebosch scores 37/100 with 1,096 annualised crimes across 23,267 residents and a stable trend. Fish Hoek scores 41/100 with 1,252 annualised crimes across 44,574 residents and a declining trend. At a median property valuation in the R1.5-2M band, it offers solid safety metrics at a fraction of Atlantic Seaboard prices.

For a deeper analysis of the safest end of the spectrum, see the safest suburbs in Cape Town 2026.

Which suburbs have higher reported crime?

Crime concentration in these suburbs reflects structural factors - decades of under-investment in infrastructure, services, and economic opportunity - not inherent community characteristics. The scores, calculated via the CHI composite methodology, must be read alongside trend direction.

Guguletu records 5,804 annualised crimes across 110,563 residents, but the trend is declining. Its rate sub-index of 18 reflects the concentrated harm typical of historically under-invested precincts. The downward trajectory is one of the more positive signals in the metro.

Milnerton scores 26/100 with both sub-indices low (rate 19, volume 36). With 6,012 annualised crimes across 87,344 residents and a stable trend, it sits in the higher reported crime band for buyers considering the West Coast corridor.

Khayelitsha records 6,732 annualised crimes with a declining trend. Its sub-index divergence is discussed in the section below.

Table View scores 28/100 with a stable trend. At 5,536 annualised crimes across 72,767 residents, it sits in the higher reported crime band despite its reputation as a family-friendly growth area. See is Table View safe for context.

What does moderate reported crime look like?

Mitchells Plain CBD scores 44/100 with a rate sub-index of 42 - the per-capita harm rate is moderate because its 226,109 residents form the fifth-largest precinct in Cape Town. The volume sub-index of 47 reflects 15,168 annualised crimes.

Camps Bay scores 48/100 with 824 annualised crimes - fewer than most precincts. The rate sub-index of 38 and volume sub-index of 61 show a gap: the small permanent population of 4,296 produces a lower per-capita score than the absolute volume alone would suggest. See is Camps Bay safe for more context.

Durbanville scores 32/100 on the safety index with sub-indices of rate 25 and volume 40. At 3,996 annualised crimes across 66,873 residents and a stable trend, it sits in the Higher reported crime band.

What the sub-indices reveal

The safety index is a composite of two sub-indices that sometimes tell very different stories.

Rate sub-index measures harm per 100,000 residents. It favours large-population suburbs where crime is spread across more people. Volume sub-index measures absolute harm. It favours small suburbs with fewer total incidents.

Khayelitsha (rate 37, volume 14, composite 23) and Camps Bay (rate 38, volume 61, composite 48) sit at opposite ends of this divergence. Khayelitsha’s per-capita rate of 37 appears moderate because 518,910 residents absorb the harm count - but 6,732 annualised crimes is substantial in absolute terms, pulling the volume sub-index down to 14. Camps Bay’s per-capita rate of 38 is similar to Khayelitsha’s, but just 824 annualised crimes produces a volume sub-index of 61. The composite balances both dimensions.

Tokai (score 41, rate 28, volume 60) and Bergvliet (score 33, rate 23, volume 48) share the Kirstenhof precinct with a station population of just 10,914. Their 1 352 annualised crimes produce a high per-capita rate despite moderate absolute volume. These suburbs score lower than their crime volumes alone would suggest.

Woodstock (score 20, rate 12, volume 33) follows a similar pattern. Its 3,900 annualised crimes across 24,789 residents produce a high per-capita harm rate (rate sub-index 12), and the absolute volume is moderate (volume sub-index 33). A buyer looking at Woodstock’s raw safety index of 20 might assume crime levels comparable to Nyanga (0/100, 7,240 crimes) - in reality, Woodstock records 46% fewer crimes.

StreetSignal surfaces both sub-indices alongside the composite on every suburb page. For a full explanation of the methodology, see the methodology page.

Frequently asked questions

Which suburbs have the highest reported crime rates?

Nyanga (0/100), Guguletu (13/100), and Langa (15/100) record the highest crime harm on StreetSignal’s safety index. Nyanga has 7,240 annualised crimes across 102,082 residents. These scores reflect concentrated under-investment in these areas, not inherent community characteristics.

What are the safest suburbs in Cape Town 2026?

Constantia scores 99+/100. Gordons Bay scores 51/100 and Camps Bay scores 48/100. Brackenfell Central and Somerset West have suppressed scores due to low-allocation precinct data. For the full ranking, see safest suburbs in Cape Town 2026.

How is Cape Town crime measured by StreetSignal?

StreetSignal uses the Crime Harm Index, weighting each offence by its legislated minimum sentence. The composite safety index combines per-capita harm rate and absolute volume via geometric mean. Source: SAPS Q4 2025/2026. Full details on the methodology page.

Is Cape Town crime getting worse in 2026?

It depends on the suburb. Fish Hoek, Edgemead, and Guguletu show declining trends. Bishop Lavis and Bellville CBD are trending upward. The picture is mixed across 736 suburbs.

Search all 744 suburbs on StreetSignal’s suburb index or read about safe and affordable options.