Crime in South West: statistics, rates and trends
437,109 crimes were recorded in South West in the 12 months to August 2026, 83.7 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 2% on the year before.
Table of Contents
Note: These figures leave out districts whose police force has not published street-level crime data for most of the latest 12 months: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire Police).
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (173,783), anti-social behaviour (69,954) and shoplifting (37,058) made up 64% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 7th of the 9 regions covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | South West | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 437,109 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 83.7 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +2% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 5,220,315 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the most recorded crime in South West of any year here (437,109 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 2%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 437,109 | 83.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 427,970 | 82.0 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 413,560 | 79.2 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2022 | 400,411 | 76.7 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 395,206 | 75.7 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 410,708 | 78.7 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 423,921 | 81.2 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 430,246 | 82.4 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 38,385 |
| July 2026 | 41,426 |
| June 2026 | 37,072 |
| May 2026 | 37,980 |
| April 2026 | 36,800 |
| March 2026 | 37,479 |
| February 2026 | 33,029 |
| January 2026 | 33,176 |
| December 2025 | 33,577 |
| November 2025 | 35,498 |
| October 2025 | 37,182 |
| September 2025 | 35,505 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (78% below) and drugs (49% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 3,417 to 4,423.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 173,783 | 33.3 | 34.2 | +5% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 69,954 | 13.4 | 15.4 | -5% |
| Shoplifting | 37,058 | 7.1 | 8.5 | +5% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 34,459 | 6.6 | 6.7 | +3% |
| Public order | 31,277 | 6.0 | 6.7 | -6% |
| Other theft | 29,027 | 5.6 | 6.4 | +3% |
| Vehicle crime | 16,689 | 3.2 | 5.0 | +11% |
| Burglary | 14,541 | 2.8 | 3.6 | +7% |
| Drugs | 8,792 | 1.7 | 3.3 | -10% |
| Other crime | 8,056 | 1.5 | 2.1 | -1% |
| Robbery | 4,423 | 0.8 | 1.4 | +29% |
| Possession of weapons | 3,760 | 0.7 | 1.0 | +14% |
| Bicycle theft | 3,322 | 0.6 | 0.8 | +2% |
| Theft from the person | 1,968 | 0.4 | 1.7 | +4% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
6 of the 8 nearest regions have a higher crime rate than South West; the highest is London (124.0 per 1,000) and the lowest East of England (80.6).
| Region | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs South West |
|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 787,517 | 81.7 | -2% |
| West Midlands | 579,648 | 93.7 | +12% |
| London | 1,126,877 | 124.0 | +48% |
| East Midlands | 475,616 | 93.9 | +12% |
| East of England | 530,364 | 80.6 | -4% |
| North West | 439,611 | 93.0 | +11% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 615,075 | 108.4 | +29% |
| North East | 319,289 | 115.7 | +38% |
Of the 14 areas within South West, Bristol, City of had the highest crime rate (148.8 per 1,000) and Isles of Scilly the lowest (39.3), 4 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol, City of | District | 494,399 | 73,581 | 148.8 |
| Plymouth | District | 272,067 | 29,802 | 109.5 |
| Torbay | District | 140,126 | 15,261 | 108.9 |
| Somerset | District | 588,328 | 53,421 | 90.8 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | District | 200,028 | 18,013 | 90.1 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | District | 408,967 | 35,930 | 87.9 |
| North Somerset | District | 224,578 | 19,384 | 86.3 |
| Swindon | District | 243,875 | 19,935 | 81.7 |
| South Gloucestershire | District | 306,332 | 23,911 | 78.1 |
| Cornwall | District | 583,289 | 41,480 | 71.1 |
| Devon | County | 842,313 | 53,502 | 63.5 |
| Wiltshire | District | 523,700 | 31,724 | 60.6 |
| Dorset | District | 389,947 | 21,072 | 54.0 |
| Isles of Scilly | District | 2,366 | 93 | 39.3 |
Of the 367,155 crimes in South West with a recorded outcome, 30% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.6% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 69,954 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 145,679 | 39.7% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 110,075 | 30.0% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 43,914 | 12.0% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 18,932 | 5.2% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 16,795 | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 7,357 | 2.0% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 7,216 | 2.0% | 2.5% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 6,246 | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 5,068 | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 2,367 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 1,707 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 1,432 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
South West has an estimated population of 5,889,695 (ONS, mid-2024), including the districts left out of the crime figures above. Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (17%, against 23%), less social housing (13%, against 17%) and an older population (23%, against 19%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up South West average decile 6.0 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | South West | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 16.6% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 22.8% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 56.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 7.1% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 33.1% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 15.7% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 16.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 67.0% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.3% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.7% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 3.9% | 10.1% (England) |
Is South West a safe place to live?
South West recorded 83.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 7th of the 9 regions on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in South West?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 173,783 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (69,954).
Is crime in South West going up or down?
Recorded crime in South West was up 2% on the year before: 437,109 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 427,970 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of South West?
About 5,889,695 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 23% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.