Crime and Safety in Paignton, Devon
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Paignton is the safest major town in Devon, and is the 23rd most dangerous overall out of Devon's 403 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Paignton in 2026 is 80 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Devon's overall crime rate, coming in 29% higher than the Devon rate of 62 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Paignton is the 43rd safest major town, and the 1,273rd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In April 2022, Paignton had the worst crime rate in Devon for theft from the person, with 4 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.08 per 1,000 daytime population. May 2019 was also a bad month for Paignton residents, when it was Devon's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 5 crimes at a rate of 0.10 per 1,000 daytime population. Paignton recorded 10 reports of robbery during October 2019, making its crime rate of 0.20 once more the worst for robbery in Devon that month.
The most common crimes in Paignton are violence and sexual offences, with 2,083 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 40. This is 1.6% higher than 2025's figure of 2,051 offences and a difference of 0.60 from 2025's crime rate of 40. Paignton's least common crime is robbery, with 13 offences recorded in 2026, a decrease of 24% from 2025's figure of 17 crimes.
Paignton 2026 Crime Scorecard
Safest
Major Towns, Devon
30% higher, regional crime rate
South West
10% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Paignton is 30% higher than the South West and 10% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Paignton Crime Rate Over Time
| Paignton | |
| South West | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Paignton Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Paignton represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.
See How Paignton Compares
You can compare Paignton's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Paignton's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Paignton up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Paignton's 1,236 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Paignton? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Paignton • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Paignton has a crime risk score of 578. This is based on analysis of 1,236 nearby areas within Paignton, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Paignton's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Paignton, crime risk scores are typically around 578, while in Devon they are average 560.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 652 (565 for Devon), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 699 (Devon 560).
Trends in Crime Risk
Paignton
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
No trend could be found in Paignton's crime risk scores over the last 10 years, and the trend may well be static.
Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Paignton's crime risk score is up by 31%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
The risk score trend over the last year has not shown any statistically meaningful movement up or down.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Paignton
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Paignton • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Violence and Sexual Offences have a crime rate of 40 reports per 1,000 people in Paignton, which is 1.33 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 2,083 crime reports logged by Devon & Cornwall Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Devon & Cornwall Police recorded 392 reports of Criminal Damage and Arson in Paignton, resulting in a crime rate of 7.61 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.21.
The crime rate for Possession of Weapons is 1.15 times the national average at 0.98 reports per 1,000. This is from 49 crime reports reported to Devon & Cornwall Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Paignton
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.17 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 0.25 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 368% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.14 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 0.65 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 75% over this timeframe.
Burglary offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.29 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 0.13 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 892% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Paignton
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Vehicle Crime offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.46 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Vehicle Crime CrimeRate Index was 0.09 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 411% over this timeframe.
Robbery offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of - for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 0.44 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a near-complete decrease over this timeframe.
Drugs offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.43 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Drugs CrimeRate Index was 0.67 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 36% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Paignton • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Paignton | Devon | South West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 723 | 14.03 | 0.99 | 14,607 | 10.70 | 0.76 | 82,030 | 12.62 | 0.89 |
| Bicycle Theft | 14 | 0.28 | 0.55 | 569 | 0.41 | 0.56 | 3,702 | 0.54 | 0.74 |
| Burglary | 118 | 2.28 | 0.73 | 2,566 | 1.86 | 0.59 | 15,750 | 2.42 | 0.77 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 392 | 7.61 | 1.21 | 8,474 | 6.20 | 0.99 | 36,459 | 5.64 | 0.90 |
| Drugs | 139 | 2.68 | 0.87 | 2,715 | 1.99 | 0.64 | 10,358 | 1.60 | 0.52 |
| Other Crime | 106 | 2.06 | 1.11 | 2,063 | 1.50 | 0.81 | 8,931 | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Other Theft | 351 | 6.80 | 1.20 | 6,727 | 4.91 | 0.86 | 31,450 | 4.85 | 0.85 |
