Crime in Porthcawl
Recorded crime in Porthcawl is about the Bridgend average and 0.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 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 Porthcawl: about 10,764 residents in 9 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Living
- 4.7/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +7%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.0×the Bridgend average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Porthcawl.
Crime over 5 years
Up 7% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Porthcawl, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the Bridgend average (0.8× the England and Wales average). 69 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 71% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Drugs: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 71% 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: 18 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Bridgend (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Bridgend council area, not only Porthcawl. 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 | 137 | 0.93 | About the same |
| Cars broken into | 139 | 0.94 | Down 3% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 800 | 5.4 | Up 5% |
| Burglary of homes | 114 | 0.77 | About the same |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in CF36
In CF36, the postcode district at the centre of Porthcawl, 12% 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) | 480 | 10% | 6% | 65% | 13% | 6% |
| Public order | 132 | 8% | 2% | 57% | 29% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 105 | 30% | 19% | 5% | 45% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 94 | 10% | 7% | 32% | 45% | 6% |
| Other theft | 67 | 0% | 0% | 31% | 64% | 4% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 5% 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 | 3.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 30.7 |
| Drugs | 2.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.4 |
| Other crime | 1.3 |
| Other theft | 5.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.6 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.2 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.2 |
| Public order | 9.0 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 6.1 |
Postcode districts in Porthcawl
Nearby towns
Council: Bridgend
Questions about crime in Porthcawl
- Is Porthcawl a safe place to live?
- Porthcawl scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is about the Bridgend average.
- Is crime going up or down in Porthcawl?
- Up 7% over 5 years, from 758 recorded crimes a year to 813.
- What is the most common crime in Porthcawl?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 31 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Porthcawl compare with Bridgend?
- Crime severity in Porthcawl is about the Bridgend average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Porthcawl?
- In CF36, the postcode district at the centre of Porthcawl, 12% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 29% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Porthcawl?
- In Bridgend, the council area Porthcawl is in, the police recorded 137 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.9 per 1,000 residents, about the same as the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Porthcawl?
- 800 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Bridgend, the council area Porthcawl is in, 5.4 per 1,000 residents, 1.1 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Porthcawl last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Bridgend, the council area Porthcawl is in, against 0 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.