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. May 2020 was also a bad month for Ilfracombe residents, when it was Devon's most dangerous small town for other crime, recording 7 crimes at a rate of 0.62 per 1,000 residents. Ilfracombe recorded 6 reports of other theft during July 2020, making its crime rate of 0.53 the worst small town for other theft 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

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Crime in Ilfracombe Compared To Devon

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Summary of Crimes in Ilfracombe This Year

 IlfracombeDevon 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour31427.8228,25923.5415% more dangerous
Burglary272.392,6442.208% more dangerous
Criminal Damage and Arson998.778,1196.7623% more dangerous
Drugs534.703,3132.7641% more dangerous
Other Crime191.681,6151.3520% more dangerous
Other Theft464.084,3703.6411% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons151.338390.7047% more dangerous
Public Order554.874,8414.0317% more dangerous
Robbery30.273870.3219% safer
Shoplifting312.752,8972.4112% more dangerous
Theft From the Person50.442750.2348% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime151.332,2621.8841% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences35231.1929,57324.6421% more dangerous

Ilfracombe Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Brixham77345.5240% safer
Tiverton1,05446.9836% safer
Crediton40050.4726% safer
Bideford1,08759.397% safer
Totnes50861.883.1% safer
Ilfracombe72063.80-
Barnstaple1,98381.0321% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Ilfracombe

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Ilfracombe

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
August 2021Public orderOn or near Trinity GardensInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Public orderOn or near SupermarketUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021ShopliftingOn or near Parking AreaInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Public orderOn or near Portland ParkInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Northfield RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Other theftOn or near Northfield RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Regent PlaceInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Public orderOn or near Greenclose RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near Parking AreaInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Public orderOn or near Hele MillInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Richmond AvenueUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Oxford ParkUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Station RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Public orderOn or near Montpelier RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Montpelier RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Fore StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near The LeasUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near The LeasUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Foreland ViewInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Meridian PlaceUnable to prosecute suspect

Ilfracombe Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour36372328Safer
Burglary3.44.83.42.4Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson1313149Safer
Drugs52.94.24.7Getting worse
Other Crime0.531.21.21.7Getting worse
Other Theft8954.1Safer
Possession of Weapons0.440.711.21.3Getting worse
Public Order6654.9Safer
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.180.970.350.27Safer
Shoplifting7872.8Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.710.440.350.44Safer
Vehicle Crime4.73.82.31.3Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences32393331Safer

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.

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll OthersCrimes per Hectare
Brimlands Playing Field-11-161.0

Comparing Ilfracombe to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Ilfracombe63.80-
Barnet67.716% more dangerous
Coventry77.4118% more dangerous
Croydon83.2223% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8126% more dangerous
Bristol86.2126% more dangerous
Leicester97.4435% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8738% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2841% more dangerous
Bradford133.0252% more dangerous
Leeds137.1053% more dangerous

Crime in Ilfracombe's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Ilfracombe East39373First
Ilfracombe West32455Second

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.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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: 05 Oct 2021