St Austell Crime Overview
St Austell is the third most dangerous small town in Cornwall, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of Cornwall's 218 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in St Austell in 2020 was 74 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Cornwall's overall crime rate, coming in 42% higher than the Cornwall rate of 43 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, St Austell is the 167th most dangerous small town, and the 1,246th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, St Austell had the worst crime rate in Cornwall for burglary, with 5 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.24 per 1,000 inhabitants. March 2020 was also a bad month for St Austell residents, when it was Cornwall's most dangerous area for criminal damage and arson, recording 23 crimes at a rate of 1.1 per 1,000 residents. St Austell recorded 4 reports of other crime during July 2020, making its crime rate of 0.19 the worst for other crime in Cornwall that month.
The most common crimes in St Austell are violence and sexual offences, with 709 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 33. This is 6% higher than 2019's figure of 669 offences and a difference of 1.88 from 2019's crime rate of 31. St Austell's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 6 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 33% from 2019's figure of 8 crimes.
Compare St Austell to other towns and cities
See how St Austell shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how St Austell and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
St Austell Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in St Austell This Year
| St Austell | Cornwall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 877 | 41.22 | 13,083 | 22.97 | 44% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 6 | 0.28 | 117 | 0.21 | 25% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 76 | 3.57 | 944 | 1.66 | 54% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 216 | 10.15 | 3,741 | 6.57 | 35% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 71 | 3.34 | 1,065 | 1.87 | 44% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 26 | 1.22 | 507 | 0.89 | 27% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 129 | 6.06 | 1,911 | 3.35 | 45% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 29 | 1.36 | 275 | 0.48 | 65% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 88 | 4.14 | 1,614 | 2.83 | 32% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 13 | 0.61 | 98 | 0.17 | 72% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 115 | 5.41 | 1,095 | 1.92 | 65% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 12 | 0.56 | 71 | 0.12 | 79% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 77 | 3.62 | 733 | 1.29 | 64% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 709 | 33.33 | 12,296 | 21.59 | 35% more dangerous |
Crime in St Austell Compared To Cornwall
St Austell Compared to Nearby Small Towns
St Austell Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 42 | 42 | 35 | 41 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.42 | 0.24 | 0.38 | 0.28 | Safer |
| Burglary | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.6 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.5 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.3 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.2 | 0.61 | 1.1 | 1.4 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 4.4 | 6 | 4.7 | 4.1 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.47 | 0.42 | 0.61 | 0.61 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 13 | 12 | 9 | 5 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.71 | 0.80 | 0.19 | 0.56 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 2.4 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 28 | 33 | 31 | 33 | Getting worse |
Changes In St Austell's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing St Austell to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 9% safer |
| St Austell | 73.65 | - |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 4.9% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 11% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 14% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 15% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 24% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 28% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 31% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 45% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 46% more dangerous |
Crime in St Austell's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Austell Central | 880 | 87 | First |
Crime in St Austell During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in St Austell change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when St Austell saw a 400% increase in burglary. St Austell saw a large fall in vehicle crime during December, when it fell by 92% compared to December in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -29% | -13% | -15% | +18% | +173% | +43% | +28% | +38% | +43% | -23% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | +100% | +14% | +400% | +17% | +33% | +400% | +400% | -33% | +25% | -44% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +5% | -50% | +82% | -45% | +13% | - | -38% | -37% | +70% | -40% |
| Drugs | +29% | +100% | +67% | +100% | +175% | - | - | -20% | - | -33% |
| Other Crime | -50% | +33% | -29% | - | +100% | -40% | -75% | -67% | -67% | - |
| Other Theft | -35% | -54% | -73% | -33% | -33% | +100% | +36% | +20% | -44% | -18% |
| Possession of Weapons | -75% | - | +100% | -50% | +50% | - | - | -40% | - | -75% |
| Public Order | -38% | -78% | +17% | +14% | -18% | -18% | -30% | - | +11% | - |
| Robbery | +200% | - | -50% | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | -40% | +30% | -58% | -33% | -27% | +57% | -85% | -75% | -89% | -71% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -29% | +250% | +50% | - | +100% | - | +33% | +300% | +100% | -92% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -2% | -36% | +24% | +22% | +2% | +10% | -23% | +38% | +19% | +16% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in St Austell
What police force serves St Austell?
St Austell's local territorial police force is the Devon & Cornwall Police.How dangerous is St Austell?
St Austell is the third most dangerous small town in Cornwall.What is St Austell's most common crime?
The most common crimes in St Austell are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in St Austell?
St Austell's least common crime is bicycle theft.Last updated: 01 Apr 2021