Crime in Caernarfon
Recorded crime in Caernarfon is 1.7 times the Gwynedd average and 1.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 3%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Caernarfon: about 9,100 residents in 6 neighbourhoods.
- Safety
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 6.1/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −3%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.7×the Gwynedd average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Caernarfon.
Crime over 5 years
Down 3% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Caernarfon, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.7× the Gwynedd average (1.5× the England and Wales average). 123 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 73% of the harm here
- Burglary: 9% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 73% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 39 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Gwynedd (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Gwynedd council area, not only Caernarfon. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 48 | 0.40 | Down 14% |
| Cars broken into | 64 | 0.53 | Down 16% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 533 | 4.4 | About the same |
| Burglary of homes | 136 | 1.1 | About the same |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.5 |
| Burglary | 4.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 56.1 |
| Drugs | 4.4 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.1 |
| Other crime | 2.5 |
| Other theft | 9.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.6 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 17.3 |
| Public order | 12.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 |
| Shoplifting | 11.3 |
Postcode districts in Caernarfon
Nearby towns
Council: Gwynedd
Questions about crime in Caernarfon
- Is Caernarfon a safe place to live?
- Caernarfon scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.7 times the Gwynedd average.
- Is crime going up or down in Caernarfon?
- Down 3% over 5 years, from 1,187 recorded crimes a year to 1,154.
- What is the most common crime in Caernarfon?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 56 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Caernarfon compare with Gwynedd?
- Crime severity in Caernarfon is 1.7 times the Gwynedd average.
- How many cars are stolen in Caernarfon?
- In Gwynedd, the council area Caernarfon is in, the police recorded 48 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.4 per 1,000 residents, down 14% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Caernarfon?
- 533 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Gwynedd, the council area Caernarfon is in, 4.4 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Caernarfon last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Gwynedd, the council area Caernarfon is in, against 1 the year before.