Crime in Cardigan
Recorded crime in Cardigan is 1.8 times the Ceredigion average and 1.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 30%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Cardigan (Aberteifi): about 4,297 residents in 6 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 5.6/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −30%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.8×the Ceredigion average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Cardigan.
Crime over 5 years
Down 30% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Cardigan, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.8× the Ceredigion average (1.5× the England and Wales average). 118 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 76% of the harm here
- Burglary: 8% of the harm here
- Drugs: 7% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 76% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 28 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Ceredigion (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Ceredigion council area, not only Cardigan. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
Dyfed-Powys Police did not assign 7.6% of the crimes it recorded in 2025/26 to a council area, so these figures are lower than the true count.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 25 | 0.34 | Up 47% |
| Cars broken into | 26 | 0.36 | Down 7% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 243 | 3.3 | Down 29% |
| Burglary of homes | 72 | 0.99 | Down 23% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in SA43
In SA43, the postcode district at the centre of Cardigan, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 474 | 7% | 9% | 68% | 8% | 9% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 108 | 8% | 3% | 41% | 39% | 9% |
| Public order | 85 | 6% | 6% | 72% | 12% | 5% |
| Drugs | 63 | 10% | 62% | 17% | 5% | 6% |
| Other theft | 55 | 5% | 2% | 31% | 42% | 20% |
| Shoplifting | 52 | 38% | 13% | 12% | 27% | 10% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 9% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.2 |
| Burglary | 3.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 60.5 |
| Drugs | 8.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.1 |
| Other crime | 1.8 |
| Other theft | 6.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 13.5 |
| Public order | 13.2 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.3 |
| Shoplifting | 6.3 |
Postcode districts in Cardigan
Nearby towns
Council: Ceredigion
Questions about crime in Cardigan
- Is Cardigan a safe place to live?
- Cardigan scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.8 times the Ceredigion average.
- Is crime going up or down in Cardigan?
- Down 30% over 5 years, from 699 recorded crimes a year to 492.
- What is the most common crime in Cardigan?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 60 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Cardigan compare with Ceredigion?
- Crime severity in Cardigan is 1.8 times the Ceredigion average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Cardigan?
- In SA43, the postcode district at the centre of Cardigan, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 16% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Cardigan?
- In Ceredigion, the council area Cardigan is in, the police recorded 25 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.3 per 1,000 residents, up 47% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Cardigan?
- 243 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Ceredigion, the council area Cardigan is in, 3.3 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Cardigan last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in 2025/26, in Ceredigion, the council area Cardigan is in, against 0 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.