Cardiff Crime Overview
Cardiff is the most dangerous city in South Glamorgan, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of South Glamorgan's 60 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Cardiff in 2020 was 51 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to South Glamorgan's overall crime rate, coming in 65% lower than the South Glamorgan rate of 84 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Cardiff is among the top 5 safest cities, and the 2,908th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Cardiff had the worst crime rate in South Glamorgan for bicycle theft, with 23 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.06 per 1,000 inhabitants. December 2020 was also a bad month for Cardiff residents, when it was South Glamorgan's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 109 crimes at a rate of 0.31 per 1,000 residents. Cardiff recorded 125 reports of criminal damage and arson during December 2020, making its crime rate of 0.35 the worst for criminal damage and arson in South Glamorgan that month.
The most common crimes in Cardiff are violence and sexual offences, with 5,816 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 16. This is 8% lower than 2019's figure of 6,292 offences and a difference of 1.35 from 2019's crime rate of 18. Cardiff's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 138 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 19% from 2019's figure of 164 crimes.
Compare Cardiff to other towns and cities
See how Cardiff shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Cardiff and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Cardiff Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Cardiff This Year
| Cardiff | South Glamorgan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 8,350 | 23.58 | 19,617 | 39.21 | 66% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 602 | 1.70 | 1,163 | 2.32 | 36% safer |
| Burglary | 1,114 | 3.15 | 2,322 | 4.64 | 47% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,880 | 5.31 | 4,612 | 9.22 | 74% safer |
| Drugs | 1,095 | 3.09 | 2,264 | 4.53 | 47% safer |
| Other Crime | 309 | 0.87 | 783 | 1.57 | 80% safer |
| Other Theft | 1,347 | 3.80 | 3,311 | 6.62 | 74% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 138 | 0.39 | 321 | 0.64 | 64% safer |
| Public Order | 2,281 | 6.44 | 5,203 | 10.40 | 61% safer |
| Robbery | 140 | 0.40 | 284 | 0.57 | 42% safer |
| Shoplifting | 1,577 | 4.45 | 3,387 | 6.77 | 52% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 237 | 0.67 | 516 | 1.03 | 54% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 1,626 | 4.59 | 3,507 | 7.01 | 53% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 5,816 | 16.42 | 14,556 | 29.10 | 77% safer |
Crime in Cardiff Compared To South Glamorgan
Cardiff Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 17 | 16 | 14 | 24 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.7 | Safer |
| Burglary | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.2 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.1 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.93 | 0.87 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 5 | 5 | 4.7 | 3.8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.32 | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.39 | Safer |
| Public Order | 4.6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.36 | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.40 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4.4 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.2 | 0.69 | 0.84 | 0.67 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 6 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 15 | 17 | 18 | 16 | Safer |
Changes In Cardiff's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Cardiff to the UK's Major Cities
| City | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 51.28 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 24% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 34% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 38% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 40% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 41% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 47% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 50% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 52% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 61% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 63% more dangerous |
Crime in Cardiff's Neighbourhoods
Cathays South & Bute Park is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Cardiff, followed by Adamsdown in second place, and Splott as the third most dangerous area. Cardiff's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Cyncoed North, Lisvane, and Thornhill.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adamsdown | 2,358 | 195 | Second |
| Cathays North | 498 | 53 | 15th |
| Cathays South & Bute Park | 3,913 | 309 | First |
| Cyncoed North | 190 | 32 | 19th |
| Cyncoed South & Roath Park | 330 | 43 | 17th |
| Gabalfa | 638 | 65 | 14th |
| Grangetown North | 777 | 87 | Eighth |
| Grangetown South | 700 | 101 | Fifth |
| Lisvane | 149 | 26 | 21st |
| Llandaf & Danescourt | 340 | 38 | 18th |
| Llandaf North | 691 | 80 | Ninth |
| Llanishen | 685 | 71 | 11th |
| Llanrumney North | 614 | 89 | Seventh |
| Llanrumney South | 460 | 70 | 13th |
| Pwll-mawr & St Mellons East | 520 | 70 | 12th |
| Rumney | 421 | 72 | Tenth |
| Splott | 844 | 137 | Third |
| St Mellons West | 751 | 116 | Fourth |
| Thornhill | 179 | 31 | 20th |
| Trowbridge | 616 | 99 | Sixth |
| Whitchurch | 346 | 44 | 16th |
Cardiff Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Cardiff for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Lisvane (61) | Cathays South & Bute Park (1,770) |
| Bicycle Theft | Llanrumney North (1) | Cathays South & Bute Park (313) |
| Burglary | Thornhill (6) | Cathays South & Bute Park (155) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Lisvane (13) | Adamsdown (236) |
| Drugs | Cyncoed North (2) | Cathays South & Bute Park (264) |
| Other Crime | Lisvane (2) | Adamsdown (54) |
| Other Theft | Thornhill (7) | Cathays South & Bute Park (389) |
| Possession of Weapons | Llanrumney South (1) | Cathays South & Bute Park (38) |
| Public Order | Cyncoed North (9) | Cathays South & Bute Park (516) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Trowbridge (1) | Cathays South & Bute Park (30) |
| Shoplifting | Pwll-mawr & St Mellons East (9) | Cathays South & Bute Park (660) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Llanrumney North (1) | Cathays South & Bute Park (225) |
| Vehicle Crime | Thornhill (13) | Adamsdown (305) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Cyncoed North (52) | Cathays South & Bute Park (937) |
Crime in Cardiff During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Cardiff change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Cardiff saw a 168% increase in anti-social behaviour. Cardiff saw a large fall in theft from the person during July, when it fell by 73% compared to July in 2019. Rates of bicycle theft and other theft both fell year-on-year for every month during Cardiff's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 0% | +155% | +168% | +111% | +48% | +33% | +24% | +82% | +128% | +120% |
| Bicycle Theft | +14% | -41% | -8% | -36% | -54% | -35% | -7% | -24% | -2% | -51% |
| Burglary | +40% | -30% | -54% | -32% | +22% | -1% | -30% | +13% | +7% | +7% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +22% | -22% | -38% | -23% | -14% | -3% | +4% | -14% | +1% | -34% |
| Drugs | +16% | +9% | -3% | +46% | +49% | +2% | -22% | +14% | +37% | -8% |
| Other Crime | +4% | -8% | -14% | -39% | +4% | +4% | +67% | +7% | +19% | -21% |
| Other Theft | -25% | -44% | -44% | -19% | -24% | -10% | -21% | -5% | -11% | +9% |
| Possession of Weapons | -40% | -50% | +10% | +23% | -20% | -50% | -42% | +58% | +17% | -36% |
| Public Order | -14% | -22% | +12% | -1% | +13% | +15% | +39% | +1% | +13% | -29% |
| Robbery | +57% | -58% | -18% | -64% | -40% | +8% | -12% | -9% | +91% | +150% |
| Shoplifting | -36% | -59% | -63% | -48% | -31% | -25% | -15% | -6% | -22% | -31% |
| Theft From the Person | +10% | -41% | +7% | -33% | -73% | +11% | -35% | -21% | -50% | -48% |
| Vehicle Crime | - | -35% | -54% | -41% | -36% | -1% | +53% | +53% | +2% | +27% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -8% | -25% | -17% | -19% | -12% | +7% | +9% | -10% | +17% | -15% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Cardiff
What police force serves Cardiff?
Cardiff's local territorial police force is the South Wales Police.How dangerous is Cardiff?
Cardiff is the most dangerous city in South Glamorgan.What is Cardiff's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Cardiff are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Cardiff?
Cardiff's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Apr 2021