Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe has seen a significant surge in crime rates, with a 4.6 percent increase in the third quarter of last year compared to the previous quarter, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT).
The national crime rate now stands at 1 356.6 crimes per 100 000 people, up from 1 296.5 in the second quarter. Crime in the country continues an upward trend registering over 4 percent during the third quarter of last year.
“The police recorded 205 925 offences from July to September 2024, a 4.6 percent increase from 196 796 offences in the second quarter of 2024,” ZIMSTAT said in its third quarter report.
There were 84 001 offences committed in the public safety and state security category and 350 cases of intentional homicide recorded in the period under review while the assaults and threats category was the most frequent acts, causing harm or intending to cause harm to the person, with the rate of this category standing at 171.9 offences per 100 000 people.
“There were 34 330 cases of theft indicating a rate of 226.2 per 100 000 population, 1 398 of unlawful acts involving controlled drugs or precursors indicating a rate of 9.2 per 100 000 population,” said ZIMSTAT.
“There were 2 566 cases of fraud and 64 cases of corruption recorded indicating crime rates of 16.9 and 0.4 per 100 000 population, respectively.”
The number of offences recorded under other acts against public order, authority and provisions of the State was 4 555, translating to a crime rate of 30 per 100 000 population. The quarter witnessed 83 732 cases of non-injurious traffic violations, resulting in a crime rate of 551.6 per 100,000 population.
There were 3 243 cases of sexual violence recorded, representing a crime rate of 21.4 per 100 000 population with the crime statistics indicating a concerning upward trend in various categories of crime.
New Ziana