Two Helderberg police stations rank among South Africa’s top 30 for drug-related crime and commercial crime respectively, according to the latest quarterly crime statistics.

The figures rank the top 30 stations out of 1 174 nationally for each crime category recorded between April and June.

Somerset West makes the most appearances among the Helderberg stations, featuring across 13 crime categories, but Lwandle’s rankings are more concentrated on violent crime, Strand leads the basin for drug-related crime, while Macassar has entered the provincial top 30 for rape.

Somerset West ranks eighth in the Western Cape and 41st nationally for other serious crimes, with 396 cases, a category driven by commercial crime, where 205 cases landed the precinct on number 3 in the province and 28th in SA. The precinct’s 39 shoplifting cases ranked it 14th provincially, and a further 152 cases of all theft not mentioned elsewhere placed it 25th.

In contact crime Somerset West ranked 14th in the province for house robbery, with nine cases and 20th for trio crimes (combined category of carjacking, house robbery and business robbery) with 13 cases.

Property-related crime totalled 132 cases, ranking the station 30th in the province. This included 55 cases of residential burglary, placing it 21st, and 15 cases of non-residential burglary, ranking 22nd. A further 16 cases of motor vehicle and motorcycle theft were recorded.

For crimes dependent on police action Somerset West officers registered 37 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, ranking the station 20th in the province.

Violence in Lwandle

In other offences, a single case of public violence ranked the precinct 29th in the province, while nine cases of culpable homicide placed Somerset West first in the Western Cape and 29th nationally.

Somerset West appears most across crime categories, while Lwandle appears less often, but is more concentrated on violent crime.

The station’s 284 contact crime cases ranked it 28th in the province, driven by 21 murders placing it at 18th, 53 cases of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm (assault GBH) at 27th, and 73 cases of robbery with aggravating circumstances at 20th.

For robberies Lwandle ranked sixth in the province for house robbery, with 15 cases, and 14th for trio crimes, with 19 cases. It also ranked 17th for sexual offences with 26 cases, comprising 19 cases of rape, six cases of sexual assault and one case of contact sexual offences.

Lwandle Community Police Forum chair Chwayita Bhuqa said the stats indicate how the area has changed from a rural community to an urban one with social ills.

“It’s painful, but I believe the problem lies with alcohol and what comes with it,” said Bhuqa.
Like Somerset West, Lwandle officers feature among crimes dependent on police action, with 49 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs ranking the station 14th in the province.

Macassar’s crime profile has shifted notably in a single quarter. The station’s rape count of 13 cases has landed it in the provincial top 30, at 28th, having not appeared on the list in the final quarter of the 2025-’26 financial year.

Other statistics show Macassar ranks 26th in the Western Cape for assault GBH, with 54 cases, and 21st for business robbery with three cases. The station is also ranked 18th in the province for contact-related crime, with 85 cases, comprising two arsons and 83 cases of malicious damage to property.

Macassar finds itself in the provincial top 30 for burglary at residential premises, at 24th with 52 cases and for crimen injuria 26th, with 21 cases.

The Strand precinct ranks highest in the Helderberg for crimes dependent on police action, at 17th in the province and 18th in the country. This is largely driven by drug-related crime, where 495 cases account for all but 13 of the precinct’s total in the category.

Strand CPF chairperson Lillian Albertyn said this is down to the precinct having a problem with drug houses, and while the numbers are impressive “there is always room for improvement”.

She called on police to be even more productive when it comes to drug-related crime.

Strand also features in the provincial top 30 for other crime categories, ranking 30th for common assault with 107 cases and 24th for arson with two cases. The precinct ranks higher than Somerset West for property-related crime at 28th with 135 cases, a significant improvement from eighth in the previous quarter, partly driven by theft from motor vehicle dropping to 71 cases, which ranks the station 18th in the province.

As for the other serious crime category, Strand ranks 27th with 240 cases, including 104 of commercial crime ranking the station 16th in the province.

The final station, Gordon’s Bay, barely registers in the stats, but its single appearance is at 13th place in the province for culpable homicide, with four registered cases.