Neath Crime Overview
Neath is the second most dangerous small town in West Glamorgan, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of West Glamorgan's 70 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Neath in 2020 was 94 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to West Glamorgan's overall crime rate, coming in 25% higher than the West Glamorgan rate of 70 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Neath is the 75th most dangerous small town, and the 627th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In August 2019, Neath had the worst crime rate in West Glamorgan for theft from the person, with 6 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.31 per 1,000 inhabitants. May 2017 was also a bad month for Neath residents, when it was West Glamorgan's most dangerous area for possession of weapons, recording 4 crimes at a rate of 0.21 per 1,000 residents. Neath recorded 2 reports of robbery during July 2015, making its crime rate of 0.10 the worst for robbery in West Glamorgan that month.
The most common crimes in Neath are violence and sexual offences, with 807 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 42. This is 0.50% lower than 2019's figure of 811 offences and a difference of 0.21 from 2019's crime rate of 42. Neath's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 7 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 29% from 2019's figure of 9 crimes.
Compare Neath to other towns and cities
See how Neath shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Neath and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Neath Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Neath This Year
| Neath | West Glamorgan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 895 | 46.24 | 12,973 | 33.24 | 28% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 7 | 0.36 | 273 | 0.70 | 94% safer |
| Burglary | 97 | 5.01 | 1,409 | 3.61 | 28% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 191 | 9.87 | 3,109 | 7.97 | 19% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 81 | 4.18 | 1,377 | 3.53 | 16% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 32 | 1.65 | 559 | 1.43 | 13% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 133 | 6.87 | 2,037 | 5.22 | 24% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 17 | 0.88 | 222 | 0.57 | 35% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 251 | 12.97 | 3,594 | 9.21 | 29% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 16 | 0.83 | 152 | 0.39 | 53% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 119 | 6.15 | 1,611 | 4.13 | 33% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 11 | 0.57 | 172 | 0.44 | 23% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 50 | 2.58 | 1,683 | 4.31 | 67% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 807 | 41.69 | 11,288 | 28.92 | 31% more dangerous |
Crime in Neath Compared To West Glamorgan
Neath Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 29 | 32 | 35 | 46 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.46 | 0.36 | 0.46 | 0.36 | Safer |
| Burglary | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5 | Getting worse |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | Safer |
| Drugs | 3.0 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.6 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.72 | 0.83 | 0.57 | 0.88 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.31 | 0.36 | 0.36 | 0.83 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 16 | 12 | 10 | 6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.57 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5 | 2.6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 30 | 43 | 42 | 42 | Getting worse |
Changes In Neath's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Neath to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 38% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 21% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 12% safer |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 9% safer |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 9% safer |
| Neath | 93.61 | - |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 3.9% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 9% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 13% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 30% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 32% more dangerous |
Crime in Neath's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neath South | 431 | 65 | Second |
| Neath Town | 1,061 | 156 | First |
Crime in Neath During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Neath change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in June, when Neath saw a 250% increase in shoplifting. Neath saw a large fall in vehicle crime during April, when it fell by 86% compared to April in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -45% | +75% | +42% | +91% | +26% | +60% | +39% | +40% | +109% | +80% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | +200% | - |
| Burglary | +71% | -57% | +75% | +29% | +20% | -8% | -42% | - | -33% | - |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -52% | -45% | -52% | -50% | +23% | +47% | +24% | +24% | +47% | -40% |
| Drugs | +40% | +75% | +125% | +25% | -83% | -64% | -50% | +33% | +100% | +33% |
| Other Crime | -60% | - | -80% | -25% | -40% | - | +100% | +100% | -40% | - |
| Other Theft | +14% | -67% | -50% | -18% | -31% | -14% | +10% | +8% | -33% | +50% |
| Possession of Weapons | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | - | +100% |
| Public Order | - | - | -38% | -16% | +29% | - | +23% | +27% | -43% | +6% |
| Robbery | +100% | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | - | - | -50% |
| Shoplifting | -68% | -68% | - | +250% | -14% | -24% | -54% | -36% | +17% | -33% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | -50% | +100% | -67% | - | - | -75% | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -22% | -86% | - | -40% | -44% | -69% | +120% | -78% | +150% | - |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -41% | -3% | +4% | -20% | -12% | +3% | +32% | +35% | -8% | -33% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Neath
What police force serves Neath?
Neath's local territorial police force is the South Wales Police.How dangerous is Neath?
Neath is the second most dangerous small town in West Glamorgan.What is Neath's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Neath are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Neath?
Neath's least common crime is bicycle theft.Last updated: 01 Apr 2021