Ballymena is the most dangerous medium-sized towns in Antrim, and is the second most dangerous overall out of Antrim's 33 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Ballymena in 2021 was 86 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Antrim's overall crime rate, coming in 11% higher than the Antrim rate of 77 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Ballymena is the 76th most dangerous medium-sized town, and the 885th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In August 2021, Ballymena was the worst medium-sized town in Antrim for bicycle theft, with 1 crime reported and a crime rate of 0.03 per 1,000 inhabitants. December 2021 was also a bad month for Ballymena residents, when it was Antrim's most dangerous medium-sized town for burglary, recording 11 crimes at a rate of 0.37 per 1,000 residents. Ballymena recorded 39 reports of criminal damage and arson during August 2021, making its crime rate of 1.3 the worst medium-sized town for criminal damage and arson in Antrim that month.
The most common crimes in Ballymena are violence and sexual offences, with 1,130 offences during 2021, giving a crime rate of 38. This is 17% higher than 2020's figure of 943 offences and a difference of 6.33 from 2020's crime rate of 32. Ballymena's least common crime is theft from the person, with 5 offences recorded in 2021, a decrease of 40% from 2020's figure of 7 crimes.
Most Dangerous
Medium-Sized Towns, Antrim
47% higher, regional crime rate
Northern Ireland
12% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
As of 2022, the crime rate in Ballymena is 47% higher than Northern Ireland and 12% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
| Ballymena | |
| Northern Ireland | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Incidents mapped in Ballymena represent the time frame between May 2019 and April 2022. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Last updated: 02 Jun, 2022
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualize the data you need.
Last updated: 02 Jun, 2022
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| Year | Crime Rate per 1,000 people | Total Crimes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86 | 2,554 |
| 2020 | 84 | 2,497 |
| 2019 | 99 | 2,931 |
| 2018 | 94 | 2,779 |
| 2017 | 83 | 2,459 |
| 2016 | 67 | 1,979 |
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| Ballymena | Antrim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 1,693 | 57.29 | 27,940 | 47.03 | 18% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 6 | 0.20 | 444 | 0.75 | 275% safer |
| Burglary | 75 | 2.54 | 1,912 | 3.22 | 27% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 396 | 13.40 | 7,540 | 12.69 | 5% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 417 | 14.11 | 3,829 | 6.45 | 54% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 47 | 1.59 | 969 | 1.63 | 2.5% safer |
| Other Theft | 157 | 5.31 | 4,422 | 7.44 | 40% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 55 | 1.86 | 491 | 0.83 | 55% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 33 | 1.12 | 561 | 0.94 | 16% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 12 | 0.41 | 275 | 0.46 | 12% safer |
| Shoplifting | 190 | 6.43 | 2,467 | 4.15 | 35% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 5 | 0.17 | 168 | 0.28 | 65% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 31 | 1.05 | 1,158 | 1.95 | 86% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,130 | 38.24 | 21,455 | 36.12 | 6% more dangerous |
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrickfergus | 1,133 | 40.47 | 114% safer |
| Metropolitan Lisburn | 1,660 | 53.23 | 62% safer |
| Lisburn City | 2,970 | 65.46 | 32% safer |
| Ballymena | 2,554 | 86.43 | - |
View crime percentage over time for
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 47 | 46 | 59 | 57 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.41 | 0.37 | 0.61 | 0.20 | Safer |
| Burglary | 6 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 2.5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 15 | 19 | 15 | 13 | Safer |
| Drugs | 8 | 8 | 10 | 14 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.6 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.9 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 1.1 | 0.64 | 1.2 | 1.1 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.47 | 0.58 | 0.68 | 0.41 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 17 | 14 | 9 | 6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.27 | 0.47 | 0.24 | 0.17 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 30 | 35 | 32 | 38 | Getting worse |
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.08 | 29% safer |
| Croydon | 82.48 | 4.8% safer |
| Ballymena | 86.43 | - |
| Sheffield | 90.05 | 4.0% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 90.52 | 4.5% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 102.24 | 15% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 111.59 | 23% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 123.06 | 30% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 129.64 | 33% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 132.28 | 35% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 150.94 | 43% more dangerous |
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Ballymena change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in September, when Ballymena saw a 400% increase in public order. Ballymena saw a large fall in shoplifting during June, when it fell by 89% compared to June in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -8% | +143% | +27% | +4% | +3% | +16% | +66% | +65% | +75% | +44% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | +200% | +100% | -60% | +100% | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | -64% | -53% | -47% | -47% | -40% | -30% | +120% | +82% | -42% | -20% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -29% | -40% | +5% | -19% | -62% | -2% | +2% | -27% | +39% | -29% |
| Drugs | +42% | -56% | +71% | +83% | +94% | +6% | +64% | - | -3% | -27% |
| Other Crime | -20% | +20% | +33% | -70% | -60% | -67% | -63% | -25% | +75% | -67% |
| Other Theft | -59% | -53% | -70% | -44% | - | -50% | -17% | -58% | +4% | - |
| Possession of Weapons | -50% | -50% | +200% | -33% | - | -75% | - | +200% | -67% | - |
| Public Order | -33% | - | - | -50% | +100% | - | +400% | +100% | +100% | -25% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | +100% | +100% | - |
| Shoplifting | -31% | -75% | -71% | -89% | -54% | -56% | -3% | - | +10% | -56% |
| Theft From the Person | +100% | - | - | - | - | -75% | - | - | - | +50% |
| Vehicle Crime | -25% | - | -80% | -38% | - | +67% | -50% | +67% | -25% | -50% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -15% | -30% | +17% | -5% | -15% | +39% | +2% | -28% | -23% | -25% |
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