Crime in Plymouth: statistics, rates and trends
29,787 crimes were recorded in Plymouth in the 12 months to August 2026, 108.9 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 1% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Plymouth at a glance
- Crime trends in Plymouth
- Types of crime in Plymouth
- Plymouth compared with nearby towns
- Areas within Plymouth
- Streets with the most crime in Plymouth
- What happened after crimes were reported in Plymouth
- Demographics of Plymouth
- Questions about crime in Plymouth
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (13,315), anti-social behaviour (3,997) and criminal damage and arson (2,506) made up 67% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 269th of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Plymouth | Plymouth | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 29,787 | 29,802 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 108.9 | 109.5 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -1% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 273,502 | 272,067 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Plymouth peaked in the year to August 2018 (30,405 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2022 (26,418). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 2%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 29,787 | 108.9 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 30,183 | 110.4 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 26,451 | 96.7 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2022 | 26,418 | 96.6 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 27,459 | 100.4 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 29,232 | 106.9 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 30,028 | 109.8 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 30,405 | 111.2 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 2,715 |
| July 2026 | 2,836 |
| June 2026 | 2,620 |
| May 2026 | 2,646 |
| April 2026 | 2,581 |
| March 2026 | 2,511 |
| February 2026 | 2,155 |
| January 2026 | 2,309 |
| December 2025 | 2,239 |
| November 2025 | 2,257 |
| October 2025 | 2,515 |
| September 2025 | 2,403 |
Compared with England and Wales, Plymouth recorded notably more possession of weapons (83% above the national rate), violence and sexual offences (42% above the national rate) and criminal damage and arson (36% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (57% below) and bicycle theft (53% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 172 to 225 and possession of weapons rose from 401 to 484, while drugs fell from 1,266 to 851 and anti-social behaviour fell from 5,335 to 3,997.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 13,315 | 48.7 | 34.2 | +8% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 3,997 | 14.6 | 15.4 | -25% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 2,506 | 9.2 | 6.7 | -4% |
| Shoplifting | 2,189 | 8.0 | 8.5 | -2% |
| Other theft | 2,079 | 7.6 | 6.4 | +17% |
| Public order | 1,903 | 7.0 | 6.7 | +9% |
| Drugs | 851 | 3.1 | 3.3 | -33% |
| Vehicle crime | 784 | 2.9 | 5.0 | -5% |
| Burglary | 589 | 2.2 | 3.6 | +8% |
| Other crime | 560 | 2.0 | 2.1 | -10% |
| Possession of weapons | 484 | 1.8 | 1.0 | +21% |
| Robbery | 225 | 0.8 | 1.4 | +31% |
| Theft from the person | 198 | 0.7 | 1.7 | -12% |
| Bicycle theft | 107 | 0.4 | 0.8 | -2% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
1 of the 8 nearest towns have a higher crime rate than Plymouth; the highest is Liskeard (114.2 per 1,000) and the lowest Ivybridge (52.5).
Of the 21 areas within Plymouth, St Peter and the Waterfront had the highest crime rate (394.6 per 1,000) and Woolwell the lowest (23.8), 17 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter and the Waterfront | Neighbourhood | 20,126 | 7,941 | 394.6 |
| Devonport | Neighbourhood | 16,642 | 2,945 | 177.0 |
| Stoke | Neighbourhood | 13,747 | 1,724 | 125.4 |
| Sutton and Mount Gould | Neighbourhood | 14,923 | 1,743 | 116.8 |
| Drake | Neighbourhood | 12,318 | 1,415 | 114.9 |
| Efford and Lipson | Neighbourhood | 14,731 | 1,583 | 107.5 |
| Budshead | Neighbourhood | 13,369 | 1,324 | 99.0 |
| Honicknowle | Neighbourhood | 14,475 | 1,406 | 97.1 |
| St Budeaux | Neighbourhood | 13,240 | 1,254 | 94.7 |
| Compton | Neighbourhood | 12,536 | 1,118 | 89.2 |
| Moor View | Neighbourhood | 13,459 | 1,197 | 88.9 |
| Ham | Neighbourhood | 15,081 | 1,326 | 87.9 |
| Southway | Neighbourhood | 13,745 | 897 | 65.3 |
| Peverell | Neighbourhood | 13,801 | 819 | 59.3 |
| Plympton Erle | Neighbourhood | 8,627 | 451 | 52.3 |
| Eggbuckland | Neighbourhood | 13,064 | 680 | 52.1 |
| Plymstock Radford | Neighbourhood | 14,579 | 733 | 50.3 |
| Plympton Chaddlewood | Neighbourhood | 8,181 | 356 | 43.5 |
| Plympton St Mary | Neighbourhood | 12,524 | 490 | 39.1 |
| Plymstock Dunstone | Neighbourhood | 12,899 | 400 | 31.0 |
| Woolwell | Neighbourhood | 2,862 | 68 | 23.8 |
The 10 locations below account for 20% of the crime recorded in Plymouth over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (1,886).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 1,886 |
| On or near Supermarket | 1,721 |
| On or near Nightclub | 376 |
| On or near Royal Parade | 345 |
| On or near Hospital | 299 |
| On or near Old Town Street | 297 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 272 |
| On or near Police Station | 262 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 256 |
| On or near Princes Street | 230 |
Of the 25,790 crimes in Plymouth with a recorded outcome, 23% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.0% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 3,997 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 11,333 | 43.9% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 5,894 | 22.9% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 4,194 | 16.3% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 1,283 | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,073 | 4.2% | 4.7% |
| Local resolution | 492 | 1.9% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 466 | 1.8% | 2.5% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 402 | 1.6% | 0.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 193 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 162 | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 122 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 118 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
Plymouth has an estimated population of 273,502 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more students (10.3%, against 7.9%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Plymouth average decile 5.0 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Plymouth | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 16.9% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 18.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 55.5% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 21.8% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 10.3% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 27.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 17.3% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 24.7% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 58.9% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 18.3% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 22.6% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 12.5% | 10.1% (England) |
Is Plymouth a safe place to live?
Plymouth recorded 108.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 269th of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were possession of weapons and violence and sexual offences.
What is the most common crime in Plymouth?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 13,315 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (3,997).
Is crime in Plymouth going up or down?
Recorded crime in Plymouth was down 1% on the year before: 29,787 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 30,183 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Plymouth?
About 273,502 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 19% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Plymouth?
Plymouth is policed by Devon & Cornwall.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.