Crime in Torquay
Recorded crime in Torquay is 1.7 times the Torbay average and 1.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 10%. 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 Torquay: about 32,198 residents in 30 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 8.4/10Good
- 5-year change
- +10%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.7×the Torbay average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Torquay.
Crime over 5 years
Up 10% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Torquay, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.7× the Torbay average (1.7× the England and Wales average). 133 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 69% of the harm here
- Burglary: 9% of the harm here
- Drugs: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 69% 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: 42 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Torbay (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Torbay council area, not only Torquay. 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 | 191 | 1.4 | Down 9% |
| Cars broken into | 157 | 1.1 | Down 43% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 770 | 5.5 | Down 19% |
| Burglary of homes | 226 | 1.6 | Down 11% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in TQ1
In TQ1, the postcode district at the centre of Torquay, 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) | 1,602 | 6% | 3% | 75% | 12% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 377 | 5% | 3% | 41% | 51% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 284 | 33% | 2% | 42% | 20% | 2% |
| Other theft | 280 | 5% | 1% | 39% | 51% | 4% |
| Public order | 235 | 9% | 3% | 65% | 21% | 2% |
| Drugs | 197 | 15% | 18% | 38% | 23% | 7% |
| Burglary | 104 | 9% | 1% | 29% | 48% | 13% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 96 | 6% | 0% | 23% | 66% | 5% |
| Other crime | 73 | 10% | 8% | 59% | 10% | 14% |
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 | 1.4 |
| Burglary | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 60.3 |
| Drugs | 6.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.8 |
| Other crime | 2.3 |
| Other theft | 10.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.8 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 16.0 |
| Public order | 9.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 |
| Shoplifting | 11.3 |
Postcode districts in Torquay
Nearby towns
Council: Torbay
Questions about crime in Torquay
- Is Torquay a safe place to live?
- Torquay scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.7 times the Torbay average.
- Is crime going up or down in Torquay?
- Up 10% over 5 years, from 4,160 recorded crimes a year to 4,594.
- What is the most common crime in Torquay?
- 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 Torquay compare with Torbay?
- Crime severity in Torquay is 1.7 times the Torbay average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Torquay?
- In TQ1, the postcode district at the centre of Torquay, 9% 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 Torquay?
- Of 104 burglaries reported in TQ1, the postcode district at the centre of Torquay between September 2024 and August 2025, 9% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 48% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Torquay?
- In Torbay, the council area Torquay is in, the police recorded 191 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.4 per 1,000 residents, down 9% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Torquay?
- 770 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Torbay, the council area Torquay is in, 5.5 per 1,000 residents, 1.1 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Torquay last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Torbay, the council area Torquay is in, against 1 the year before.