Crime in Cornwall
Recorded crime in Cornwall is 0.6 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 39%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
583,289 residents in 336 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Safety in the world
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 5.4/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +39%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 39% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Cornwall, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.6× the England and Wales average. 48 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 73% of the harm here
- Burglary: 10% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% 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: 17 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 | 0.2 |
| Burglary | 2.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 23.4 |
| Drugs | 1.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 1.1 |
| Other theft | 4.5 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1.5 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.8 |
| Public order | 3.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.2 |
| Shoplifting | 3.2 |
What crimes are recorded in Cornwall
62.7 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Cornwall in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 36,028. Home Office recorded crime: 36,562 (1% apart).
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 | 381 | 0.65 | Up 19% |
| Cars broken into | 396 | 0.68 | Down 9% |
| Vehicle tampering | 134 | 0.23 | Up 38% |
| Vandalism to homes | 861 | 1.5 | Up 2% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 390 | 0.67 | Down 4% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 1,154 | 2.0 | Up 2% |
| Arson | 154 | 0.26 | Up 22% |
| Burglary of homes | 547 | 0.94 | Up 8% |
| Burglary of businesses | 351 | 0.60 | Down 11% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 4 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 208 | 0.36 | About the same |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 236 | 0.40 | Up 17% |
| Robbery of people | 138 | 0.24 | Up 10% |
| Robbery of businesses | 62 | 0.11 | Up 210% |
| Violence with injury | 4,721 | 8.1 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 6,582 | 11.3 | Up 6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 6,017 | 10.3 | Up 32% |
| Sexual offences | 2,050 | 3.5 | Down 2% |
| Shoplifting | 2,549 | 4.4 | Down 6% |
| Bicycle theft | 95 | 0.16 | Down 5% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 190 | 0.33 | Down 19% |
| Drug dealing | 235 | 0.40 | Down 27% |
| Drug possession | 545 | 0.93 | 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 Cornwall.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Cornwall, 6% 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) | 17,701 | 5% | 3% | 75% | 11% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 4,361 | 4% | 3% | 37% | 55% | 2% |
| Other theft | 2,925 | 2% | 1% | 35% | 59% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 2,633 | 15% | 5% | 38% | 41% | 2% |
| Public order | 2,524 | 7% | 2% | 65% | 23% | 3% |
| Drugs | 982 | 16% | 23% | 40% | 10% | 10% |
| Burglary | 939 | 6% | 2% | 28% | 58% | 6% |
| Other crime | 881 | 6% | 4% | 63% | 16% | 11% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 769 | 5% | 1% | 28% | 60% | 6% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 425 | 22% | 7% | 52% | 8% | 12% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 233 | 2% | 1% | 50% | 43% | 4% |
| Robbery | 139 | 8% | 1% | 55% | 32% | 4% |
| Bicycle theft | 108 | 5% | 2% | 31% | 59% | 3% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 5% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Cornwall
Postcode districts in Cornwall
Questions about crime in Cornwall
- Is Cornwall a safe place to live?
- Cornwall scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Cornwall?
- Up 39% over 5 years, from 26,299 recorded crimes a year to 36,449.
- What is the most common crime in Cornwall?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 23 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Cornwall?
- In Cornwall, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 27% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Cornwall?
- Of 939 burglaries reported in Cornwall between September 2024 and August 2025, 6% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 58% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Cornwall?
- In Cornwall, the police recorded 381 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.7 per 1,000 residents, up 19% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Cornwall?
- 2,405 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Cornwall in 2025/26, 4.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Cornwall last year?
- 4 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Cornwall in 2025/26, against 5 the year before.