Bath Crime Overview
Bath is the safest major town in Somerset, and is the 40th most dangerous overall out of Somerset's 422 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Bath in 2020 was 62 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Somerset's overall crime rate, coming in 7% higher than the Somerset rate of 58 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Bath is the 25th safest major town, and the 1,895th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Bath had the worst crime rate in Somerset for burglary, with 38 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.37 per 1,000 inhabitants. September 2020 was also a bad month for Bath residents, when it was Somerset's most dangerous area for bicycle theft, recording 17 crimes at a rate of 0.16 per 1,000 residents. Bath recorded 69 reports of criminal damage and arson during October 2020, making its crime rate of 0.67 the worst for criminal damage and arson in Somerset that month.
The most common crimes in Bath are violence and sexual offences, with 2,133 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 21. This is 10% lower than 2019's figure of 2,344 offences and a difference of 2.03 from 2019's crime rate of 23. Bath's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 32 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 16% from 2019's figure of 37 crimes.
Compare Bath to other towns and cities
See how Bath shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Bath and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Bath Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Bath This Year
| Bath | Somerset | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 2,050 | 19.78 | 17,239 | 17.76 | 10% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 117 | 1.13 | 660 | 0.68 | 40% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 363 | 3.50 | 3,277 | 3.38 | 3.4% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 720 | 6.95 | 6,537 | 6.74 | 3.0% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 138 | 1.33 | 1,333 | 1.37 | 3.0% safer |
| Other Crime | 80 | 0.77 | 925 | 0.95 | 23% safer |
| Other Theft | 584 | 5.64 | 4,500 | 4.64 | 18% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 32 | 0.31 | 388 | 0.40 | 29% safer |
| Public Order | 955 | 9.22 | 8,529 | 8.79 | 4.7% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 112 | 1.08 | 526 | 0.54 | 50% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 752 | 7.26 | 3,315 | 3.42 | 53% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 60 | 0.58 | 252 | 0.26 | 55% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 424 | 4.09 | 3,046 | 3.14 | 23% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 2,133 | 20.59 | 23,221 | 23.93 | 16% safer |
Crime in Bath Compared To Somerset
Bath Compared to Nearby Major Towns
| Major Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | 6,470 | 62.44 | - |
| Weston-Super-Mare | 7,770 | 87.81 | 29% more dangerous |
| Taunton | 5,645 | 89.05 | 30% more dangerous |
Bath Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 25 | 22 | 21 | 20 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | Safer |
| Burglary | 5 | 6 | 4.6 | 3.5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 0.93 | 0.73 | 1.2 | 1.3 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.57 | 0.69 | 0.56 | 0.77 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.23 | 0.27 | 0.36 | 0.31 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.75 | 0.65 | 0.77 | 1.1 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.68 | 0.80 | 1.3 | 0.58 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 4.1 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 21 | 21 | 23 | 21 | Safer |
Changes In Bath's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Bath to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Bath | 62.44 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 8% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 19% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 25% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 27% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 28% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 36% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 39% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 42% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 53% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 54% more dangerous |
Crime in Bath's Neighbourhoods
Central Bath & Lansdown is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Bath, followed by Twerton in second place, and Kingsmead as the third most dangerous area. Bath's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Lambridge & Fairfield Park, Weston, and Widcombe, Bathwick Hill & Claverton Down.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomfield | 289 | 52 | Ninth |
| Central Bath & Lansdown | 1,630 | 144 | First |
| Combe Down | 320 | 54 | Seventh |
| Kingsmead | 783 | 117 | Third |
| Lambridge & Fairfield Park | 196 | 34 | 12th |
| Newbridge | 381 | 64 | Fourth |
| Odd Down | 330 | 55 | Sixth |
| Oldfield Park East | 278 | 47 | Tenth |
| Oldfield Park West | 329 | 42 | 11th |
| Southdown | 343 | 62 | Fifth |
| Twerton | 718 | 124 | Second |
| Walcot | 328 | 54 | Eighth |
| Weston | 164 | 29 | 14th |
| Widcombe, Bathwick Hill & Claverton Down | 392 | 29 | 13th |
Bath Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Bath for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Weston (40) | Central Bath & Lansdown (577) |
| Bicycle Theft | Weston (1) | Central Bath & Lansdown (48) |
| Burglary | Southdown (9) | Central Bath & Lansdown (83) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Widcombe, Bathwick Hill & Claverton Down (50) | Twerton (109) |
| Drugs | Bloomfield (1) | Central Bath & Lansdown (39) |
| Other Crime | Widcombe, Bathwick Hill & Claverton Down (4) | Twerton (12) |
| Other Theft | Weston (6) | Central Bath & Lansdown (166) |
| Possession of Weapons | Combe Down (1) | Kingsmead (6) |
| Public Order | Weston (12) | Central Bath & Lansdown (280) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Southdown (1) | Kingsmead (21) |
| Shoplifting | Weston (5) | Central Bath & Lansdown (294) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Combe Down (1) | Central Bath & Lansdown (33) |
| Vehicle Crime | Widcombe, Bathwick Hill & Claverton Down (27) | Odd Down (47) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Widcombe, Bathwick Hill & Claverton Down (106) | Twerton (257) |
Crime in Bath During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Bath change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Bath saw a 400% increase in theft from the person. Bath saw a large fall in theft from the person during December, when it fell by 87% compared to December in 2019. Rates of burglary and shoplifting both fell year-on-year for every month during Bath's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -26% | +5% | +12% | +23% | -2% | -6% | +7% | -5% | +10% | +37% |
| Bicycle Theft | -44% | - | -40% | +60% | -19% | -43% | +21% | -54% | -9% | -67% |
| Burglary | - | -40% | -44% | -8% | -52% | -35% | -44% | -39% | -14% | -27% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -10% | -59% | +74% | +20% | +46% | +31% | +36% | +82% | +27% | +36% |
| Drugs | -57% | +63% | -17% | +57% | +13% | -40% | +120% | +23% | -21% | -50% |
| Other Crime | +17% | -17% | +200% | +100% | -14% | +100% | +50% | -33% | -25% | +250% |
| Other Theft | -44% | -68% | -28% | -22% | -30% | -30% | -27% | -31% | -55% | -33% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | +50% | - | -75% | - | +100% | - | -60% | +33% | -40% |
| Public Order | +1% | -24% | -18% | +14% | -10% | -14% | -5% | -5% | -34% | +10% |
| Robbery | +100% | -30% | +200% | -50% | +125% | +14% | +80% | - | +86% | -13% |
| Shoplifting | -3% | -37% | -25% | -21% | +6% | -42% | -29% | -33% | -27% | -22% |
| Theft From the Person | -33% | - | +400% | -50% | -62% | -14% | -72% | -60% | -63% | -87% |
| Vehicle Crime | -39% | -8% | -10% | +46% | +114% | +96% | +29% | +29% | -3% | +51% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -13% | -17% | -11% | +5% | +24% | -23% | +1% | - | -30% | -24% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Bath
What police force serves Bath?
Bath's local territorial police force is the Avon and Somerset Constabulary.How dangerous is Bath?
Bath is the safest major town in Somerset.What is Bath's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Bath are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Bath?
Bath's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Apr 2021