Bulawayo province recorded the highest number of theft-related cases in the country during the third quarter of 2025, making it the most crime-affected province nationwide, according to the latest crime report by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat). The report shows that Bulawayo had a crime rate of 6,321.3 per 100,000 population, more than double the national average of 2,508.3 per 100,000, driven largely by offences against property, which include theft. Bulawayo, together with Harare, Masvingo and Matabeleland South, recorded crime rates above the national average.
Zimstat noted that the data highlights growing crime pressures in major urban centres, particularly Bulawayo, underscoring the need for targeted crime prevention and law enforcement interventions. The total offences recorded in the third quarter of 2025 were as follows: theft 36,057, assaults and threats 27,350, burglary 9,66, drug offences 8,263, sexual violence 3,659 and fraud 2,849. Nationwide, the police recorded 380,727 criminal offences between July and September 2025, representing an 18.4 percent increase from 321,640 cases reported in the second quarter of the year.
Zimstat said the rise translated into a higher national crime rate of 2,508.3 crimes per 100,000 people, up from 2,119.0 per 100,000 in the previous quarter. Crimes against public safety and state security accounted for the bulk of offences, with 242,981 cases reported during the period. This category also recorded a sharp increase in its crime rate, rising to 1,600.8 per 100,000 population from 1,268.6 per 100,000 in the second quarter of 2025.
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Acts against property only, which include theft, unlawful entry and related offences, were the second most prevalent category, with 49,885 cases recorded nationwide. This was followed by acts leading to or intending to cause harm to persons, which stood at 41,609 cases. Zimstat noted that the concentration of theft and other property-related crimes was most pronounced in Bulawayo, contributing significantly to the province’s exceptionally high crime rate compared to the rest of the country.
The report further shows that 324,276 people were charged with criminal offences during the quarter under review. Men accounted for 87 percent of those charged. The overall charge rate increased to 2,136.4 per 100,000 population, up from 1,731.3 per 100,000 recorded in the second quarter. Gender-disaggregated data indicates that males had a charge rate of 3,881.9 per 100,000 population, more than seven times higher than the female charge rate of 523.6 per 100,000.
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