Crime in Hay-on-Wye
Recorded crime in Hay-on-Wye is 0.7 times the Powys average and 0.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 7%. 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 Hay-on-Wye (Y Gelli Gandryll): about 2,157 residents in 4 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 2.9/10Weak
- 5-year change
- −7%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 0.7×the Powys average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Hay-on-Wye.
Crime over 5 years
Down 7% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Hay-on-Wye, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the Powys average (0.5× the England and Wales average). 40 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 74% of the harm here
- Burglary: 14% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 74% 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: 11 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Powys (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Powys council area, not only Hay-on-Wye. 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 | 86 | 0.64 | Up 5% |
| Cars broken into | 47 | 0.35 | Down 43% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 560 | 4.1 | Up 10% |
| Burglary of homes | 157 | 1.2 | Down 17% |
| 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 HR3
In HR3, the postcode district at the centre of Hay-on-Wye, 7% 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) | 149 | 9% | 7% | 67% | 9% | 8% |
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 |
|---|---|
| Burglary | 2.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 20.8 |
| Drugs | 0.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.2 |
| Other crime | 0.6 |
| Other theft | 3.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 4.7 |
| Public order | 3.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.1 |
| Shoplifting | 1.4 |
Postcode districts in Hay-on-Wye
Nearby towns
Council: Powys
Questions about crime in Hay-on-Wye
- Is Hay-on-Wye a safe place to live?
- Hay-on-Wye scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.7 times the Powys average.
- Is crime going up or down in Hay-on-Wye?
- Down 7% over 5 years, from 102 recorded crimes a year to 95.
- What is the most common crime in Hay-on-Wye?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 21 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Hay-on-Wye compare with Powys?
- Crime severity in Hay-on-Wye is 0.7 times the Powys average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Hay-on-Wye?
- In HR3, the postcode district at the centre of Hay-on-Wye, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 24% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Hay-on-Wye?
- In Powys, the council area Hay-on-Wye is in, the police recorded 86 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, up 5% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Hay-on-Wye?
- 560 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Powys, the council area Hay-on-Wye is in, 4.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Hay-on-Wye last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in 2025/26, in Powys, the council area Hay-on-Wye is in, against 0 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.