Ballymena Crime Overview
Ballymena is the most dangerous medium-sized town 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 2020 was 84 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Antrim's overall crime rate, coming in 18% higher than the Antrim rate of 69 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Ballymena is the 69th most dangerous medium-sized town, and the 847th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In August 2020, Ballymena was the worst medium-sized town in Antrim for bicycle theft, with 2 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.07 per 1,000 inhabitants. October 2020 was also a bad month for Ballymena residents, when it was Antrim's most dangerous medium-sized town for burglary, recording 20 crimes at a rate of 0.68 per 1,000 residents. Ballymena recorded 50 reports of criminal damage and arson during November 2020, making its crime rate of 1.7 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 943 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 32. This is 11% lower than 2019's figure of 1,043 offences and a difference of 3.38 from 2019's crime rate of 35. Ballymena's least common crime is theft from the person, with 7 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 100% from 2019's figure of 14 crimes.
Compare Ballymena to other towns and cities
See how Ballymena shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Ballymena and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Ballymena Crime Map
Crime in Ballymena Compared To Antrim
Summary of Crimes in Ballymena This Year
| Ballymena | Antrim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 1,750 | 59.22 | 31,273 | 52.64 | 11% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 18 | 0.61 | 467 | 0.79 | 30% safer |
| Burglary | 121 | 4.09 | 2,141 | 3.60 | 12% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 452 | 15.30 | 7,367 | 12.40 | 19% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 284 | 9.61 | 3,398 | 5.72 | 40% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 53 | 1.79 | 943 | 1.59 | 11% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 223 | 7.55 | 4,488 | 7.55 | 0% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 39 | 1.32 | 532 | 0.90 | 32% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 34 | 1.15 | 538 | 0.91 | 21% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 20 | 0.68 | 284 | 0.48 | 29% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 252 | 8.53 | 2,753 | 4.63 | 46% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 7 | 0.24 | 170 | 0.29 | 21% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 51 | 1.73 | 1,154 | 1.94 | 12% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 943 | 31.91 | 16,777 | 28.24 | 12% more dangerous |
Ballymena Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrickfergus | 944 | 33.72 | 151% safer |
| Metropolitan Lisburn | 1,512 | 48.48 | 74% safer |
| Lisburn City | 2,830 | 62.38 | 35% safer |
| Ballymena | 2,497 | 84.50 | - |
Crime Over Time in Ballymena
View crime percentage over time forBallymena Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 51 | 47 | 46 | 59 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.20 | 0.41 | 0.37 | 0.61 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 7 | 6 | 4.8 | 4.1 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 15 | 15 | 19 | 15 | Safer |
| Drugs | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.71 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 0.81 | 1.1 | 0.64 | 1.2 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.41 | 0.47 | 0.58 | 0.68 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 11 | 17 | 14 | 9 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.30 | 0.27 | 0.47 | 0.24 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 28 | 30 | 35 | 32 | Getting worse |
Changes In Ballymena's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Ballymena to the UK's Major Cities
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 25% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 9% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 1.5% safer |
| Ballymena | 84.50 | - |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 1.5% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 2.0% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 13% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 18% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 21% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 36% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 38% more dangerous |
Crime in Ballymena During Coronavirus Lockdowns
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% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Ballymena
What police force serves Ballymena?
Ballymena's local territorial police force is the Police Service of Northern Ireland.How dangerous is Ballymena?
Ballymena is the most dangerous medium-sized town in Antrim.What is Ballymena's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Ballymena are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Ballymena?
Ballymena's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 07 May 2021