Crime in Cheltenham
Recorded crime in Cheltenham is 0.9 times the England and Wales average. Over 4 years it has fallen 12%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
121,739 residents in 77 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.1/10Good
- 4-year change
- −12%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 12% in 4 years Recorded crimes in Cheltenham, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.9× the England and Wales average. 77 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 59% of the harm here
- Burglary: 19% of the harm here
- Robbery: 5% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 33 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 | 0.7 |
| Burglary | 5.7 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 27.5 |
| Drugs | 2.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 1.5 |
| Other theft | 6.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.7 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 8.2 |
| Public order | 6.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.3 |
| Shoplifting | 7.9 |
What crimes are recorded in Cheltenham
79.8 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Cheltenham 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 | 198 | 1.6 | Down 8% |
| Cars broken into | 459 | 3.8 | Up 14% |
| Vehicle tampering | 148 | 1.2 | Up 20% |
| Vandalism to homes | 299 | 2.5 | About the same |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 58 | 0.48 | About the same |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 223 | 1.8 | About the same |
| Arson | 95 | 0.78 | Up 28% |
| Burglary of homes | 292 | 2.4 | Up 25% |
| Burglary of businesses | 142 | 1.2 | Up 14% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 31 | 0.25 | Down 16% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 47 | 0.39 | Down 20% |
| Robbery of people | 131 | 1.1 | Up 34% |
| Robbery of businesses | 7 | - | - |
| Violence with injury | 833 | 6.8 | Down 2% |
| Violence without injury | 1,383 | 11.4 | About the same |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,092 | 9.0 | Down 7% |
| Sexual offences | 373 | 3.1 | Up 13% |
| Shoplifting | 1,476 | 12.1 | Up 26% |
| Bicycle theft | 190 | 1.6 | Down 12% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 81 | 0.67 | Up 27% |
| Drug dealing | 54 | 0.44 | Down 27% |
| Drug possession | 143 | 1.2 | Down 20% |
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.
Gloucestershire Police area: 253 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (255 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Cheltenham.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Cheltenham, 10% 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) | 3,799 | 5% | 10% | 65% | 14% | 6% |
| Shoplifting | 1,295 | 26% | 5% | 17% | 51% | 1% |
| Public order | 849 | 12% | 6% | 46% | 32% | 3% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 789 | 4% | 5% | 24% | 65% | 2% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 786 | 19% | 0% | 9% | 70% | 2% |
| Other theft | 761 | 1% | 2% | 23% | 70% | 3% |
| Burglary | 471 | 5% | 1% | 21% | 68% | 5% |
| Other crime | 263 | 11% | 6% | 53% | 24% | 5% |
| Drugs | 257 | 14% | 50% | 15% | 5% | 16% |
| Bicycle theft | 230 | 3% | 2% | 10% | 81% | 3% |
| Robbery | 106 | 13% | 3% | 34% | 46% | 4% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 96 | 28% | 6% | 44% | 6% | 16% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 61 | 0% | 2% | 21% | 77% | 0% |
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.
Towns and cities in Cheltenham
Postcode districts in Cheltenham
Questions about crime in Cheltenham
- Is Cheltenham a safe place to live?
- Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham?
- Down 12% over 4 years, from 11,107 recorded crimes a year to 9,757.
- What is the most common crime in Cheltenham?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 27 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Cheltenham?
- In Cheltenham, 10% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 38% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Cheltenham?
- Of 471 burglaries reported in Cheltenham between September 2024 and August 2025, 5% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 68% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Cheltenham?
- In Cheltenham, the police recorded 198 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.6 per 1,000 residents, down 8% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Cheltenham?
- 580 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Cheltenham in 2025/26, 4.8 per 1,000 residents, about the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Cheltenham last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Cheltenham in 2025/26, against 2 the year before.