Crime in Torfaen: statistics, rates and trends
11,756 crimes were recorded in Torfaen in the 12 months to August 2026, 124.9 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 1% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Torfaen at a glance
- Crime trends in Torfaen
- Types of crime in Torfaen
- Home Office recorded crime in Torfaen
- Torfaen compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Torfaen
- Streets with the most crime in Torfaen
- What happened after crimes were reported in Torfaen
- Demographics of Torfaen
- Questions about crime in Torfaen
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,213), anti-social behaviour (2,184) and public order (1,218) made up 65% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 41st of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Torfaen | Wales | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 11,756 | 306,958 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 124.9 | 96.3 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +1% | +1% | -1% |
| Population | 94,119 | 3,186,581 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the most recorded crime in Torfaen of any year here (11,756 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 22%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 11,756 | 124.9 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 11,588 | 123.1 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 11,284 | 119.9 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 10,175 | 108.1 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 9,611 | 102.1 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 9,290 | 98.7 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 10,392 | 110.4 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 9,659 | 102.6 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 9,597 | 102.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,119 |
| July 2026 | 1,242 |
| June 2026 | 952 |
| May 2026 | 969 |
| April 2026 | 1,041 |
| March 2026 | 962 |
| February 2026 | 858 |
| January 2026 | 990 |
| December 2025 | 894 |
| November 2025 | 833 |
| October 2025 | 970 |
| September 2025 | 926 |
Compared with England and Wales, Torfaen recorded notably more public order (94% above the national rate), criminal damage and arson (82% above the national rate) and other crime (65% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (86% below) and bicycle theft (64% below). On the year before, vehicle crime rose from 276 to 367 and robbery rose from 53 to 63.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,213 | 44.8 | 34.2 | -6% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,184 | 23.2 | 15.4 | +3% |
| Public order | 1,218 | 12.9 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,157 | 12.3 | 6.7 | +4% |
| Shoplifting | 891 | 9.5 | 8.5 | +15% |
| Other theft | 557 | 5.9 | 6.4 | +7% |
| Burglary | 389 | 4.1 | 3.6 | +9% |
| Vehicle crime | 367 | 3.9 | 5.0 | +33% |
| Other crime | 329 | 3.5 | 2.1 | +4% |
| Drugs | 241 | 2.6 | 3.3 | +11% |
| Possession of weapons | 97 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +11% |
| Robbery | 63 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +19% |
| Bicycle theft | 28 | 0.3 | 0.8 | +8% |
| Theft from the person | 22 | 0.2 | 1.7 | -8% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
9,645 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Torfaen in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 102.5 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 2% on the year ending March 2025 (9,450), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Torfaen had the 47th highest 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 Torfaen, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 1,520 offences (16% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for arson (4.5 times the national rate), miscellaneous crimes against society (1.9 times the national rate) and public order offences (1.8 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.14 times), bicycle theft (0.35 times) and robbery of personal property (0.57 times).
The largest rises on the year were in arson (from 64 to 162) and possession of drugs (+33%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalking and harassment | 1,520 | 16.1 | 10.1 | 1.60 | +1% |
| Violence without injury | 1,374 | 14.6 | 13.2 | 1.11 | −7% |
| Public order offences | 1,190 | 12.6 | 7.0 | 1.82 | −4% |
| Criminal damage | 1,054 | 11.2 | 6.8 | 1.64 | +2% |
| Violence with injury | 941 | 10.0 | 8.1 | 1.23 | −8% |
| Shoplifting | 839 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 1.10 | – |
| Other theft offences | 556 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 0.90 | +9% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 376 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 1.90 | +22% |
| Vehicle offences | 361 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 0.76 | +9% |
| Residential burglary | 284 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1.21 | +9% |
| Other sexual offences | 260 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.21 | +7% |
| Possession of drugs | 200 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 0.85 | +33% |
| Arson | 162 | 1.7 | 0.38 | 4.53 | +153% |
| Rape | 129 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.13 | −9% |
| Non-residential burglary | 101 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.96 | −4% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 93 | 0.99 | 1.2 | 0.83 | +8% |
| Possession of weapons | 86 | 0.91 | 1.00 | 0.92 | +32% |
| Robbery of personal property | 49 | 0.52 | 0.91 | 0.57 | +32% |
| Bicycle theft | 28 | 0.30 | 0.85 | 0.35 | +12% |
| Theft from the person | 23 | 0.24 | 1.8 | 0.14 | +44% |
| Robbery of business property | 16 | 0.17 | 0.47 | 0.36 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 2 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.61 | 0% |
| Homicide | 1 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1.32 | 0% |
Recorded crime in Torfaen 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. Torfaen's rate was above the England and Wales rate in 13 of those 14 years and below it in 1. 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 | 9,645 | 102.5 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 9,450 | 100.4 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 9,060 | 96.3 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 9,759 | 103.7 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 8,228 | 87.4 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 7,006 | 74.4 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 9,155 | 97.3 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 9,580 | 101.8 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 8,019 | 85.2 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 6,784 | 72.1 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 5,964 | 63.4 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 5,441 | 57.8 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 5,710 | 60.7 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 5,130 | 54.5 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Gwent Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 5 districts in the Gwent Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Torfaen had the 3rd highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | 7,772 | 114.5 | 1.38 |
| Newport | 18,370 | 109.4 | 1.31 |
| Torfaen | 9,645 | 102.5 | 1.23 |
| Caerphilly | 15,093 | 85.3 | 1.03 |
| Monmouthshire | 6,090 | 64.2 | 0.77 |
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.
