According to the latest figures from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zim-Stat), crime in Zimbabwe has seen a significant increase of 21.5%, with a total of 221,596 recorded offenses in the last quarter compared to 182,427 previously recorded. The national crime rate also rose to 1,459.9 per 100,000 people from 1,201.8 reported in the previous quarter.
Zim-Stat collects data on crime levels and trends in Zimbabwe based on police-recorded crime data, which is collected on a monthly basis. It's important to note that the recorded crime figures exclude crimes that have not been reported to the police.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, there were 326 cases of intentional homicide recorded. Tinashe Mwadiwa, the manager of social statistics at ZimStat, presented the 2023 fourth quarter crime statistics report, highlighting the increase in offenses.
Assaults and threats were the most frequent acts causing harm or intending to cause harm to individuals, with a rate of 195.9 per 100,000 population. Additionally, there were 37,602 cases of theft recorded, indicating a rate of 247.7 per 100,000 population.
Unlawful acts involving alcohol, tobacco, or other controlled substances were also prevalent, with a total of 4,886 cases recorded, representing a rate of 32.2 per 100,000 population.
The report revealed 3,235 cases of fraud and 48 cases of corruption, with crime rates of 21.3 and 0.3 per 100,000 population, respectively. Sexual violence offenses reached 3,091 cases, resulting in a crime rate of 20.4 per 100,000 population.
Other acts against public order, authority, and provisions of the state accounted for 7,548 offenses, translating to a crime rate of 49.7 per 100,000 population. Non-injurious vehicle and traffic violations recorded during the fourth quarter amounted to 88,967 cases, with a crime rate of 586.1 per 100,000 population.
Regarding prison admissions and discharges, at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, there were a total of 23,017 prisoners in Zimbabwe's prison facilities. Of these, 74.1% (17,050) were sentenced, and 25.9% (5,967) were unsentenced. Among the male prisoners, 74.5% (16,666) were sentenced, while 25.5% (5,700) were unsentenced. Among the female prisoners, 59% (384) were sentenced, and 41% (267) were unsentenced.
Out of the 13,806 prisoners discharged from prison, 48.5% (6,699) were sentenced, and 51.5% (7,107) were unsentenced. The majority of new prisoners, both male and female, fell within the age range of 25-29, followed by those aged between 20-24. The number of new prisoners decreased as age increased beyond the 25-29 age group.
