Q3 crime stats: murders fall 8.7% to 6,351, but minister warns crime levels remain far too high
The October-December 2025 stats show murders down 8.7% to 6,351, carjackings down to 4,420 and house robberies down to 5,450 - but the acting police minister says levels remain far too high.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia released the third-quarter 2025/26 crime statistics (October-December 2025) in Pretoria on 20 February 2026, TimesLIVE reported.
6,351 murders were recorded in the quarter - an 8.7% year-on-year decrease of 602 fewer killings. Over two years, quarterly murders have fallen 17.6%, meaning 1,359 fewer deaths.
Carjackings fell to 4,420 from 4,807 in the same quarter a year earlier. Residential robberies dropped to 5,450 from 6,259, and non-residential (business) robberies to 2,942 from 3,796.
Total contact crimes decreased 6.7%, with 12,682 fewer cases reported to SAPS compared with the same quarter the previous year, per TimesLIVE.
Cachalia cautioned that crime levels remain far too high, and that while many communities recorded decreases, there are still too many that recorded increases in violent and property crimes.
▶ the official Q3 crime statistics release
Source: TimesLIVE, 20 February 2026 - timeslive.co.za (also: ewn.co.za)
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