Bristol recorded 61,026 crimes in the 12 months to April 2026, a rate of 104.63 per 1,000 people, about 1.5 times the England rate of 67.79 and 71 per cent above the South West average. The total rose 3.0 per cent on the previous year (59,276). Violence and sexual offences make up 41 per cent of it, a larger share than in Hackney, Haringey or Waltham Forest, while pickpocketing and phone snatching are rare. The figures describe recorded incidents, not the people who live in the city.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Bristol); resident population from the ONS Census 2021 (472,400). Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 4 October 2026.
Is Bristol safe compared with other UK cities?
Bristol sits in the upper middle of the big English cities. Its rate of 104.63 crimes per 1,000 people is almost level with Birmingham (105.05) and Liverpool (106.48), and above Leicester, Sheffield, Newcastle and Cardiff, according to CrimeRate. CrimeRate’s own summary calls it the second highest-risk major city on its list. The gap with Cardiff, its nearest big neighbour across the Severn, is about 24 per cent.
| City | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 | Compared with Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 1.8% higher |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 0.4% higher |
| Bristol | 104.63 | – |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 6% lower |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 20% lower |
| Newcastle | 82.69 | 21% lower |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 24% lower |
| Bath | 83.63 | 20% lower |
| England | 67.79 | 35% lower |
| South West | 61 | 42% lower |
All rates come from one source, CrimeRate, so they use the same method and population base. That base is a daytime population, which counts commuters, students and visitors as well as residents. For a city of Bristol’s size the difference matters: see the next section. For Birmingham’s figures in detail, read is Birmingham safe?; for Cardiff, is Cardiff safe? and crime in Cardiff.
Why does Bristol’s rate look higher per resident?
Because CrimeRate divides by a larger daytime population. Against the 472,400 residents counted in the ONS Census 2021, Bristol’s 61,026 offences work out at about 129 per 1,000 residents, not 104.63. Bristol is the main shopping, work and nightlife centre for a wider area that includes South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, so many of the people who are victims of, or witnesses to, a city-centre offence do not live in the city. Neither figure is wrong; they answer different questions. The daytime rate is the fairer one for comparing cities, the resident rate shows the load on Bristol itself. Within the same police force, Bath records 83.63 per 1,000 and its total fell 4.4 per cent, to 9,265, while Bristol’s rose.
What kind of crime is recorded in Bristol?
Violence and sexual offences dominate: 25,225 offences, 41.3 per cent of the total and 43.26 per 1,000 people. The headline 61,026 excludes anti-social behaviour; the 13 categories below add up to exactly 61,026, and 11,125 anti-social behaviour reports come on top, 72,151 incidents in all.
| Category | Bristol, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 25,225 | 43.26 | 41.3% |
| Public order | 6,986 | 11.98 | 11.4% |
| Shoplifting | 5,952 | 10.21 | 9.8% |
| Other theft | 5,488 | 9.41 | 9.0% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4,876 | 8.35 | 8.0% |
| Vehicle crime | 3,867 | 6.61 | 6.3% |
| Burglary | 2,735 | 4.70 | 4.5% |
| Drugs | 1,653 | 2.83 | 2.7% |
| Robbery | 1,460 | 2.50 | 2.4% |
| Other crime | 1,066 | 1.83 | 1.7% |
| Bicycle theft | 940 | 1.62 | 1.5% |
| Possession of weapons | 412 | 0.69 | 0.7% |
| Theft from the person | 366 | 0.64 | 0.6% |
Three points stand out. First, the violence share. In the London boroughs we have analysed it ranges from 28 per cent in Hackney to 31 per cent in Haringey and Waltham Forest; in Bristol it is 41 per cent. The category is broad: it includes harassment, stalking, malicious communications and assaults without injury, much of it between people who know each other, so a high share does not mean a high risk of attack by a stranger in the street. Public order offences (11.4 per cent) are linked to the same nightlife and street disorder. Second, theft from the person is very low: 366 offences in a year, against 4,296 in Hackney alone. Pickpocketing and phone snatching, the main worry for visitors to central London, are a small part of Bristol’s picture. Third, all kinds of theft together (shoplifting, other theft, bicycle theft and theft from the person) come to 12,746 offences, 20.9 per cent of the total, less than half the 47.9 per cent recorded in Camden. Anti-social behaviour is recorded at 19.08 per 1,000, 15.4 per cent of all incidents including it.
Is crime in Bristol going up or down?
Up, slightly. CrimeRate records 59,276 offences (101.96 per 1,000) in the 12 months to April 2025 and 61,026 (104.63) in the 12 months to April 2026: 1,750 more, a rise of 3.0 per cent in the count and 2.6 per cent in the rate. That runs against Bath, where recorded crime fell 4.4 per cent over the same period. CrimeRate also reports that Bristol’s crime risk score is up about 24 per cent over five years. One year’s change of 3 per cent is within normal variation for a large city, so watch the next release before reading it as a trend.
