Crime in Bridgend district: statistics, rates and trends

Violence and sexual offences (5,357), anti-social behaviour (1,682) and public order (1,536) made up 69% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 162nd of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.

Recorded crime in Bridgend district peaked in the year to August 2020 (14,295 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2022 (11,321). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 1%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.

Month by month

Compared with England and Wales, Bridgend district recorded notably more public order (56% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (79% below) and bicycle theft (75% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 34 to 71 and theft from the person rose from 40 to 52, while drugs fell from 424 to 318 and vehicle crime fell from 356 to 297.

What each category covers: crime categories.

10,342 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Bridgend district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 70.1 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 5% on the year ending March 2025 (9,879), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Bridgend district had the 121st lowest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).

Offences recorded in Bridgend district, the year ending March 2026

The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 1,714 offences (17% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for public order offences (1.3 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.16 times), robbery of personal property (0.20 times) and bicycle theft (0.26 times).

The largest rises on the year were in robbery of personal property (+29%) and violence without injury (+18%). The largest falls were in arson (−29%) and non-residential burglary (−17%). Robbery of business property and shoplifting are not compared with the year ending March 2025: from April 2025 the Home Office Counting Rules were clarified so that a theft from a shop in which violence is used or threatened against staff or anyone else is recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting (ONS).

Recorded crime in Bridgend district since the year ending March 2013

The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2013 to 2026. Bridgend district's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 14 years. Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).

Districts in the South Wales Police area, the year ending March 2026

Of the 5 districts in the South Wales Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Bridgend district had the 3rd highest rate. Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf are not in the table because the Home Office publishes each of them jointly with a neighbouring district, as one community safety partnership.

Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.

6 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Bridgend district; the highest is Blaenau Gwent (148.5 per 1,000) and the lowest Vale of Glamorgan (73.1).

Of the 40 areas within Bridgend district, Bridgend Central had the highest crime rate (185.6 per 1,000) and Rest Bay the lowest (16.4), 11 times apart.

The 10 locations below account for 22% of the crime recorded in Bridgend district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (748).

Of the 10,805 crimes in Bridgend district with a recorded outcome, 20% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 7.2% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,682 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.

Bridgend district has an estimated population of 147,530 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer students (5.5%, against 7.9%), less private renting (15%, against 20%) and fewer households without a car (18%, against 23%). On the Wales WIMD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Bridgend district average decile 5.8 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.

Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.