Cardiff recorded 34,910 crimes in the 12 months to April 2026, a rate of 79.55 per 1,000 people: about 17 per cent above the England rate of 67.79, but the lowest of the ten big UK cities CrimeRate compares it with. The total fell 6.5 per cent on the previous year (37,325). Violence and sexual offences are 36 per cent of it, shoplifting 14 per cent, and 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 (South Wales Police, Cardiff); neighbourhood counts from police.uk, 12 months to August 2026 (Butetown to June 2026); resident population from the ONS Census 2021 (362,400). Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 7 October 2026.
Is Cardiff safe compared with other UK cities?
Yes, by this measure Cardiff is the lowest-rate big city in the comparison. Its 79.55 crimes per 1,000 people sits below Newcastle (82.69), Sheffield (84.09) and Leicester (97.87), and well below Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Nottingham, which all record 104 to 108 per 1,000, according to CrimeRate. Swansea, the other South Wales city, is slightly lower at 76.78.
| City | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 | Compared with Cardiff |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster (London) | 125.00 | 57% higher |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 35% higher |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 35% higher |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 34% higher |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 32% higher |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 32% higher |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 23% higher |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 6% higher |
| Newcastle | 82.69 | 4% higher |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | – |
| Swansea | 76.78 | 3.5% lower |
| England | 67.79 | 15% lower |
All rates come from one source, CrimeRate, so they use the same method and population base. Within Wales the picture is different: CrimeRate puts Cardiff 9 per cent above the South Glamorgan rate of 73 per 1,000 and about 29 per cent above the Welsh rate, which is what you would expect for a capital that draws shoppers, students, commuters and match-day crowds from across the region. For the detail on the cities above, read is Bristol safe?, is Birmingham safe? and is Liverpool safe?; Wolverhampton (87.06 per 1,000) is covered in is Wolverhampton safe?.
What is the crime rate in Cardiff per resident?
About 96 crimes per 1,000 residents. CrimeRate divides by a daytime population for its city rate (79.55), which counts commuters and visitors as well as residents. Against the 362,400 people counted in Cardiff in the ONS Census 2021, the same 34,910 offences work out at roughly 96 per 1,000. CrimeRate’s "Cardiff" follows the ONS built-up area rather than the council boundary, so treat the resident figure as an approximation. Neither number is wrong: the daytime rate is the fairer one for comparing cities, the resident rate shows the load on Cardiff itself. Adding the 4,879 anti-social behaviour reports, which the headline excludes, gives 39,789 incidents, about 110 per 1,000 residents.
What kind of crime is recorded in Cardiff?
Violence and sexual offences lead, with 12,453 offences, 35.7 per cent of the total and 28.37 per 1,000 people. The headline 34,910 excludes anti-social behaviour; the 13 categories below add up to exactly 34,910, and 4,879 anti-social behaviour reports come on top.
| Category | Cardiff, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 12,453 | 28.37 | 35.7% |
| Shoplifting | 4,917 | 11.20 | 14.1% |
| Public order | 4,143 | 9.45 | 11.9% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 3,006 | 6.84 | 8.6% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,875 | 6.54 | 8.2% |
| Other theft | 2,224 | 5.06 | 6.4% |
| Burglary | 1,222 | 2.79 | 3.5% |
| Drugs | 1,139 | 2.59 | 3.3% |
| Other crime | 810 | 1.86 | 2.3% |
| Bicycle theft | 783 | 1.78 | 2.2% |
| Robbery | 590 | 1.35 | 1.7% |
| Possession of weapons | 423 | 0.99 | 1.2% |
| Theft from the person | 325 | 0.73 | 0.9% |
Three things stand out. First, violence is lower than in comparable cities: 28.37 per 1,000 against 43.26 in Bristol, and a 35.7 per cent share against Bristol’s 41.3 per cent. The category is broad and includes harassment, stalking and assaults without injury, much of it between people who know each other. Second, shoplifting is relatively high. At 11.20 per 1,000 it is above Bristol’s 10.21, even though Bristol’s overall rate is a third higher; Cardiff is the retail centre for much of south-east Wales, and the city-centre neighbourhoods below show it. Third, street theft is rare: 325 thefts from the person in a year and 590 robberies. Anti-social behaviour runs at 11.12 per 1,000, 12.3 per cent of all incidents including it, also well below Bristol’s 19.08.
Is crime in Cardiff going up or down?
Down. CrimeRate records 37,325 offences (84.72 per 1,000) in the 12 months to April 2025 and 34,910 (79.55) in the 12 months to April 2026: 2,415 fewer, a fall of 6.5 per cent in the count and 6.1 per cent in the rate. Swansea fell by a similar amount, from 16,358 to 15,261 (6.7 per cent). Most of the big English cities in the table above moved the other way over the same period; Bristol rose 3.0 per cent and Liverpool 3.3 per cent. CrimeRate also describes Cardiff’s crime risk score as about 21 per cent lower than ten years ago and broadly flat over five. One year’s fall is welcome, but watch the next release before calling it a trend.
