Crime in Krugersdorp and the wider West Rand remains a concern, with certain types of offences consistently prevalent in the area.

Karen du Plessis, spokesperson for the police’s West Rand Flying Squad, explained that the following crimes are most common across the region:

• Contact crimes (offences against a person):

Du Plessis said these are particularly prominent in CBD areas due to high foot traffic, alcohol and drug abuse as well as overcrowding. They include assault, robbery, attempted murder, murder, sexual offences and domestic violence.

• Contact-related crimes (often accompanying violent crime):

These include illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, drug-related offences and driving under the influence of alcohol.

• Property-related crimes:

High rates of property crimes in CBD areas are linked to shops, offices, parked vehicles and limited security. This category includes burglary at non-residential premises, residential burglaries, thefts, and malicious damage to property such as vandalism.

• Trio crimes (high-impact priority crimes):

Du Plessis describes these as robberies with aggravating circumstances, hijackings and business robberies.

• Crimes dependent on police action:

“These are detected crimes, often under-reported but widespread,” Du Plessis said.

They include possession of drugs and suspected stolen property, illegal liquor trading, municipal by-law violations and loitering linked to criminal activity.

She added that other recurring CBD-specific issues, which do not always appear in official statistics but impact public safety, include gang-related activity, taxi-related violence, informal trading linked to theft and drug dealing, human trafficking indicators, and homeless-related crimes such as theft.

“The Krugersdorp CBD experiences persistent and high levels of contact crime, property-related crime, drug-related offences, and robbery with aggravating circumstances. These crimes are exacerbated by high pedestrian movement, informal trading, substance abuse, and limited after-hours security, making the CBD a high-risk policing environment requiring focused visibility, crime intelligence, and integrated law-enforcement operations,” she concluded.