Crime in Herefordshire, County of: statistics, rates and trends
11,739 crimes were recorded in Herefordshire, County of in the 12 months to August 2026, 61.4 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 2% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Herefordshire, County of at a glance
- Crime trends in Herefordshire, County of
- Types of crime in Herefordshire, County of
- Home Office recorded crime in Herefordshire, County of
- Herefordshire, County of compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Herefordshire, County of
- Streets with the most crime in Herefordshire, County of
- What happened after crimes were reported in Herefordshire, County of
- Demographics of Herefordshire, County of
- Fly-tipping in Herefordshire
- Questions about crime in Herefordshire, County of
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,831), anti-social behaviour (1,564) and shoplifting (1,052) made up 63% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 255th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | Herefordshire, County of | West Midlands | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 11,739 | 579,648 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 61.4 | 93.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -2% | 0% | -1% |
| Population | 191,047 | 6,187,204 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Herefordshire, County of of any year here (11,739 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 29%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 11,739 | 61.4 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 11,918 | 62.4 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 12,590 | 65.9 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 14,342 | 75.1 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 16,128 | 84.4 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 16,815 | 88.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 16,651 | 87.2 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 16,539 | 86.6 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 16,620 | 87.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,179 |
| July 2026 | 1,128 |
| June 2026 | 1,047 |
| May 2026 | 886 |
| April 2026 | 835 |
| March 2026 | 984 |
| February 2026 | 854 |
| January 2026 | 919 |
| December 2025 | 937 |
| November 2025 | 1,000 |
| October 2025 | 1,041 |
| September 2025 | 929 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (87% below) and robbery (74% below) were well below it. On the year before, bicycle theft rose from 86 to 111 and robbery rose from 58 to 68, while anti-social behaviour fell from 1,982 to 1,564.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,831 | 25.3 | 34.2 | +3% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,564 | 8.2 | 15.4 | -21% |
| Shoplifting | 1,052 | 5.5 | 8.5 | +11% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,011 | 5.3 | 6.7 | +1% |
| Other theft | 812 | 4.3 | 6.4 | +8% |
| Public order | 794 | 4.2 | 6.7 | -3% |
| Burglary | 475 | 2.5 | 3.6 | +4% |
| Drugs | 319 | 1.7 | 3.3 | -2% |
| Vehicle crime | 270 | 1.4 | 5.0 | -11% |
| Other crime | 265 | 1.4 | 2.1 | -15% |
| Possession of weapons | 125 | 0.7 | 1.0 | -7% |
| Bicycle theft | 111 | 0.6 | 0.8 | +29% |
| Robbery | 68 | 0.4 | 1.4 | +17% |
| Theft from the person | 42 | 0.2 | 1.7 | -7% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
9,620 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Herefordshire, County of in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 50.4 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 1% on the year ending March 2025 (9,727), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Herefordshire, County of had the 34th 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 Herefordshire, County of, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 1,503 offences (16% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving (4.7 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.11 times), robbery of personal property (0.13 times) and vehicle offences (0.26 times).
The largest rises on the year were in bicycle theft (+46%) and criminal damage (+18%). The largest falls were in robbery of personal property (from 54 to 23) and residential burglary (−18%). 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).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 1,503 | 7.9 | 13.2 | 0.60 | −1% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,302 | 6.8 | 10.1 | 0.68 | −3% |
| Violence with injury | 1,178 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 0.76 | −5% |
| Shoplifting | 973 | 5.1 | 8.1 | 0.63 | – |
| Criminal damage | 962 | 5.0 | 6.8 | 0.74 | +18% |
| Other theft offences | 763 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 0.61 | −7% |
| Public order offences | 739 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 0.56 | −11% |
| Other sexual offences | 384 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.88 | −2% |
| Residential burglary | 281 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.59 | −18% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 266 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 0.66 | +13% |
| Vehicle offences | 249 | 1.3 | 5.0 | 0.26 | −18% |
| Possession of drugs | 223 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.47 | 0% |
| Rape | 180 | 0.94 | 1.2 | 0.78 | +11% |
| Non-residential burglary | 137 | 0.72 | 1.1 | 0.64 | −10% |
| Possession of weapons | 119 | 0.62 | 1.00 | 0.63 | −13% |
| Bicycle theft | 105 | 0.55 | 0.85 | 0.64 | +46% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 100 | 0.52 | 1.2 | 0.44 | +10% |
| Arson | 39 | 0.20 | 0.38 | 0.54 | +3% |
| Theft from the person | 36 | 0.19 | 1.8 | 0.11 | −5% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 31 | 0.16 | 0.03 | 4.66 | +11% |
| Robbery of business property | 24 | 0.13 | 0.47 | 0.26 | – |
| Robbery of personal property | 23 | 0.12 | 0.91 | 0.13 | −57% |
| Homicide | 3 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 1.96 | +200% |
Recorded crime in Herefordshire, County of since the year ending March 2017
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2017 to 2026. Herefordshire, County of's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 10 years. The series starts in the year ending March 2017 because the share of crimes in the West Mercia Police area not assigned to a district moved from 4.8% in the year ending March 2016 to 0.0% in the year ending March 2017, which changes district totals without any change in crime.
Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9,620 | 50.4 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 9,727 | 50.9 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 10,901 | 57.1 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 12,139 | 63.5 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 11,979 | 62.7 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 9,502 | 49.7 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 10,757 | 56.3 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 10,822 | 56.6 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 10,600 | 55.5 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 10,428 | 54.6 | 69.1 |
Districts in the West Mercia Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 3 districts in the West Mercia Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Herefordshire, County of had the 2nd highest rate. Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon and Wyre Forest are not in the table because the Home Office publishes each of them jointly with a neighbouring district, as one community safety partnership.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telford and Wrekin | 14,301 | 73.0 | 0.88 |
| Herefordshire, County of | 9,620 | 50.4 | 0.61 |
| Shropshire | 15,813 | 47.6 | 0.57 |
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.
7 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Herefordshire, County of; the highest is Blaenau Gwent (148.5 per 1,000) and the lowest Malvern Hills (56.1).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Herefordshire, County of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malvern Hills | 4,666 | 56.1 | -9% |
| Worcester | 11,999 | 112.5 | +83% |
| Monmouthshire | 7,626 | 80.3 | +31% |
| Wyre Forest | 8,977 | 86.4 | +41% |
| Wychavon | 8,971 | 65.0 | +6% |
| Blaenau Gwent | 10,078 | 148.5 | +142% |
| Torfaen | 11,756 | 124.9 | +103% |
| Powys | 10,323 | 76.4 | +24% |
Of the 72 areas within Herefordshire, County of, Central had the highest crime rate (541.5 per 1,000) and Birch the lowest (19.8), 27 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | Neighbourhood | 3,642 | 1,972 | 541.5 |
| Hinton & Hunderton | Neighbourhood | 2,935 | 445 | 151.6 |
| Widemarsh | Neighbourhood | 3,063 | 438 | 143.0 |
| Leominster East | Neighbourhood | 4,946 | 630 | 127.4 |
| Ross East | Neighbourhood | 3,575 | 388 | 108.5 |
| Leominster South | Neighbourhood | 2,963 | 312 | 105.3 |
| Red Hill | Neighbourhood | 5,647 | 551 | 97.6 |
| Leominster | Town | 12,014 | 1,150 | 95.7 |
| Bromyard | Town | 4,800 | 459 | 95.6 |
| Bromyard West | Neighbourhood | 4,800 | 459 | 95.6 |
| Hereford | Town | 60,834 | 5,673 | 93.3 |
| Greyfriars | Neighbourhood | 3,987 | 338 | 84.8 |
| College | Neighbourhood | 3,105 | 230 | 74.1 |
| Ross-on-Wye | Town | 11,369 | 833 | 73.3 |
| Ledbury North | Neighbourhood | 3,208 | 222 | 69.2 |
| Newton Farm | Neighbourhood | 4,983 | 329 | 66.0 |
| Belmont Rural | Neighbourhood | 3,333 | 202 | 60.6 |
| Ross North | Neighbourhood | 5,316 | 316 | 59.4 |
| Ledbury South | Neighbourhood | 5,003 | 284 | 56.8 |
| Ledbury | Town | 9,843 | 548 | 55.7 |
| Kington | Town | 3,238 | 175 | 54.0 |
| Ross West | Neighbourhood | 2,478 | 129 | 52.1 |
| Dinedor Hill | Neighbourhood | 3,980 | 198 | 49.7 |
| Weobley | Town | 1,533 | 76 | 49.6 |
| Saxon Gate | Neighbourhood | 3,421 | 167 | 48.8 |
| Leominster North & Rural | Neighbourhood | 3,118 | 147 | 47.1 |
| Eign Hill | Neighbourhood | 3,426 | 160 | 46.7 |
| Kingstone (Herefordshire) | Town | 1,948 | 89 | 45.7 |
| Kings Acre | Neighbourhood | 3,261 | 146 | 44.8 |
| Bobblestock | Neighbourhood | 3,918 | 175 | 44.7 |
| Madley | Town | 1,611 | 71 | 44.1 |
| Wormside | Neighbourhood | 3,876 | 158 | 40.8 |
| Stoney Street | Neighbourhood | 3,157 | 128 | 40.5 |
| Backbury | Neighbourhood | 3,535 | 139 | 39.3 |
| Bishops Frome & Cradley | Neighbourhood | 3,099 | 120 | 38.7 |
| Bromyard Bringsty | Neighbourhood | 1,732 | 67 | 38.7 |
| Weobley | Neighbourhood | 3,951 | 150 | 38.0 |
| Leominster West | Neighbourhood | 2,521 | 95 | 37.7 |
| Clehonger | Town | 1,546 | 57 | 36.9 |
| Holmer | Neighbourhood | 5,317 | 191 | 35.9 |
| Golden Valley North | Neighbourhood | 3,059 | 109 | 35.6 |
| Aylestone Hill | Neighbourhood | 4,688 | 161 | 34.3 |
| Whitecross | Neighbourhood | 2,941 | 100 | 34.0 |
| Kerne Bridge | Neighbourhood | 3,192 | 108 | 33.8 |
| Castle | Neighbourhood | 3,212 | 106 | 33.0 |
| Bircher | Neighbourhood | 4,340 | 143 | 32.9 |
| Withington and White Stone | Town | 2,023 | 66 | 32.6 |
| Hampton | Neighbourhood | 4,054 | 131 | 32.3 |
| Wellington (Herefordshire) | Town | 1,753 | 56 | 31.9 |
| Bodenham | Town | 1,475 | 47 | 31.9 |
| Tupsley | Neighbourhood | 2,831 | 90 | 31.8 |
| Three Crosses | Neighbourhood | 3,391 | 107 | 31.6 |
| Penyard | Neighbourhood | 3,762 | 114 | 30.3 |
| Colwall Stone | Town | 1,493 | 45 | 30.1 |
| Llangarron | Neighbourhood | 3,391 | 101 | 29.8 |
| Old Gore | Neighbourhood | 3,156 | 94 | 29.8 |
| Hope End | Neighbourhood | 4,551 | 134 | 29.4 |
