Crime in Tanzania

The Tanzania Police Force (TPF), also called Jeshi la Polisi Tanzania, handles crime prevention, reports, investigations, arrests and transfers to court. Its structure includes 35 police regions, with 30 on Mainland Tanzania and 5 in Zanzibar, as well as 12 units and 8 commissions. The Crime Statistics Unit under the Director of Criminal Investigations compiles police crime data. Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar have separate systems and coverage, so their figures should not be treated as one uniform local picture. From January to December 2025, police recorded 595,549 criminal offences, including 46,334 major offences and 549,215 minor offences. The reported criminal-offence total fell by 3.2% from 2024, major offences fell by 8.4% and minor offences fell by 2.7%. The combined total for crime and traffic cases was 3,771,620, an increase of 1.4%. Mainland Tanzania accounted for 573,335 criminal offences and Zanzibar for 22,214. These are reported-case counts, not population-adjusted risk rates or a measure of all crime. Under-reporting is especially likely for gender-based violence. Reported person-related offences in 2025 included 1,921 murders, 7,876 rapes, 1,757 unnatural offences, 88 child-stealing cases and 12 human-trafficking cases. Police recorded 30,127 gender-based-violence cases, including 12,547 sexual, 12,975 physical and 2,188 emotional-violence cases. Children accounted for 13,430 of these cases and adults for 16,697. Among child-related reports, rape accounted for 7,111 cases, unnatural offences for 1,648 and impregnating a student for 1,105. Property and everyday crime reports included 8,053 breaking offences, 3,872 motorcycle thefts, 3,789 livestock thefts, 604 robberies with violence, 288 armed robberies, 741 arson cases, 256 cases involving destruction of infrastructure and 830 financial-crime cases. Official safety information also identifies burglary and home invasion, assault, sexual assault, bag-snatching and pickpocketing, vehicle crime and express kidnapping as relevant risks. Armed crime can occur throughout Tanzania. Practical exposure changes with location, time, transport, money and valuables, social setting and whether a person is alone. Higher 2025 reported counts do not by themselves prove that one region is more dangerous after population, reporting behaviour and coverage are considered. Among Mainland regions, reported major offences were highest in Kinondoni with 3,407 cases, Mara with 2,820, Tanga with 2,508, Kilimanjaro with 2,480 and Pwani with 2,208. In Zanzibar, Mjini Magharibi recorded 947 major offences and Kusini Unguja 518. Reported person-related offences were highest in Kinondoni with 730, Dodoma with 660 and Tanga with 632. Reported property offences were highest in Kinondoni with 1,688, Tanga with 1,233 and Morogoro with 1,050. These raw figures support workload comparisons, not causal explanations or personal risk rankings. Dar es Salaam requires particular care in the city centre, Masaki and Oysterbay, Coco Beach and along Toure Drive. Zanzibar risks are relevant in Stone Town, around hotels and on beaches. Home invasions have been reported as a concern in Arusha and Dar es Salaam. Avoid walking alone at night where a safer alternative exists, keep cash and valuables out of sight, secure doors and windows, lock vehicles and do not leave valuables visible. Use a taxi arranged through a hotel or a reputable provider. Do not stop for or enter a vehicle with unknown people, and do not leave drinks unattended. For dating or isolated meetings, use a trusted contact and a location-sharing plan. If an armed offender threatens you, create distance when possible and avoid resistance that could increase immediate danger. For an emergency, call the police on 112 in Tanzania. The crime-prevention number is 111. A police station registers the incident, provides a Report Book (RB) number and assigns an investigator. Keep the RB number and the investigator's details. If a station refuses to register a report or does not address the matter, ask for the station commander or approach the next police level. No reliable general processing deadline has been established, so follow-up timing depends on the case and the responsible office. Gender-based violence (GBV) and violence against children (VAC) can be reported to a Gender and Children Desk, known locally as Madawati ya Jinsia na Watoto, as well as to a police station. A Social Welfare Office, health facility or hospital and legal-aid desk can provide additional support or referrals. An One Stop Centre (OSC) combines police, medical, psychosocial and legal assistance where available. An official 2023 parliamentary statement reported 22 OSCs at 13 regional hospitals and 11 safe houses, with a target of at least one OSC per region; current availability must be checked locally. Official project guidance describes OSC services as free, but local access and capacity can differ. The Child Helpline 116 connects children to a child-protection and Gender and Children Desk emergency pathway. The 2024 Violence Against Children and Youth Survey was a national household study of 11,414 people aged 13 to 24 across all 31 regions, with separate Mainland and Zanzibar analyses. Among 13- to 17-year-olds, physical violence in the previous 12 months was reported by 14.6% of females and 15.7% of males. Among 13- to 24-year-olds, lifetime physical violence was reported by 28.9% of females and 29.0% of males. Only 8.7% of females and 14.2% of males who had experienced violence had ever received help. Fear, guilt and embarrassment were common reasons for not seeking help, while family and community settings often influence safety and reporting. Digital crime is also part of everyday safety in Tanzania. Police recorded 1,464 cyber offences in 2025, an increase of 14.3%. Computer-related fraud reached 408 cases, up 197.8%; other reported categories included 210 illegal-interception cases, 112 illegal-data-interference cases, 213 cyberbullying cases, 30 identity-related crimes and 3 child-pornography cases. Financial-transaction fraud accounted for 3,424 cases, with reported losses of TZS 4,778,550,573, 356 arrests and TZS 288,971,100 recovered. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) states that police handle telecommunications fraud. Report the incident at a police station, obtain an RB number and keep the investigator's details. A fraudulent number can also be reported by sending the SMS keyword UTAPELI to 15040. TZ-CERT coordinates cybersecurity incident response. Its reporting form, incidents@tzcert.go.tz and +255 22 2412039 are available Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00. Preserve screenshots, telephone numbers, URLs, timestamps, transaction IDs and IMEI details where relevant. Change compromised passwords and protect accounts, but never disclose passwords or PINs to a caller, message sender or supposed support agent. TPF awareness work, patrols, community and religious-leader cooperation, Gender and Children Desk expansion and digital forensics complement personal precautions. A safety decision should match the specific exposure rather than rely on a national crime label. Check the current local situation, arrange transport through a trusted provider, keep valuables discreet and tell a trusted contact where you are going. Report incidents promptly because the police record, RB number and investigator assignment create the documented starting point for follow-up.