Crime incidents in the Cape Town CBD dropped by 35 % year-on-year, according to statistics released by the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID).
Crime incidents in the Cape Town CBD – especially those related to credit-card fraud and card scamming – have dropped dramatically in the past year, according to the Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) Safety & Security department.
The total number of crime-related incidents reported to the CCID’s 24-hour control room decreased year-on-year from 1 186 incidents in 2024 to 773 incidents in 2025 for the period 1 January – 15 September respectively.
There was a notable decrease in crime related to credit card fraud / scamming with the number of incidents dropping from 116 in 2024 to 51 for the same period in 2025. “This is a decrease of 56 % which is very positive as card swapping is a huge concern, not only in the CBD but in the neighbouring precincts and other areas in greater Cape Town where there are high volumes of tourists,” says Jurie Bruwer, manager of CCID Safety & Security.
The statistics are part of the department’s analysis of crime patterns and trends within the CCID’s 1.6 km ² geographical footprint in the Cape Town CBD and are applicable only to this area.
STRATEGIC DEPLOYMENT
Bruwer says: “This huge drop in the total number of incidents is due to increased and strategic deployment of the CCID’s Public Safety Officers and mobile units who work in shifts in the CBD 24/7.”
The statistics exclude incidents of being in possession of an illegal substance. They include the following crimes: credit card fraud; theft out of motor vehicles; general theft; common robbery; armed/business robberies; cell-phone theft; shoplifting, drinking & driving; being in possession of stolen goods; and being in possession of a dangerous weapon.
General theft decreased by 66 %, dropping from 80 to 27 incidents, followed by a 65 % decrease in cell-phone theft, 56 % decrease in credit-card/ATM fraud and 50 % decrease in armed/business robberies.
Shoplifting was down from 52 to 38 incidents (27 %) as well as theft out of motor vehicles which dropped from188 incidents to 121 incidents (36 %).
While the number of incidents related to drug possession increased from 83 to 407 incidents, the CCID helped secure 366 arrests – with assistance from SAPS and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement – of criminals who were in possession of an illegal substance.
“There was also an increase of 129 % in the number of drinking & driving incidents which went from 14 in 2024 to 32 in 2025 for the period under review.”
DEDICATED POLICING
Bruwer says the reduction in most crime categories is a result of dedicated policing of the CBD by the CCID in collaboration with its partners, SAPS and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement, as well as CCID-funded City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Officers. “We conduct up to 100 joint crime-prevention operations in town every week and also have a very good working relationship with the City of Cape Town’s Traffic department and its camera surveillance unit, Cyclops,” he notes.
The CCID’s 327 security officers work in shifts day and night. “They are strategically deployed to avert crime in our area.”
Bruwer says the department’s effective use of technology has made it easier to proactively identify known criminals, and to monitor their behaviour before they commit a crime. “This has also played a role in the drop in crime incidents,” he concludes.
IMAGES: CCID