Crime in Merthyr Tydfil
Recorded crime in Merthyr Tydfil is 1.3 times the Merthyr Tydfil council average and 1.4 times the England and Wales average. It is about the same as 5 years ago. 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 Merthyr Tydfil: about 16,057 residents in 17 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 7.9/10Good
- 5-year change
- −1%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.3×the Merthyr Tydfil council average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Merthyr Tydfil.
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Merthyr Tydfil, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.3× the Merthyr Tydfil council average (1.4× the England and Wales average). 135 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 64% of the harm here
- Burglary: 11% of the harm here
- Drugs: 7% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 64% 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: 34 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Merthyr Tydfil (the whole partnership area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Merthyr Tydfil partnership area, not only the town of Merthyr Tydfil. Figures for the Cwm Taf community safety partnership, which covers Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf. 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 | 518 | 1.7 | Up 9% |
| Cars broken into | 423 | 1.4 | Up 6% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,866 | 6.2 | Up 2% |
| Burglary of homes | 341 | 1.1 | Up 11% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 7 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in CF47
In CF47, the postcode district at the centre of Merthyr Tydfil, 19% 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) | 1,038 | 18% | 3% | 61% | 12% | 6% |
| Shoplifting | 414 | 36% | 3% | 22% | 37% | 1% |
| Public order | 301 | 7% | 1% | 63% | 23% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 238 | 11% | 3% | 28% | 58% | 2% |
| Other theft | 177 | 3% | 3% | 31% | 62% | 2% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 159 | 4% | 0% | 15% | 80% | 1% |
| Other crime | 94 | 19% | 5% | 60% | 12% | 4% |
| Burglary | 83 | 25% | 1% | 12% | 55% | 6% |
| Drugs | 76 | 51% | 8% | 21% | 8% | 12% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
Merthyr Tydfil, 2023 to 2025: 44 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 10 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 2 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
0.7 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 23% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
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 | 0.7 |
| Burglary | 4.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 44.4 |
| Drugs | 7.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.1 |
| Other crime | 2.9 |
| Other theft | 9.5 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 11.9 |
| Public order | 16.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.3 |
| Shoplifting | 27.1 |
Postcode districts in Merthyr Tydfil
Nearby towns
Council: Merthyr Tydfil
Questions about crime in Merthyr Tydfil
- Is Merthyr Tydfil a safe place to live?
- Merthyr Tydfil scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.3 times the Merthyr Tydfil council average.
- Is crime going up or down in Merthyr Tydfil?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 2,219 recorded crimes a year then, 2,203 now.
- What is the most common crime in Merthyr Tydfil?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 44 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Merthyr Tydfil compare with Merthyr Tydfil council?
- Crime severity in Merthyr Tydfil is 1.3 times the Merthyr Tydfil council average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Merthyr Tydfil?
- In CF47, the postcode district at the centre of Merthyr Tydfil, 19% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 30% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Merthyr Tydfil?
- Of 83 burglaries reported in CF47, the postcode district at the centre of Merthyr Tydfil between September 2024 and August 2025, 25% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 55% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Merthyr Tydfil?
- In 2025/26, in the Cwm Taf partnership area, which includes Merthyr Tydfil, the police recorded 518 cars stolen (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.7 per 1,000 residents, up 9% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Merthyr Tydfil?
- 1,866 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Cwm Taf partnership area, which includes Merthyr Tydfil, 6.2 per 1,000 residents, 1.3 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Merthyr Tydfil last year?
- 7 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Cwm Taf partnership area, which includes Merthyr Tydfil, against 3 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.