Crime in Vale of Glamorgan: statistics, rates and trends
9,926 crimes were recorded in Vale of Glamorgan in the 12 months to August 2026, 73.1 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Vale of Glamorgan at a glance
- Crime trends in Vale of Glamorgan
- Types of crime in Vale of Glamorgan
- Home Office recorded crime in Vale of Glamorgan
- Vale of Glamorgan compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Vale of Glamorgan
- Streets with the most crime in Vale of Glamorgan
- What happened after crimes were reported in Vale of Glamorgan
- Demographics of Vale of Glamorgan
- Questions about crime in Vale of Glamorgan
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (3,682), shoplifting (1,294) and public order (1,180) made up 62% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 206th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.
| Measure | Vale of Glamorgan | Wales | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 9,926 | 306,958 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 73.1 | 96.3 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | 0% | +1% | -1% |
| Population | 135,743 | 3,186,581 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Vale of Glamorgan peaked in the year to August 2020 (11,831 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2022 (9,768). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 6%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 9,926 | 73.1 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 9,930 | 73.2 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 10,733 | 79.1 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 10,210 | 75.2 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 9,768 | 72.0 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 11,716 | 86.3 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 11,831 | 87.2 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 10,455 | 77.0 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 10,521 | 77.5 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 982 |
| July 2026 | 935 |
| June 2026 | 954 |
| May 2026 | 948 |
| April 2026 | 877 |
| March 2026 | 826 |
| February 2026 | 606 |
| January 2026 | 708 |
| December 2025 | 719 |
| November 2025 | 789 |
| October 2025 | 802 |
| September 2025 | 780 |
Compared with England and Wales, Vale of Glamorgan recorded notably more public order (30% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (81% below) and bicycle theft (69% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 43 to 93 and shoplifting rose from 1,103 to 1,294, while drugs fell from 280 to 181 and criminal damage and arson fell from 912 to 733.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,682 | 27.1 | 34.2 | +4% |
| Shoplifting | 1,294 | 9.5 | 8.5 | +17% |
| Public order | 1,180 | 8.7 | 6.7 | +14% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,066 | 7.9 | 15.4 | -18% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 733 | 5.4 | 6.7 | -20% |
| Other theft | 569 | 4.2 | 6.4 | +11% |
| Vehicle crime | 459 | 3.4 | 5.0 | -6% |
| Other crime | 257 | 1.9 | 2.1 | -1% |
| Burglary | 244 | 1.8 | 3.6 | -16% |
| Drugs | 181 | 1.3 | 3.3 | -35% |
| Robbery | 93 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +116% |
| Possession of weapons | 90 | 0.7 | 1.0 | +11% |
| Theft from the person | 43 | 0.3 | 1.7 | +10% |
| Bicycle theft | 35 | 0.3 | 0.8 | -8% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
8,258 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Vale of Glamorgan in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 60.8 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 6% on the year ending March 2025 (8,816), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Vale of Glamorgan had the 86th 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 Vale of Glamorgan, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 1,329 offences (16% of the total). No category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate. Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.13 times), robbery of personal property (0.24 times) and bicycle theft (0.30 times).
The largest rises on the year were in other sexual offences (+22%) and violence without injury (+21%). The largest falls were in trafficking of drugs (−48%) and residential burglary (−34%). 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 | 1,329 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 0.97 | −0% |
| Violence without injury | 1,121 | 8.3 | 13.2 | 0.63 | +21% |
| Public order offences | 1,054 | 7.8 | 7.0 | 1.12 | −4% |
| Shoplifting | 1,006 | 7.4 | 8.1 | 0.91 | – |
| Violence with injury | 784 | 5.8 | 8.1 | 0.71 | −13% |
| Criminal damage | 728 | 5.4 | 6.8 | 0.78 | −18% |
| Other theft offences | 537 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 0.60 | −8% |
| Vehicle offences | 405 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 0.59 | −16% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 255 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.90 | +20% |
| Other sexual offences | 251 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.81 | +22% |
| Possession of drugs | 136 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.40 | +5% |
| Residential burglary | 135 | 0.99 | 2.5 | 0.40 | −34% |
| Non-residential burglary | 106 | 0.78 | 1.1 | 0.70 | −5% |
| Possession of weapons | 81 | 0.60 | 1.00 | 0.60 | −5% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 74 | 0.55 | 1.2 | 0.46 | −48% |
| Rape | 74 | 0.55 | 1.2 | 0.45 | −19% |
| Robbery of business property | 42 | 0.31 | 0.47 | 0.65 | – |
| Bicycle theft | 35 | 0.26 | 0.85 | 0.30 | −20% |
| Arson | 32 | 0.24 | 0.38 | 0.62 | +3% |
| Theft from the person | 32 | 0.24 | 1.8 | 0.13 | −6% |
| Robbery of personal property | 30 | 0.22 | 0.91 | 0.24 | +67% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 8 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 1.69 | +100% |
| Homicide | 3 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 2.75 | – |
Recorded crime in Vale of Glamorgan 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. Vale of Glamorgan'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).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8,258 | 60.8 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 8,816 | 64.9 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 8,697 | 64.1 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 8,250 | 60.8 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 7,700 | 56.7 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 7,554 | 55.6 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 8,520 | 62.8 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 8,391 | 61.8 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 7,927 | 58.4 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 7,432 | 54.8 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 6,334 | 46.7 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 6,505 | 47.9 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 6,219 | 45.8 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 6,309 | 46.5 | 56.7 |
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, Vale of Glamorgan had the lowest 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.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 36,006 | 93.8 | 1.13 |
| Swansea | 18,647 | 74.2 | 0.89 |
| Bridgend | 10,342 | 70.1 | 0.84 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 9,636 | 67.3 | 0.81 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 8,258 | 60.8 | 0.73 |
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.
