Crime in County of Herefordshire
Recorded crime in County of Herefordshire is 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 18%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
191,047 residents in 117 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 5.0/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −18%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 18% in 5 years Recorded crimes in County of Herefordshire, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the England and Wales average. 56 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 68% of the harm here
- Burglary: 14% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 68% 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: 22 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
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 | 0.3 |
| Burglary | 3.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 26.1 |
| Drugs | 2.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 1.3 |
| Other theft | 5.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.9 |
| Public order | 4.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.7 |
| Shoplifting | 3.9 |
What crimes are recorded in County of Herefordshire
50.3 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in County of Herefordshire in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 10,072. Home Office recorded crime: 9,607 (5% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 93 | 0.49 | Down 15% |
| Cars broken into | 125 | 0.65 | Down 15% |
| Vehicle tampering | 31 | 0.16 | Down 33% |
| Vandalism to homes | 247 | 1.3 | Up 11% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 124 | 0.65 | Up 17% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 261 | 1.4 | Up 9% |
| Arson | 39 | 0.20 | Up 3% |
| Burglary of homes | 176 | 0.92 | Down 19% |
| Burglary of businesses | 136 | 0.71 | Down 11% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 53 | 0.28 | Down 16% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 66 | 0.35 | Down 11% |
| Robbery of people | 23 | 0.12 | Down 57% |
| Robbery of businesses | 24 | 0.13 | - |
| Violence with injury | 1,179 | 6.2 | Down 5% |
| Violence without injury | 1,502 | 7.9 | About the same |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,299 | 6.8 | Down 3% |
| Sexual offences | 565 | 3.0 | Up 2% |
| Shoplifting | 973 | 5.1 | Up 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 105 | 0.55 | Up 46% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 36 | 0.19 | Down 5% |
| Drug dealing | 99 | 0.52 | Up 9% |
| Drug possession | 224 | 1.2 | About the same |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
West Mercia Police area: 647 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (648 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only County of Herefordshire.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In County of Herefordshire, 10% 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) | 4,699 | 8% | 4% | 70% | 8% | 10% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,004 | 7% | 6% | 32% | 50% | 6% |
| Shoplifting | 948 | 28% | 5% | 25% | 39% | 3% |
| Public order | 820 | 10% | 4% | 59% | 16% | 10% |
| Other theft | 757 | 1% | 1% | 34% | 57% | 6% |
| Burglary | 456 | 3% | 0% | 27% | 62% | 7% |
| Drugs | 326 | 24% | 29% | 22% | 4% | 21% |
| Other crime | 311 | 9% | 2% | 56% | 11% | 21% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 302 | 2% | 0% | 18% | 75% | 5% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 134 | 25% | 7% | 47% | 3% | 18% |
| Bicycle theft | 86 | 5% | 2% | 15% | 77% | 1% |
| Robbery | 59 | 3% | 0% | 68% | 10% | 19% |
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.
Towns and cities in County of Herefordshire
Postcode districts in County of Herefordshire
Questions about crime in County of Herefordshire
- Is County of Herefordshire a safe place to live?
- County of Herefordshire scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in County of Herefordshire?
- Down 18% over 5 years, from 12,416 recorded crimes a year to 10,177.
- What is the most common crime in County of Herefordshire?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 26 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in County of Herefordshire?
- In County of Herefordshire, 10% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 25% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in County of Herefordshire?
- Of 456 burglaries reported in County of Herefordshire between September 2024 and August 2025, 3% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 62% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in County of Herefordshire?
- In County of Herefordshire, the police recorded 93 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.5 per 1,000 residents, down 15% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in County of Herefordshire?
- 632 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in County of Herefordshire in 2025/26, 3.3 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in County of Herefordshire last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in County of Herefordshire in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.