Axminster Crime Overview

Axminster is among the top 10 most dangerous small towns in Devon, and is the 38th most dangerous overall out of Devon's 430 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Axminster in 2020 was 45 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Devon's overall crime rate, coming in 15% lower than the Devon rate of 51 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Axminster is the 318th safest small town, and the 3,665th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In February 2019, Axminster was the worst small town in Devon for burglary, with 11 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.4 per 1,000 inhabitants. February 2019 was also a bad month for Axminster residents, when it was Devon's most dangerous small town for possession of weapons, recording 2 crimes at a rate of 0.26 per 1,000 residents.

The most common crimes in Axminster are violence and sexual offences, with 176 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 23. This is 3.4% higher than 2019's figure of 170 offences and a difference of 0.78 from 2019's crime rate of 22. Axminster's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 1 offence recorded in 2020, a decrease of 200% from 2019's figure of 3 crimes.

Compare Axminster to other towns and cities

See how Axminster shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Axminster and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.

Axminster Crime Map

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Summary of Crimes in Axminster This Year

 AxminsterDevon 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour16521.5428,25923.549% safer
Bicycle Theft10.134390.37185% safer
Burglary202.612,6442.2016% more dangerous
Criminal Damage and Arson354.578,1196.7648% safer
Drugs243.133,3132.7612% more dangerous
Other Crime30.391,6151.35246% safer
Other Theft263.394,3703.647% safer
Possession of Weapons20.268390.70169% safer
Public Order303.924,8414.032.8% safer
Shoplifting131.702,8972.4142% safer
Vehicle Crime131.702,2621.8811% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences17622.9829,57324.647% safer

Crime in Axminster Compared To Devon

Chart of CrimeRate.Front.Models.CombinedCityModel's normalized crime rate compared to West Sussex

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Axminster Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Kingsteignton37833.2735% safer
Cullompton37236.3523% safer
Teignmouth61740.3911% safer
Dawlish63641.827% safer
Honiton48243.024.1% safer
Axminster34344.78-
Brixham77345.521.6% more dangerous
Tiverton1,05446.984.7% more dangerous
Crediton40050.4711% more dangerous
Bideford1,08759.3925% more dangerous
Totnes50861.8828% more dangerous

Axminster Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour27291922Safer
Bicycle Theft0.390.650.390.13Safer
Burglary4.453.72.6Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson79104.6Safer
Drugs0.521.43.13.1Getting worse
Other Crime1.20.521.40.39Safer
Other Theft674.73.4Safer
Possession of Weapons0.260.390.650.26Safer
Public Order1.34.03.83.9Getting worse
Shoplifting5781.7Safer
Vehicle Crime1.72.43.91.7Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences17232223Getting worse

Changes In Axminster's Crime Rates Over Time

Chart of CrimeRate.Front.Models.CombinedCityModel's crime rate trends over time

Comparing Axminster to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Axminster44.78-
Barnet67.7134% more dangerous
Coventry77.4142% more dangerous
Croydon83.2246% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8148% more dangerous
Bristol86.2148% more dangerous
Leicester97.4454% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8756% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2858% more dangerous
Bradford133.0266% more dangerous
Leeds137.1067% more dangerous

Crime in Axminster's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Axminster37240First

Crime in Axminster During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Axminster change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in March, when Axminster saw a 500% increase in burglary. Axminster saw a large fall in shoplifting during March, when it fell by 92% compared to March in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour+25%-25%-+31%+85%+211%-40%+83%-25%+117%
Burglary+500%+100%--50%-+100%-50%--33%-
Criminal Damage and Arson-43%-80%+17%-43%-86%--75%-17%-67%-
Drugs+300%-75%------50%-67%-
Other Crime----67%---+100%--
Other Theft--71%--25%+150%+200%-+150%--
Possession of Weapons----------
Public Order+300%---50%-20%+100%-67%-67%+33%-
Shoplifting-92%-75%-88%-----64%--
Vehicle Crime-----50%--50%-+50%-
Violence and Sexual Offences+23%-25%+73%-13%-24%+78%+8%+8%-28%-11%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Axminster

What police force serves Axminster?
Axminster's local territorial police force is the Devon & Cornwall Police.
How dangerous is Axminster?
Axminster is among the top 10 most dangerous small towns in Devon.
What is Axminster's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Axminster are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Axminster?
Axminster's least common crime is bicycle theft.

Last updated: 01 Apr 2021