Every one of the 8 nearest districts has a higher crime rate than Vale of Glamorgan.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 42,811 | 111.5 | +52% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 20,779 | 85.6 | +17% |
| Bridgend | 12,487 | 84.6 | +16% |
| Caerphilly | 18,886 | 106.8 | +46% |
| Newport | 23,166 | 138.0 | +89% |
| North Somerset | 19,384 | 86.3 | +18% |
| Torfaen | 11,756 | 124.9 | +71% |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 6,454 | 109.4 | +50% |
Of the 33 areas within Vale of Glamorgan, Castleland had the highest crime rate (195.6 per 1,000) and Llandow the lowest (21.3), 9 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleland | Neighbourhood | 5,331 | 1,043 | 195.6 |
| Buttrills | Neighbourhood | 6,358 | 1,103 | 173.5 |
| Llandough | Neighbourhood | 2,105 | 287 | 136.3 |
| Court | Neighbourhood | 4,916 | 530 | 107.8 |
| Barry (Vale of Glamorgan) | Town | 58,687 | 5,851 | 99.7 |
| Gibbonsdown | Neighbourhood | 5,560 | 544 | 97.8 |
| Cadoc | Neighbourhood | 10,007 | 970 | 96.9 |
| St Augustine's | Neighbourhood | 6,901 | 624 | 90.4 |
| Peterston-super-Ely | Neighbourhood | 2,403 | 199 | 82.8 |
| Illtyd | Neighbourhood | 7,875 | 612 | 77.7 |
| Wenvoe | Neighbourhood | 4,151 | 299 | 72.0 |
| Baruc | Neighbourhood | 9,160 | 635 | 69.3 |
| St Athan | Town | 1,776 | 122 | 68.7 |
| Boverton | Town | 2,690 | 180 | 66.9 |
| Penarth | Town | 28,050 | 1,673 | 59.6 |
| Llantwit Major | Town | 4,146 | 237 | 57.2 |
| Llantwit Major | Neighbourhood | 10,724 | 612 | 57.1 |
| Cornerswell | Neighbourhood | 5,288 | 280 | 53.0 |
| Ogmore-by-Sea | Town | 1,603 | 83 | 51.8 |
| St Athan | Neighbourhood | 4,728 | 237 | 50.1 |
| Sully | Neighbourhood | 5,048 | 245 | 48.5 |
| St Bride's Major | Neighbourhood | 3,288 | 153 | 46.5 |
| Eglwys-Brewis | Town | 4,935 | 224 | 45.4 |
| Stanwell | Neighbourhood | 4,728 | 213 | 45.1 |
| Dinas Powis | Town | 8,374 | 362 | 43.2 |
| Dinas Powys | Neighbourhood | 8,374 | 362 | 43.2 |
| Dyfan | Neighbourhood | 5,508 | 233 | 42.3 |
| Rhoose | Town | 7,618 | 310 | 40.7 |
| Cowbridge | Town | 3,526 | 133 | 37.7 |
| Cowbridge | Neighbourhood | 7,144 | 222 | 31.1 |
| Plymouth | Neighbourhood | 5,624 | 151 | 26.8 |
| Colwinston | Town | 2,904 | 62 | 21.3 |
| Llandow | Neighbourhood | 2,904 | 62 | 21.3 |
The 10 locations below account for 18% of the crime recorded in Vale of Glamorgan over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (299).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 299 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 248 |
| On or near Supermarket | 243 |
| On or near Heol Gwendoline | 208 |
| On or near Llantwit Street | 162 |
| On or near Kendrick Road | 155 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 136 |
| On or near Arcot Lane | 109 |
| On or near Lewis Road | 103 |
| On or near Llanover Street | 86 |
Of the 8,860 crimes in Vale of Glamorgan with a recorded outcome, 27% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 8.6% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,066 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 3,326 | 37.5% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 2,415 | 27.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,334 | 15.1% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 764 | 8.6% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 370 | 4.2% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 287 | 3.2% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 167 | 1.9% | 3.1% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 116 | 1.3% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 36 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 34 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 7 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 4 | 0.0% | 1.3% |
Vale of Glamorgan has an estimated population of 135,743 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (17%, against 23%), less social housing (12%, against 17%) and fewer students (5.9%, against 7.9%). On the Wales WIMD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Vale of Glamorgan average decile 7.0 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Vale of Glamorgan | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.1% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 22.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 55.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.8% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 37.3% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 15.6% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 16.6% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 72.1% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 12.2% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 15.6% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.0 | 5.5 (Wales) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 8.3% | 9.5% (Wales) |
Is Vale of Glamorgan a safe place to live?
Vale of Glamorgan recorded 73.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 206th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were public order.
What is the most common crime in Vale of Glamorgan?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 3,682 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by shoplifting (1,294).
Is crime in Vale of Glamorgan going up or down?
Recorded crime in Vale of Glamorgan was almost unchanged on the year before: 9,926 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 9,930 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Vale of Glamorgan?
About 135,743 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 23% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Vale of Glamorgan?
Vale of Glamorgan is policed by South Wales.
How many crimes did the police record in Vale of Glamorgan in the year ending March 2026?
8,258 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 60.8 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 8,816.
Which offences are more common in Vale of Glamorgan than across England and Wales?
None: no category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate in the year ending March 2026. The largest category was stalking and harassment (1,329).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.