Which parts of Bristol record the most crime?
The city centre. Crime concentrates where people gather: Broadmead and Cabot Circus for shopping, the Harbourside and the Old City for bars and clubs, Stokes Croft for late-night venues, and Temple Meads station. Our Bristol crime by ward ranking compares all 34 wards on one method, and safest areas in Bristol covers the quieter end of the city.
CrimeRate also counts offences recorded inside Bristol’s named parks and open spaces. Castle Park, next to Broadmead in the centre, is far ahead of the rest:
| Park or open space | Anti-social behaviour | Violence and sexual offences | All incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Park | 217 | 330 | 1,309 |
| Stoke Park | 147 | 233 | 607 |
| Durdham Down and Clifton Down | 200 | 80 | 448 |
| Blaise Castle Estate | 121 | 146 | 424 |
| Eastville Park | 58 | 101 | 402 |
| Brandon Hill | 71 | 129 | 328 |
Source: CrimeRate, offences recorded within each space’s boundary, 12 months to April 2026; "all incidents" is our sum of its six columns. Castle Park’s 1,309 include 77 drugs offences, 153 public order offences and 45 robberies, which reflects its position between the main shopping streets and the Old City. The Downs record mostly anti-social behaviour rather than violence. These are counts for large, busy spaces, not rates, and most visits pass without incident.
Is Bristol safe at night?
Police street-level data carries no time of day, so it cannot say how much of Bristol’s crime happens after dark. The category mix points to the late-night economy: violence and public order offences together are 52.7 per cent of the total, and they cluster around the Harbourside, the Old City, Park Street and Stokes Croft. Keep to lit, busy routes, plan your way home before you go out, avoid cutting through Castle Park late at night, and use licensed taxis from the official ranks. Check the streets you will use in the postcode checker.
Is Bristol a safe place to live?
For most residents, yes; the citywide rate is driven by the centre. Bristol’s residential suburbs record far fewer incidents than its shopping and nightlife core, as our ward ranking shows. Burglary is 4.5 per cent of recorded crime and vehicle crime 6.3 per cent, so the risks most residents face at home are modest; cycle owners should note 940 bicycle thefts in a year and use a good lock. Compare two postcodes before you decide where to live, and read how to check crime in your area for the limits of any single number. This page describes what was recorded, not the people who live here.
How do I check a specific street or postcode in Bristol?
- Enter your postcode in the postcode checker to see 12 months of police-recorded crime and the trend by month.
- Add a second postcode, for example one in Bedminster or Redland, to compare two areas side by side.
- Zoom into the UK crime map to see what was recorded near a street.
- For a street-by-street guide, including 12-month counts and rates per 1,000 residents for Bristol neighbourhoods, read our Bristol crime map.
These figures describe areas, not addresses. Police data covers reported crime only, and each crime is shown at a nearby anonymised point. Read where our crime data comes from for the limits. Rates from different websites use different population estimates and are not directly comparable, so the city rates on this page all come from one source.
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Bristol crime FAQ
Is Bristol safe?
For most residents, yes; the citywide figure is driven by the centre. Bristol recorded 104.63 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, about 1.5 times the England rate and close to Birmingham and Liverpool. Most of it is violence and public order offences around the shopping and nightlife core, while theft from the person is rare, at 366 offences a year.
What is the crime rate in Bristol?
Bristol recorded 104.63 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026 (61,026 offences), against 67.79 for England and about 61 for the South West (CrimeRate). Anti-social behaviour is not included in that figure. Per resident, using the Census 2021 population, it is about 129 per 1,000.
Is Bristol safer than Birmingham?
Only marginally. Bristol’s 104.63 per 1,000 is 0.4 per cent below Birmingham’s 105.05, and Liverpool’s 106.48 is slightly higher still. Cardiff, at 79.55, is about 24 per cent lower.
Is crime in Bristol going up?
Slightly: 61,026 offences in the 12 months to April 2026, up 3.0 per cent from 59,276 a year earlier. Bath, in the same police force, fell 4.4 per cent.
What is the most common crime in Bristol?
Violence and sexual offences, 41.3 per cent of recorded crime, followed by public order offences (11.4 per cent) and shoplifting (9.8 per cent). Theft from the person is rare, at 366 offences a year.
Where does this data come from?
Police-recorded crime published on data.police.uk under the Open Government Licence v3.0, analysed by CrimeRate for counts and rates, with the ONS Census 2021 for residents. See where our crime data comes from.
More on Bristol: crime in Bristol: what the police data shows, Bristol crime by ward and safest areas in Bristol. Other cities: Birmingham, Bournemouth, Southampton, Nottingham, Belfast and London. In an emergency call 999.