Murders and other crimes recorded by SAPS each quarter, the murder rate since 1994/95, and what the victims survey says the police figures miss.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) recorded 5 427 murders from April to June 2026, 5,9% fewer than the 5 770 in the same quarter of 2025. That is its latest quarterly release, published on 28 August 2026. In 2024/25, the latest year with annual figures, SAPS recorded 39,1 murders for every 100 000 people.
Next release. SAPS quarterly crime statistics, July to September 2026: Friday 20 November 2026, 12:00. This is the date on SAPS's own release calendar. SAPS dates can move: the first-quarter release was postponed by a week.
The line shows SAPS's own published murder rates, for financial years from April to March. It has a gap at 2014/15, the one year SAPS published a count but no rate, and the rates on either side of the gap use different population estimates. The dashed line divides the same counts by one consistent population series from Stats SA.
Source: SAPS annual crime statistics, 2004, 2013, 2014 and 2015 releases (from the Internet Archive) and the 2024/25 annual figures, pages 9 and 18; dashed line, Stats SA, Mid-year population estimates 2026, P0302 (released 30 July 2026).
SAPS recorded 66,9 murders per 100 000 people in 1994/95 and 30,9 in 2011/12. Its rate was 39,1 in 2024/25, down from 44,3 the year before.
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These are recorded crimes: offences reported to the police or found by them. A fall in a SAPS count does not always mean a fall in crime, because the share of crimes that is reported can change. Murder is the most completely recorded crime. Quarterly figures are provisional until SAPS publishes the annual figures for the year.
Latest quarter: SAPS, crime statistics for the first quarter of 2026/27 (April to June 2026), published 28 August 2026. Next release: SAPS, Pre-release crime statistics release calendar, 2026/2027 financial year, signed 19 June 2026. Checked on 7 November 2026.