Crime in Cardiff
Recorded crime in Cardiff is 1.1 times the England and Wales average. It is about the same as 5 years ago. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
383,919 residents in 218 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.6/10Good
- 5-year change
- +1%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes in Cardiff, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the England and Wales average. 98 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 59% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
- Drugs: 5% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 24 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 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 5.1 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 32.1 |
| Drugs | 3.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.8 |
| Other crime | 1.8 |
| Other theft | 7.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 8.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 9.9 |
| Public order | 11.0 |
| Bicycle theft | 3.2 |
| Shoplifting | 11.4 |
What crimes are recorded in Cardiff
93.7 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Cardiff in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
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 | 698 | 1.8 | Down 28% |
| Cars broken into | 1,758 | 4.6 | Down 14% |
| Vehicle tampering | 413 | 1.1 | Up 2% |
| Vandalism to homes | 924 | 2.4 | Down 2% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 582 | 1.5 | Down 5% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 1,140 | 3.0 | Up 2% |
| Arson | 103 | 0.27 | Up 13% |
| Burglary of homes | 549 | 1.4 | Down 21% |
| Burglary of businesses | 635 | 1.7 | Down 14% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 6 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 208 | 0.54 | Up 35% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 231 | 0.60 | Up 24% |
| Robbery of people | 226 | 0.59 | Down 18% |
| Robbery of businesses | 416 | 1.1 | Up 2211% |
| Violence with injury | 2,975 | 7.7 | Down 11% |
| Violence without injury | 4,430 | 11.5 | Down 4% |
| Stalking and harassment | 4,003 | 10.4 | Up 2% |
| Sexual offences | 1,341 | 3.5 | Up 6% |
| Shoplifting | 5,070 | 13.2 | Down 12% |
| Bicycle theft | 839 | 2.2 | Down 14% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 337 | 0.88 | Down 30% |
| Drug dealing | 449 | 1.2 | Down 32% |
| Drug possession | 790 | 2.1 | 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.
South Wales Police area: 644 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (662 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Cardiff.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Cardiff, 13% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 13,061 | 11% | 3% | 64% | 16% | 6% |
| Shoplifting | 5,223 | 29% | 1% | 15% | 54% | 1% |
| Public order | 4,264 | 8% | 1% | 54% | 31% | 4% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 3,100 | 7% | 2% | 28% | 61% | 2% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2,817 | 2% | 0% | 8% | 88% | 1% |
| Other theft | 2,403 | 2% | 1% | 24% | 70% | 2% |
| Burglary | 1,531 | 12% | 0% | 14% | 72% | 3% |
| Drugs | 1,458 | 31% | 10% | 24% | 27% | 8% |
| Other crime | 933 | 17% | 5% | 50% | 19% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 858 | 2% | 0% | 8% | 88% | 1% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 405 | 1% | 0% | 18% | 79% | 2% |
| Robbery | 397 | 17% | 1% | 39% | 42% | 1% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 376 | 32% | 4% | 45% | 11% | 7% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
Cardiff, 2023 to 2025: 267 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 49 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 7 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
0.7 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 18% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Towns and cities in Cardiff
Postcode districts in Cardiff
Monthly report: Cardiff crime figures for August 2026
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Cardiff.
Questions about crime in Cardiff
- Is Cardiff a safe place to live?
- Cardiff 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 Cardiff?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 37,213 recorded crimes a year then, 37,714 now.
- What is the most common crime in Cardiff?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 32 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Cardiff?
- In Cardiff, 13% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 42% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Cardiff?
- Of 1,531 burglaries reported in Cardiff between September 2024 and August 2025, 12% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 72% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Cardiff?
- In Cardiff, the police recorded 698 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.8 per 1,000 residents, down 28% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Cardiff?
- 2,646 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Cardiff in 2025/26, 6.9 per 1,000 residents, 1.4 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Cardiff last year?
- 6 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Cardiff in 2025/26, against 6 the year before.