Which parts of Cardiff record the most crime?
The city centre and the neighbourhoods around it. Police.uk publishes 12-month counts for each South Wales Police neighbourhood team, including anti-social behaviour. The five central and inner-city teams below recorded the following:
| Neighbourhood (police.uk) | Incidents in 12 months | Latest month | Top categories in latest month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathays | 7,287 | Aug 2026: 763 | Violence 239, shoplifting 174, ASB 92 |
| Castle (city centre) | 5,534 | Aug 2026: 516 | Violence 165, ASB 85, shoplifting 73 |
| Adamsdown | 2,948 | Aug 2026: 310 | Violence 81, vehicle crime 73, criminal damage 29 |
| Butetown (to June 2026) | 2,939 | Jun 2026: 264 | Violence 92, ASB 49, public order 28 |
| Splott | 1,752 | Aug 2026: 179 | Violence 50, ASB 33, public order 26 |
Source: police.uk neighbourhood pages, September 2025 to August 2026 (Butetown July 2025 to June 2026, the latest month its page shows). These are counts for police team areas of different sizes, not rates, and they do not line up exactly with council wards. Cathays and Castle cover Queen Street, St Mary Street, the Cardiff Central and Queen Street stations, the castle, the stadium and the university quarter: the places where most of the city’s shopping, nightlife and events happen. Shoplifting at 174 offences in a single month in Cathays fits that retail role. Adamsdown is notable for vehicle crime, 73 offences in August alone. For a like-for-like ranking of every ward on one method, see our Cardiff crime by ward page, and for the quieter end of the city, safest areas in Cardiff.
Is Cardiff busier for crime in summer?
The neighbourhood data says yes. In Cathays recorded incidents rose from 460 in January 2026 to 763 in August, 66 per cent higher; in Adamsdown from 171 in February to 379 in July, more than double. Across the five teams, the last three months of each series hold 27 to 34 per cent of the year’s incidents. Longer evenings, outdoor events and visitors all add people to the streets, and more people means more recorded incidents, not necessarily a higher risk for any one person.
Is Cardiff safe at night?
Police street-level data carries no time of day, so it cannot say how much of Cardiff’s crime happens after dark. The category mix points to the evening economy: violence and public order offences together are 47.5 per cent of the total, and they cluster in the city centre around St Mary Street, Caroline Street and Mill Lane, and on match and concert days around the stadium. Our violent crime breakdown for Cardiff maps where those offences are reported. Keep to lit, busy routes, plan your way home before you go out, and use licensed taxis from the official ranks. Check the streets you will use in the postcode checker.
Is Cardiff a safe place to live?
For most residents, yes. The citywide rate is pulled up by the centre, and Cardiff’s residential suburbs record far fewer incidents; our crime in Cardiff analysis compares the city centre with Llandaff, which logged a single incident in a sample box where the centre logged 28. Burglary is 3.5 per cent of recorded crime (1,222 offences), so the risk most households face at home is modest. Vehicle crime is the one to watch at 8.2 per cent; park in lit spots and keep valuables out of sight. 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 Cardiff?
- 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 Roath or Pontcanna, to compare two areas side by side.
- Zoom into the UK crime map to see what was recorded near a street.
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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Cardiff crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Cardiff?
Cardiff recorded 79.55 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026 (34,910 offences), against 67.79 for England (CrimeRate). Anti-social behaviour is not included. Per resident, using the Census 2021 population of 362,400, it is about 96 per 1,000.
Is Cardiff safer than Bristol?
On the recorded figures, yes. Cardiff’s 79.55 per 1,000 is about 24 per cent below Bristol’s 104.64, and its violence rate (28.37 per 1,000) is a third lower than Bristol’s 43.26. Cardiff’s crime also fell 6.5 per cent in the year while Bristol’s rose 3.0 per cent.
Is crime in Cardiff going up?
No. It fell from 37,325 offences to 34,910 between the 12 months to April 2025 and the 12 months to April 2026, a drop of 6.5 per cent.
What is the most common crime in Cardiff?
Violence and sexual offences, 35.7 per cent of recorded crime, followed by shoplifting (14.1 per cent) and public order offences (11.9 per cent). Theft from the person is rare, at 325 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, police.uk neighbourhood pages for local counts, and the ONS Census 2021 for residents. See where our crime data comes from.
More on Cardiff: crime in Cardiff: what the police data shows, Cardiff crime by ward, safest areas in Cardiff and violent crime in Cardiff. Other cities: Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Belfast and London. In an emergency call 999.