Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
MATABELELAND North has recorded one of the lowest crime rates in the country and is the only province to register a decline in reported offences between the first and second quarters of 2026, bucking a nationwide upward trend, latest statistics show.
The province recorded 1 731,3 offences per 100 000 population between April and June, significantly below the national rate of 2 979,2, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) 2026 Second Quarter Crime Statistics Report released on Wednesday.
Only Manicaland and Mashonaland East recorded lower crime rates, at 1 246 and 1 336,2 offences per 100 000 population respectively.
Matabeleland North’s performance comes against a worrying national picture, with police-recorded offences increasing by 14,3 percent in the second quarter, from 428 634 in the first quarter to 489 922.
“Crime rates increased across most provinces between Q1 and Q2 2026, while Matabeleland North recorded a slight decline,” ZIMSTAT noted in the report.
The national crime rate rose by 12,4 percent quarter-on-quarter and 40,6 percent compared to the corresponding period last year, when 2 119 offences per 100 000 population were recorded.
The statistics, compiled from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Crime Report and Disposal System and classified under the United Nations International Classification of Crime for Statistical
Purposes (ICCS), reveal significant disparities in crime levels across the country’s provinces.
Harare recorded the highest crime rate at 7 260,4 offences per 100 000 population, more than twice the national average, followed by Bulawayo at 4 736,6.
Other provinces recording rates above the national average were Masvingo at 3 183,3 and Matabeleland South at 3 074,2, while Midlands recorded 2 546,4.
Matabeleland North’s marginal decline therefore stands out in a period when most provinces experienced an increase in police-recorded offences.
However, a closer examination of the national figures shows that the overall increase was largely driven by offences classified under “Acts against public safety and state security”, which accounted for 336 638 cases, nearly seven out of every 10 offences recorded during the quarter.
Non-injurious traffic violations alone accounted for 335 723 cases, translating to a rate of 2 075,4 per 100 000 population.
This means that traffic-related offences dominated the national crime statistics, making it important to distinguish between the overall recorded crime rate and conventional offences such as theft, burglary, assault and sexual violence.
The report shows that theft was the leading offence among selected conventional crimes, with 34 236 cases recorded, translating to 211,6 offences per 100 000 population.
Assaults and threats accounted for 26 476 cases, or 163,7 per 100 000, while drug-related offences stood at 14 127 and burglary at 7 835.
Sexual violence accounted for 3 487 cases, while 371 cases of intentional homicide were recorded, representing a rate of 2,3 per 100 000 population.
ZIMSTAT said the figures were based on information collected through the ZRP Crime Report and Disposal System and classified according to the United Nations International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes.
The agency cautioned that the statistics cover offences reported to and recorded by the police, meaning crimes that go unreported are not captured.
The report also provides a breakdown of persons charged with criminal offences during the quarter, with 427 786 people recorded as having been charged.
Of these, 89 percent were male, reflecting a significant gender disparity in the recorded charge rates.
“The charge rate among males was 4 910.6 per 100 000 male population, compared with 553.3 per 100,000 female population, indicating that males were charged at a rate nearly nine times higher than females,” ZIMSTAT said.