| Queenswood | Neighbourhood | 3,447 | 101 | 29.3 |
| Mortimer | Neighbourhood | 3,344 | 95 | 28.4 |
| Hagley | Neighbourhood | 4,387 | 121 | 27.6 |
| Golden Valley South | Neighbourhood | 3,113 | 85 | 27.3 |
| King's Acre | Town | 1,720 | 46 | 26.7 |
| Burghill | Town | 1,694 | 45 | 26.6 |
| Sutton Walls | Neighbourhood | 3,502 | 93 | 26.6 |
| Ewyas Harold | Town | 1,500 | 39 | 26.0 |
| Ledbury West | Neighbourhood | 1,632 | 42 | 25.7 |
| Arrow | Neighbourhood | 3,090 | 77 | 24.9 |
| Credenhill | Neighbourhood | 3,790 | 94 | 24.8 |
| Bartestree | Town | 2,364 | 55 | 23.3 |
| Credenhill | Town | 2,070 | 48 | 23.2 |
| Sutton St Nicholas | Town | 1,516 | 33 | 21.8 |
| Birch | Neighbourhood | 3,640 | 72 | 19.8 |
The 10 locations below account for 24% of the crime recorded in Herefordshire, County of over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (672).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 672 |
| On or near Parking Area | 445 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 391 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 276 |
| On or near Park/Open Space | 216 |
| On or near Nightclub | 205 |
| On or near High Street | 187 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 156 |
| On or near Hospital | 150 |
| On or near Belmont Court | 94 |
Of the 10,175 crimes in Herefordshire, County of with a recorded outcome, 19% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 6.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,564 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 4,337 | 42.6% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 1,963 | 19.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,728 | 17.0% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 694 | 6.8% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 636 | 6.3% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 297 | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 226 | 2.2% | 3.1% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 94 | 0.9% | 0.3% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 92 | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 83 | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 16 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 9 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
Herefordshire, County of has an estimated population of 191,047 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has an older population (27%, against 19%), fewer students (4.6%, against 7.9%) and fewer households without a car (14%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Herefordshire, County of average decile 5.6 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Herefordshire, County of | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 15.9% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 27.0% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 56.3% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.3% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 28.4% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 4.6% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 32.7% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 18.0% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 14.5% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 67.5% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.7% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 18.8% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.6 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 0.8% | 10.1% (England) |
708 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Herefordshire in 2024/25 (3.7 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Herefordshire has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Herefordshire, County of a safe place to live?
Herefordshire, County of recorded 61.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 255th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in Herefordshire, County of?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,831 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (1,564).
Is crime in Herefordshire, County of going up or down?
Recorded crime in Herefordshire, County of was down 2% on the year before: 11,739 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 11,918 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Herefordshire, County of?
About 191,047 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 27% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Herefordshire, County of?
Herefordshire, County of is policed by West Mercia.
How many crimes did the police record in Herefordshire, County of in the year ending March 2026?
9,620 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 50.4 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 9,727.
Which offences are more common in Herefordshire, County of than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving (31 offences, 4.7 times the England and Wales rate).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.