Polokwane crime: Business burglaries down, street robberies up
Polokwane crime stats show business burglaries down, but street robberies spiked, placing the city among the top 20 stations nationally.
POLOKWANE – The latest crime statistics for cases reported at the Polokwane Police Station during the first three months of 2026 show improvements in several categories, although concerns remain over a sharp rise in street robberies.
The SAPS Fourth Quarter 2025/2026 crime report, released nationally last week, showed that Polokwane recorded 1 342 incidents of 17 community-reported serious crimes, a 7.7% decrease, or 112 fewer cases, compared to the same period last year.
Property crimes decline
One of the station’s biggest successes was the reduction in property-related crimes, particularly business burglaries.
Burglaries at non-residential premises dropped significantly by 35.5%, from 93 cases to 60 during the three-month period.
The decrease suggests improved security measures by businesses and increased police visibility in commercial areas.
Overall property-related crimes also declined by 17.1%, dropping from 432 cases to 358.
Theft out of motor vehicles decreased by 10%, with 216 cases reported compared to 240 in the previous year.
Sharp increase in street robberies
Despite these improvements, common robbery – involving the use of force against victims in public spaces – increased sharply.
Police recorded 64 common robberies during the quarter, a 52.4% increase from the 42 cases reported during the same period last year.
The increase places Polokwane among the top 20 police stations nationally for this category of crime.
Other crime trends
The statistics further showed:
- A 12.9% decrease in other serious crimes (from 711 to 619 cases)
- A 21.5% decline in general theft
- A 3% decrease in commercial crime
- A 15.1% drop in shoplifting cases
The shoplifting figures suggest progress in curbing retail theft.
CPF urges residents to keep reporting crime
Polokwane Community Policing Forum chairperson Rudolph Phaswana urged residents to continue reporting all crimes to police to help ensure accurate crime data and effective intervention strategies.
He also applauded the efforts of both formal and informal community structures working alongside police to combat crime in the city.
