By a Correspondent
The volume of reported offences in Zimbabwe rose marginally by 0.4 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reaching 428,634 cases from 426,946 recorded in the final quarter of 2025, official statistics show.
Despite the increase in the absolute number of offences, the national crime rate per capita fell to 2,649.8 offences per 100,000 people, down from 2,812.7 in the previous quarter.
Data released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) shows that offences classified under public safety, public order and state security accounted for the largest share of cases, with 288,279 offences recorded during the three-month period.
The category had a rate of 1,782.1 offences per 100,000 people.
ZimStat Director-General Tafadzwa Bandama said the figures showed significant regional disparities, with several major urban centres recording crime rates substantially above the national average.
Harare, Bulawayo and Masvingo policing provinces recorded rates above the national benchmark, with Harare emerging as the country’s main crime hotspot.
Harare recorded 6,549.2 offences per 100,000 residents — more than twice the national rate.
The first-quarter figures also showed that assault and criminal threats were among the most common offences against individuals, accounting for 27,181 cases at a rate of 168 offences per 100,000 people.
Acts classified as dangerous accounted for another 13,192 cases, while 306 intentional homicide cases were recorded, equivalent to 1.9 cases per 100,000 people.
Property and financial crimes also remained a significant burden on law enforcement agencies.
Theft was the most prevalent property-related offence, with 35,109 cases recorded nationally, translating to a rate of 217 offences per 100,000 people.
Police also recorded 3,336 cases involving illegal dangerous drugs or chemical precursors, giving a rate of 20.6 per 100,000 people.
Fraud accounted for 3,241 cases during the quarter, while only 47 corruption cases were formally recorded nationwide.
The figures paint a mixed picture of Zimbabwe’s crime landscape, with the overall number of reported offences edging upwards even as the per-capita crime rate declined.
The sharp disparity between the national rate and figures recorded in major urban centres, particularly Harare, also highlights the concentration of criminal activity in densely populated metropolitan areas.
