Crime in North Devon
Recorded crime in North Devon is 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 25%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
101,222 residents in 59 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 6/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 5.1/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +25%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 25% in 5 years Recorded crimes in North Devon, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the England and Wales average. 52 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 70% of the harm here
- Burglary: 11% of the harm here
- Drugs: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 70% 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: 16 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 | 2.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 23.8 |
| Drugs | 2.3 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 1.2 |
| Other theft | 4.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.7 |
| Public order | 4.0 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.5 |
| Shoplifting | 4.4 |
What crimes are recorded in North Devon
55.3 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in the Northern Devon partnership area 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. Figures for the Northern Devon community safety partnership, which covers North Devon and Torridge.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 87 | 0.51 | Up 7% |
| Cars broken into | 90 | 0.53 | Up 88% |
| Vehicle tampering | 11 | 0.06 | Down 21% |
| Vandalism to homes | 198 | 1.2 | Up 4% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 102 | 0.60 | Down 30% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 264 | 1.5 | Down 16% |
| Arson | 25 | 0.15 | Down 47% |
| Burglary of homes | 140 | 0.82 | Down 6% |
| Burglary of businesses | 132 | 0.77 | Down 8% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 49 | 0.29 | Up 11% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 62 | 0.36 | Up 17% |
| Robbery of people | 44 | 0.26 | Up 91% |
| Robbery of businesses | 24 | 0.14 | - |
| Violence with injury | 1,015 | 5.9 | Down 16% |
| Violence without injury | 1,629 | 9.5 | Down 8% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,575 | 9.2 | Up 27% |
| Sexual offences | 557 | 3.3 | About the same |
| Shoplifting | 938 | 5.5 | Up 5% |
| Bicycle theft | 58 | 0.34 | Up 49% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 53 | 0.31 | Down 5% |
| Drug dealing | 64 | 0.37 | Down 54% |
| Drug possession | 178 | 1.0 | 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.
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 North Devon.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In North Devon, 8% 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) | 2,981 | 5% | 7% | 72% | 10% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 755 | 21% | 5% | 44% | 28% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 664 | 6% | 5% | 36% | 50% | 3% |
| Public order | 516 | 14% | 6% | 55% | 20% | 5% |
| Other theft | 475 | 2% | 3% | 34% | 56% | 5% |
| Drugs | 217 | 19% | 30% | 29% | 10% | 12% |
| Burglary | 210 | 8% | 2% | 28% | 59% | 3% |
| Other crime | 169 | 6% | 11% | 62% | 13% | 9% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 102 | 3% | 1% | 30% | 59% | 7% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 77 | 12% | 16% | 52% | 3% | 18% |
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 North Devon
Postcode districts in North Devon
Questions about crime in North Devon
- Is North Devon a safe place to live?
- North Devon scores 6 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in North Devon?
- Up 25% over 5 years, from 5,019 recorded crimes a year to 6,251.
- What is the most common crime in North Devon?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 24 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in North Devon?
- In North Devon, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 24% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in North Devon?
- Of 210 burglaries reported in North Devon between September 2024 and August 2025, 8% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 59% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in North Devon?
- In the Northern Devon community safety partnership (North Devon and Torridge), the police recorded 87 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.5 per 1,000 residents, up 7% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in North Devon?
- 564 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in the Northern Devon community safety partnership (North Devon and Torridge) in 2025/26, 3.3 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in North Devon last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in the Northern Devon community safety partnership (North Devon and Torridge) in 2025/26, against 0 the year before.