Barry Crime Overview
Barry is the most dangerous medium-sized town in South Glamorgan, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of South Glamorgan's 60 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Barry in 2020 was 83 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to South Glamorgan's overall crime rate, coming in 1.3% lower than the South Glamorgan rate of 84 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Barry is the 72nd most dangerous medium-sized town, and the 877th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2017, Barry had the worst crime rate in South Glamorgan for possession of weapons, with 4 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.07 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The most common crimes in Barry are violence and sexual offences, with 1,969 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 36. This is 4.0% lower than 2019's figure of 2,047 offences and a difference of 1.43 from 2019's crime rate of 38. Barry's least common crime is robbery, with 19 offences recorded in 2020, the same as 2019's figure of 19 crimes.
Compare Barry to other towns and cities
See how Barry shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Barry and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Barry Crime Map
Crime in Barry Compared To South Glamorgan
Summary of Crimes in Barry This Year
| Barry | South Glamorgan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 2,145 | 39.33 | 19,617 | 39.21 | 0.31% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 27 | 0.50 | 1,163 | 2.32 | 364% safer |
| Burglary | 163 | 2.99 | 2,322 | 4.64 | 55% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 598 | 10.97 | 4,612 | 9.22 | 16% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 181 | 3.32 | 2,264 | 4.53 | 36% safer |
| Other Crime | 104 | 1.91 | 783 | 1.57 | 18% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 339 | 6.22 | 3,311 | 6.62 | 6% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 41 | 0.75 | 321 | 0.64 | 15% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 557 | 10.21 | 5,203 | 10.40 | 1.9% safer |
| Robbery | 19 | 0.35 | 284 | 0.57 | 63% safer |
| Shoplifting | 254 | 4.66 | 3,387 | 6.77 | 45% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 19 | 0.35 | 516 | 1.03 | 194% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 275 | 5.04 | 3,507 | 7.01 | 39% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,969 | 36.11 | 14,556 | 29.10 | 19% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in Barry
View crime percentage over time forBarry Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 27 | 24 | 20 | 39 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.94 | 0.50 | 0.31 | 0.50 | Safer |
| Burglary | 6 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.53 | 0.70 | 0.72 | 0.75 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.40 | 0.26 | 0.35 | 0.35 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4.7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.90 | 0.59 | 0.61 | 0.35 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 30 | 34 | 38 | 36 | Getting worse |
Changes In Barry's Crime Rates Over Time
Offences in Barry's Green Spaces
We only display green spaces in Barry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Knap Gardens | 2 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0.36 |
| Merthyr Dyfan Recreation Ground | 6 | - | - | - | 3 | 5 | 2.1 |
Comparing Barry to the UK's Major Cities
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 23% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 8% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 0.17% safer |
| Barry | 83.36 | - |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 2.9% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 3.3% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 14% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 19% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 22% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 37% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 39% more dangerous |
Crime in Barry's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Dyfan & Illtyd | 220 | 40 | Sixth |
| Barry East | 1,458 | 130 | First |
| Barry Island | 882 | 90 | Second |
| Barry West | 669 | 72 | Fourth |
| Gibbonsdown | 775 | 77 | Third |
| Palmerstown | 542 | 62 | Fifth |
Barry Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Barry for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (100) | Barry Island (706) |
| Bicycle Theft | Barry West (1) | Barry East (10) |
| Burglary | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (9) | Barry East (45) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (19) | Barry East (179) |
| Drugs | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (4) | Barry Island (54) |
| Other Crime | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (4) | Gibbonsdown (29) |
| Other Theft | Gibbonsdown (41) | Barry East (114) |
| Possession of Weapons | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (1) | Barry East (16) |
| Public Order | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (25) | Barry East (167) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Barry Island (1) | Barry East (6) |
| Shoplifting | Palmerstown (4) | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (55) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Palmerstown (2) | Barry East (10) |
| Vehicle Crime | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (8) | Barry East (81) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Barry Dyfan & Illtyd (67) | Barry East (642) |
Crime in Barry During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Barry change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Barry saw a 300% increase in bicycle theft. Barry saw a large fall in robbery during May, when it fell by 75% compared to May in 2019. Shoplifting saw a fall in every month of Barry's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -5% | +241% | +264% | +193% | +43% | +60% | +44% | +68% | +64% | +155% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | -67% | +300% | - | - | - | +33% | +250% | +200% | - |
| Burglary | +21% | -7% | -50% | -50% | -25% | -50% | -31% | +5% | +25% | -52% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -10% | -25% | -7% | -13% | -2% | -7% | -21% | -23% | -15% | -33% |
| Drugs | +50% | -13% | -33% | +7% | -46% | +62% | -37% | +44% | -50% | -47% |
| Other Crime | -55% | +267% | +100% | - | +9% | -11% | -8% | +180% | -20% | -63% |
| Other Theft | - | -46% | +8% | -39% | -9% | -9% | -8% | +114% | +38% | - |
| Possession of Weapons | - | +300% | -60% | - | - | +100% | -50% | +33% | - | - |
| Public Order | -40% | +36% | -10% | +19% | +16% | -16% | +8% | +25% | +10% | +10% |
| Robbery | - | - | -75% | +200% | - | +100% | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | +4% | -23% | -74% | -55% | -50% | -19% | -20% | -70% | -59% | -30% |
| Theft From the Person | +100% | -75% | - | +200% | -67% | -75% | -50% | -67% | -75% | -50% |
| Vehicle Crime | +43% | -38% | -43% | -53% | -29% | +38% | +61% | +120% | -21% | -5% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -43% | +10% | -6% | -19% | -17% | +9% | +12% | +6% | +1% | +22% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Barry
What police force serves Barry?
Barry's local territorial police force is the South Wales Police.How dangerous is Barry?
Barry is the most dangerous medium-sized town in South Glamorgan.What is Barry's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Barry are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Barry?
Barry's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 07 May 2021