About SafetyBrief

SafetyBrief is the definitive free platform for exploring South African crime statistics. We make official SAPS (South African Police Service) data accessible, searchable, and understandable for every South African.

Why We Built This

Crime affects every aspect of life in South Africa — from where people choose to live, to how businesses assess risk, to how tourists plan their trips. Yet the official data has historically been locked away in PDF reports and difficult-to-navigate government portals. SafetyBrief changes that by making this public data truly accessible.

Data Sources

All crime statistics on this platform come from the South African Police Service (SAPS) quarterly crime statistics reports. These reports cover all 1,150+ police precincts across South Africa's nine provinces. Our current dataset covers the 2018/19 through 2023/24 financial years.

SAPS releases crime data quarterly, following the government fiscal year (April to March). Data is typically released 6-8 weeks after each quarter ends. We process and update our platform as new data becomes available.

What We Cover

• 37 individual crime categories across 5 groups
• 1,350 police precincts nationwide
• 9 provinces and 56 policing districts
• 6 years of trend data (2018-2023)
• Safety scores for every precinct

Disclaimer

SafetyBrief is an independent platform and is not affiliated with SAPS or the South African government. Crime statistics reflect reported crimes only and may not capture the full picture of crime in any area. Under-reporting varies by crime type and area.

Safety scores are estimates based on reported crime rates and should not be the sole basis for decisions about personal safety, property purchases, or insurance. See our methodology page for details on how scores are calculated.