Significant decrease in robbery and theft cases in Cape Town CBD

There has been a significant drop in the number of robbery and theft cases reported in the Cape Town Central Business District (CBD).

According to statistics released by the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID), robbery and theft cases have dropped by 50 percent since the start of the 2024 festive season, compared with the same period in 2023/2024.

“The number of reported crime-related incidents dropped by 34%, from 406 incidents to 267,” said Jurie Bruwer, manager of CCID Safety & Security. In addition, there was an increase in the number of arrests secured by the CCID in the CBD during the same period. Bruwer said the number of arrests increased from 110 to 141.

The stats are linked to the department’s strategic three-month festive season crime-prevention plan, which ran from 15 November 2024 to 15 February 2025.

Decrease in these crimes

There was a decrease in the following crime categories:

• Shoplifting by 80%
• Common robbery by 58%
• Business break-ins and general theft both by 50%
• Theft out of motor vehicles by 27%)

Unchanged categories 

• Possession of an illegal substance
• Possession of possible stolen goods

The CCID provides security services in a 1.6 km² geographical footprint in the CBD to complement those provided by its primary partners (SAPS, City of Cape Town law enforcement agencies and CCID-funded law enforcement officers) to ensure a secure inner city and enhance public safety. It has 323 Public Safety Officers (PSOs) who are deployed in shifts in the CBD 24/7 365 days of the year.

Providing a visible police presence in the bustling inner city is paramount, and during the period under review, joint crime-prevention operations carried out between CCID Safety & Security, and its partners, increased by 52% – rising from 376 operations to 570, said Bruwer.

The purpose

Bruwer said the purpose of the CCID’s festive season action plan was to:

• Identify potential risks that could affect public safety and security in the CBD;
• Initiate measures to mitigate these through appropriate operations;
• Initiate collaborative operations with primary partners to ensure public spaces in the CBD remained safe.

“It’s our responsibility to ensure that visitors, residents, people who do business and work in the Cape Town CBD feel safe and secure,” Bruwer added.