Ilfracombe Crime Overview
Ilfracombe is the second most dangerous small town in Devon, and is among the top 10 most dangerous overall out of Devon's 430 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Ilfracombe in 2020 was 64 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Devon's overall crime rate, coming in 20% higher than the Devon rate of 51 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Ilfracombe is the 264th most dangerous small town, and the 1,816th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In October 2020, Ilfracombe was the worst small town in Devon for drugs, with 14 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.2 per 1,000 inhabitants. July 2020 was also a bad month for Ilfracombe residents, when it was Devon's most dangerous small town for other theft, recording 6 crimes at a rate of 0.53 per 1,000 residents. Ilfracombe recorded 3 reports of possession of weapons during December 2020, making its crime rate of 0.27 the worst small town for possession of weapons in Devon that month.
The most common crimes in Ilfracombe are violence and sexual offences, with 352 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 31. This is 5% lower than 2019's figure of 370 offences and a difference of 1.59 from 2019's crime rate of 33. Ilfracombe's least common crime is robbery, with 3 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 33% from 2019's figure of 4 crimes.
Compare Ilfracombe to other towns and cities
See how Ilfracombe shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Ilfracombe and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Ilfracombe Crime Map
Crime in Ilfracombe Compared To Devon
Summary of Crimes in Ilfracombe This Year
| Ilfracombe | Devon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 314 | 27.82 | 28,259 | 23.54 | 15% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 27 | 2.39 | 2,644 | 2.20 | 8% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 99 | 8.77 | 8,119 | 6.76 | 23% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 53 | 4.70 | 3,313 | 2.76 | 41% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 19 | 1.68 | 1,615 | 1.35 | 20% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 46 | 4.08 | 4,370 | 3.64 | 11% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 15 | 1.33 | 839 | 0.70 | 47% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 55 | 4.87 | 4,841 | 4.03 | 17% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 3 | 0.27 | 387 | 0.32 | 19% safer |
| Shoplifting | 31 | 2.75 | 2,897 | 2.41 | 12% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 5 | 0.44 | 275 | 0.23 | 48% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 15 | 1.33 | 2,262 | 1.88 | 41% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 352 | 31.19 | 29,573 | 24.64 | 21% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in Ilfracombe
View crime percentage over time forIlfracombe Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 36 | 37 | 23 | 28 | Safer |
| Burglary | 3.4 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 2.4 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 13 | 13 | 14 | 9 | Safer |
| Drugs | 5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.7 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.53 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.7 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 8 | 9 | 5 | 4.1 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.44 | 0.71 | 1.2 | 1.3 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4.9 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.18 | 0.97 | 0.35 | 0.27 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 8 | 7 | 2.8 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.71 | 0.44 | 0.35 | 0.44 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 4.7 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 1.3 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 32 | 39 | 33 | 31 | Safer |
Changes In Ilfracombe's Crime Rates Over Time
Offences in Ilfracombe's Green Spaces
We only display green spaces in Ilfracombe that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others | Crimes per Hectare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brimlands Playing Field | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 6 | 1.0 |
Comparing Ilfracombe to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Ilfracombe | 63.80 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 6% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 18% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 23% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 26% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 26% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 35% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 38% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 41% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 52% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 53% more dangerous |
Crime in Ilfracombe's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilfracombe East | 393 | 73 | First |
| Ilfracombe West | 324 | 55 | Second |
Crime in Ilfracombe During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Ilfracombe change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Ilfracombe saw a 700% increase in drugs. Ilfracombe saw a large fall in drugs during November, when it fell by 92% compared to November in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -10% | +55% | +16% | +17% | +46% | +50% | -29% | +41% | +100% | +64% |
| Burglary | - | +200% | -67% | - | -50% | - | -43% | +33% | -17% | +100% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -60% | - | -33% | -13% | -35% | -77% | -61% | +29% | +9% | -64% |
| Drugs | -33% | +700% | +25% | +25% | +100% | - | -67% | +133% | -92% | -20% |
| Other Crime | -50% | -33% | - | - | +100% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Theft | +25% | -57% | -80% | +150% | +50% | -67% | +500% | +25% | -71% | - |
| Possession of Weapons | - | +100% | - | - | -50% | - | - | -50% | -67% | - |
| Public Order | -50% | -60% | +67% | +40% | -38% | +80% | -67% | +133% | -17% | -20% |
| Shoplifting | - | -33% | -50% | - | -80% | - | -50% | -40% | -41% | -67% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | +300% | - | -50% | - | - | - | -67% | -50% | - | - |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -14% | -52% | - | -16% | -25% | +28% | +24% | +7% | -29% | +11% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Ilfracombe
What police force serves Ilfracombe?
Ilfracombe's local territorial police force is the Devon & Cornwall Police.How dangerous is Ilfracombe?
Ilfracombe is the second most dangerous small town in Devon.What is Ilfracombe's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Ilfracombe are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Ilfracombe?
Ilfracombe's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 07 May 2021