| Possession of Weapons | 49 | 0.98 | 1.15 | 1,242 | 0.90 | 1.06 | 3,967 | 0.62 | 0.73 |
| Public Order | 252 | 4.90 | 0.84 | 6,162 | 4.50 | 0.78 | 36,669 | 5.63 | 0.97 |
| Robbery | 13 | 0.26 | 0.44 | 561 | 0.40 | 0.34 | 4,567 | 0.70 | 0.59 |
| Shoplifting | 412 | 7.99 | 1.12 | 7,254 | 5.30 | 0.74 | 37,365 | 5.76 | 0.81 |
| Theft From the Person | 32 | 0.64 | 0.45 | 607 | 0.44 | 0.28 | 2,043 | 0.33 | 0.21 |
| Vehicle Crime | 136 | 2.65 | 0.62 | 2,359 | 1.75 | 0.41 | 16,666 | 2.56 | 0.60 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 2,083 | 40.39 | 1.33 | 43,244 | 31.62 | 1.04 | 189,257 | 29.13 | 0.96 |
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Total Crime by Year
Paignton | Devon | South West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 4,097 | 79.52 | 1.12 | 84,543 | 61.78 | 0.86 | 397,184 | 61.16 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 4,128 | 80.20 | 1.09 | 83,193 | 61.39 | 0.83 | 402,192 | 62.40 | 0.84 |
| 2024 | 2,915 | 56.84 | 0.76 | 56,860 | 42.28 | 0.56 | 357,420 | 55.92 | 0.74 |
| 2023 | 3,108 | 60.88 | 0.78 | 62,696 | 47.11 | 0.60 | 360,086 | 56.89 | 0.72 |
| 2022 | 2,945 | 58.19 | 0.77 | 64,490 | 49.13 | 0.64 | 351,958 | 56.19 | 0.73 |
| 2021 | 2,904 | 57.80 | 0.86 | 60,586 | 46.74 | 0.68 | 311,592 | 50.21 | 0.73 |
| 2020 | 3,198 | 64.00 | 0.88 | 66,378 | 51.61 | 0.70 | 343,342 | 55.68 | 0.75 |
| 2019 | 3,553 | 71.75 | 0.95 | 72,309 | 56.53 | 0.74 | 348,574 | 56.87 | 0.75 |
| 2018 | 3,331 | 67.65 | 0.96 | 70,466 | 55.35 | 0.78 | 340,408 | 55.87 | 0.79 |
| 2017 | 2,720 | 55.69 | 0.89 | 58,856 | 46.67 | 0.73 | 312,784 | 51.72 | 0.81 |
| 2016 | 824 | 16.96 | 0.90 | 16,752 | 13.33 | 0.70 | 92,229 | 15.29 | 0.80 |
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Paignton Compared to Nearby Major Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Major Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paignton | 4,097 | 79.52 | - |
| Exeter | 12,966 | 76.73 | 3.5% safer |
Comparing Paignton to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Paignton | 79.52 | - |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 0.04% more dangerous |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 4.0% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 6% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 23% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 32% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 32% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 34% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 35% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 35% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 57% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
To download charts and tables, you must subscribed to CrimeRate Pro
You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Paignton's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Paignton that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Gardens | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | 34 | 45 |
| Palace Avenue Gardens | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| Preston Green | 4 | - | 6 | - | 14 | 7 |
| The Green | 30 | 3 | 6 | - | 57 | 26 |
| South Devon College Sports Centre | - | - | - | - | 4 | 2 |
| Preston Park | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | 11 | 8 |
| Coombe Valley Park | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Oldway | 14 | - | 8 | - | 34 | 23 |
| Hollicombe Park | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 7 | 6 |
| Whitley Recreation Ground | 4 | - | 3 | - | 21 | 11 |
| Torbay Leisure Centre | 13 | 1 | 2 | - | 12 | 11 |
| Roundham Gardens | 3 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| Goodrington Park | 8 | - | 1 | - | 11 | 16 |
| Victoria Park | 46 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 81 | 104 |
| Queen's Park | 20 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 75 | 58 |
| Cliff Gardens | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Clennon Valley Allotment Gardens | - | - | - | - | 5 | 3 |
| Parkfield Sports Centre | 30 | 5 | 6 | - | 35 | 13 |
| The Burma Star Garden | 9 | - | 1 | - | 5 | 5 |
| Goodrington Village Green | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
Recent Crimes in Paignton
The 20 most recent crime reports in Paignton.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Ramshill Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Titchfield Gardens | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Brixham Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Pines Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Cherry Gardens | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Clovelly Rise | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Hill Park Terrace | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Cherry Gardens | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Luscombe Crescent | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Ramshill Road | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Torbay Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Winner Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Ramshill Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Bus/Coach Station | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Parkside Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Theatre/Concert Hall | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Fisher Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Corsham Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Daveys Elm View | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Theatre/Concert Hall |
Methodology & Data Sources
Paignton Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Paignton during August 2026 will typically become available in October 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Paignton Data Points
For Paignton, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2022 release of their Built Up Areas dataset, using the BUA22CD column value E63006916.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Paignton's daytime - or "workday" - population of 51,684 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Paignton