Crime in Powys
Recorded crime in Powys is 0.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 10%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
135,059 residents in 79 neighbourhoods.
- Safety
- 5/10Average crime
- Living
- 3.5/10Weak
- 5-year change
- −10%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 10% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Powys, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.8× the England and Wales average. 57 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 72% of the harm here
- Burglary: 11% of the harm here
- Drugs: 6% 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: 14 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 | 0.1 |
| Burglary | 2.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 27.9 |
| Drugs | 3.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 1.5 |
| Other theft | 4.8 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.6 |
| Public order | 5.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.3 |
| Shoplifting | 2.1 |
What crimes are recorded in Powys
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
Dyfed-Powys Police did not assign 7.6% of the crimes it recorded in 2025/26 to a council area, so these figures are lower than the true count.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 86 | 0.64 | Up 5% |
| Cars broken into | 47 | 0.35 | Down 43% |
| Vehicle tampering | 20 | 0.15 | Up 5% |
| Vandalism to homes | 231 | 1.7 | Up 24% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 117 | 0.87 | Down 5% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 212 | 1.6 | Up 5% |
| Arson | 34 | 0.25 | Down 17% |
| Burglary of homes | 157 | 1.2 | Down 17% |
| Burglary of businesses | 102 | 0.76 | Down 30% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 51 | 0.38 | Up 6% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 54 | 0.40 | Up 10% |
| Robbery of people | 19 | 0.14 | Up 27% |
| Robbery of businesses | 1 | - | - |
| Violence with injury | 828 | 6.1 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 1,426 | 10.6 | Up 2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,288 | 9.5 | Down 15% |
| Sexual offences | 432 | 3.2 | Up 10% |
| Shoplifting | 224 | 1.7 | Down 29% |
| Bicycle theft | 28 | 0.21 | Up 8% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 14 | 0.10 | Down 42% |
| Drug dealing | 39 | 0.29 | Down 30% |
| Drug possession | 313 | 2.3 | Up 16% |
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.
Dyfed-Powys Police area: 191 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (173 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Powys.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
Towns and cities in Powys
- Brecon (Aberhonddu)
- Builth Wells (Llanfair-ym-Muallt)
- Crickhowell (Crughywel)
- Hay-on-Wye (Y Gelli Gandryll)
- Knighton (Tref-y-Clawdd)
- Llandrindod Wells
- Llanfair Caereinion
- Llanfyllin
- Llanidloes
- Llanwrtyd Wells
- Machynlleth
- Montgomery (Trefaldwyn)
- Newtown (Y Drenewydd)
- Presteigne (Llanandras)
- Rhayader
- Talgarth
- Welshpool (Y Trallwng)
- Ystradgynlais
Postcode districts in Powys
Questions about crime in Powys
- Is Powys a safe place to live?
- Powys scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Powys?
- Down 10% over 5 years, from 9,396 recorded crimes a year to 8,470.
- What is the most common crime in Powys?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 28 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How many cars are stolen in Powys?
- In Powys, the police recorded 86 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, up 5% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Powys?
- 560 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Powys in 2025/26, 4.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Powys last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Powys in 2025/26, against 0 the year before.