Crime in Plymouth
Recorded crime in Plymouth is about the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 26%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
272,067 residents in 164 neighbourhoods.
- Safety
- 4/10Above average crime
- Living
- 7.8/10Good
- 5-year change
- +26%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 26% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Plymouth, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the England and Wales average. 80 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 72% of the harm here
- Burglary: 9% of the harm here
- Drugs: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 72% 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: 26 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
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 | 0.6 |
| Burglary | 3.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 38.6 |
| Drugs | 3.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.2 |
| Other crime | 1.8 |
| Other theft | 6.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.7 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 3.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 9.4 |
| Public order | 5.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.5 |
| Shoplifting | 5.6 |
What crimes are recorded in Plymouth
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. 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 | 427 | 1.6 | Up 14% |
| Cars broken into | 317 | 1.2 | Down 33% |
| Vehicle tampering | 72 | 0.26 | Down 47% |
| Vandalism to homes | 600 | 2.2 | Down 7% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 210 | 0.77 | Down 22% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 648 | 2.4 | Down 25% |
| Arson | 73 | 0.27 | Down 20% |
| Burglary of homes | 383 | 1.4 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of businesses | 182 | 0.67 | Up 23% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 182 | 0.67 | Down 19% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 250 | 0.92 | Up 13% |
| Robbery of people | 155 | 0.57 | Up 2% |
| Robbery of businesses | 59 | 0.22 | Up 392% |
| Violence with injury | 3,199 | 11.8 | Down 6% |
| Violence without injury | 4,727 | 17.4 | Down 7% |
| Stalking and harassment | 3,775 | 13.9 | Up 32% |
| Sexual offences | 1,379 | 5.1 | Down 7% |
| Shoplifting | 2,197 | 8.1 | About the same |
| Bicycle theft | 125 | 0.46 | Up 2% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 180 | 0.66 | Down 24% |
| Drug dealing | 295 | 1.1 | Down 44% |
| Drug possession | 573 | 2.1 | Down 30% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Devon and Cornwall Police area: 862 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (876 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Plymouth.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
Towns and cities in Plymouth
Postcode districts in Plymouth
Questions about crime in Plymouth
- Is Plymouth a safe place to live?
- Plymouth scores 4 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Plymouth?
- Up 26% over 5 years, from 20,544 recorded crimes a year to 25,784.
- What is the most common crime in Plymouth?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 39 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How many cars are stolen in Plymouth?
- In Plymouth, the police recorded 427 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.6 per 1,000 residents, up 14% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Plymouth?
- 1,458 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Plymouth in 2025/26, 5.4 per 1,000 residents, 1.1 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Plymouth last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in Plymouth in 2025/26, against 4 the year before.