2 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Torfaen; the highest is Blaenau Gwent (148.5 per 1,000) and the lowest Vale of Glamorgan (73.1).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Torfaen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | 23,166 | 138.0 | +10% |
| Caerphilly | 18,886 | 106.8 | -15% |
| Monmouthshire | 7,626 | 80.3 | -36% |
| Blaenau Gwent | 10,078 | 148.5 | +19% |
| Cardiff | 42,811 | 111.5 | -11% |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 6,454 | 109.4 | -12% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 20,779 | 85.6 | -31% |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 9,926 | 73.1 | -41% |
Of the 22 areas within Torfaen, Llantarnam had the highest crime rate (320.3 per 1,000) and Llanfrechfa and Ponthir the lowest (34.5), 9 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llantarnam | Neighbourhood | 6,902 | 2,211 | 320.3 |
| Pontypool Fawr | Neighbourhood | 7,467 | 1,249 | 167.3 |
| St. Dials | Neighbourhood | 4,576 | 750 | 163.9 |
| Blaenavon | Neighbourhood | 6,150 | 894 | 145.4 |
| Cwmbrân | Town | 45,350 | 6,274 | 138.3 |
| Blaenavon | Town | 4,688 | 600 | 128.0 |
| Pontnewydd | Neighbourhood | 7,446 | 912 | 122.5 |
| Llanyrafon | Neighbourhood | 3,130 | 366 | 116.9 |
| Trevethin and Penygarn | Neighbourhood | 5,342 | 597 | 111.8 |
| Pontnewynydd and Snatchwood | Neighbourhood | 3,454 | 379 | 109.7 |
| Upper Cwmbran | Neighbourhood | 6,849 | 748 | 109.2 |
| Greenmeadow | Neighbourhood | 2,404 | 260 | 108.2 |
| Panteg | Neighbourhood | 7,501 | 788 | 105.1 |
| Abersychan | Town | 7,217 | 743 | 103.0 |
| Pontypool | Town | 27,702 | 2,694 | 97.2 |
| Fairwater | Neighbourhood | 5,006 | 442 | 88.3 |
| Coed Eva | Neighbourhood | 2,434 | 210 | 86.3 |
| Two Locks | Neighbourhood | 5,858 | 482 | 82.3 |
| Croesyceiliog | Neighbourhood | 5,220 | 323 | 61.9 |
| New Inn | Neighbourhood | 5,770 | 354 | 61.4 |
| Ponthir | Town | 1,393 | 48 | 34.5 |
| Llanfrechfa and Ponthir | Neighbourhood | 1,393 | 48 | 34.5 |
The 10 locations below account for 24% of the crime recorded in Torfaen over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (1,085).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 1,085 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 465 |
| On or near Supermarket | 308 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 273 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 231 |
| On or near Twm Barlwm View | 162 |
| On or near Hospital | 103 |
| On or near Plas Craig | 96 |
| On or near Llantarnam Close | 78 |
| On or near Police Station | 78 |
Of the 9,572 crimes in Torfaen with a recorded outcome, 26% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 3.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,184 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 3,730 | 39.0% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 2,515 | 26.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,794 | 18.7% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 413 | 4.3% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 364 | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 262 | 2.7% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 250 | 2.6% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 99 | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 59 | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 31 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 30 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 24 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Torfaen has an estimated population of 94,119 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has less private renting (11%, against 20%), more social housing (24%, against 17%) and fewer students (5.3%, against 7.9%). On the Wales WIMD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Torfaen average decile 5.0 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Torfaen | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.3% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 21.2% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 54.1% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 24.9% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.3% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 26.8% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 22.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 19.6% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 65.0% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 23.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 11.2% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.0 | 5.5 (Wales) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 7.5% | 9.5% (Wales) |
Is Torfaen a safe place to live?
Torfaen recorded 124.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 41st of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were public order and criminal damage and arson.
What is the most common crime in Torfaen?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,213 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,184).
Is crime in Torfaen going up or down?
Recorded crime in Torfaen was up 1% on the year before: 11,756 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 11,588 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Torfaen?
About 94,119 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 21% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Torfaen?
Torfaen is policed by Gwent.
How many crimes did the police record in Torfaen in the year ending March 2026?
9,645 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 102.5 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 9,450.
Which offences are more common in Torfaen than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were arson (162 offences, 4.5 times the England and Wales rate), miscellaneous crimes against society (376 offences, 1.9 times the England and Wales rate) and public order offences (1,190 offences, 1.8 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.