West Devon has a crime rate of 43.4 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, placing it among the higher-crime areas in the UK at #14 of 331 local authorities. Crime levels vary significantly across West Devon's wards; some neighbourhoods are considerably safer than the city average. See the ward breakdown and hotspot map on this page for a detailed local picture.

What is the crime rate in West Devon?

As of April 2026, West Devon has an annual crime rate of 43.4 per 1,000 residents, based on 209 recorded offences in the latest reporting period. This figure is sourced from Police.uk open data and normalised using ONS Census 2021 population estimates to allow accurate comparisons between areas.

How does West Devon rank nationally for crime?

West Devon ranks #14 out of 331 local authorities in England and Wales by annual crime rate per 1,000 residents. A rank of #1 indicates the highest crime rate nationally. Rankings are recalculated each month as new Police.uk data becomes available, covering all recorded crimes across the area.

What is the most common crime in West Devon?

The most common crime type in West Devon is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 87 incidents in April 2026 — 41.6% of all recorded crime in the area. Data is sourced from Police.uk and covers all crimes recorded by the responsible police force across the West Devon local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Devon & Cornwall Police Police

Crime in West Devon: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

West Devon is one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, recording 209 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 3.66 per 1,000 residents. This places West Devon at #14 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 41.6% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 6.6% compared to the same period last year.

shield Crime is significantly below the UK average — one of the safer areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring43.4 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment209 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #14 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 6.6% year-on-year

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry Period: April 2026 • Updated monthly

Total Crimes

209

trending_down -10.7% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

43.4per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#14of 331

Top 4% Safest UK

Devon

#2rank

Ranked by annual rate

12-Month Crime Trend

Monthly Totals

Interactive Crime Map

District View

Live Points

Crime Incident

Area Boundary

Incident Distribution

Top Locations

Location Reference	Crime Breakdown	Primary Count
On or near Park/Open Space Map	Violence and sexual offences: 5 Criminal damage and arson: 3	5
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 8	8
On or near Parking Area Map	Criminal damage and arson: 5	5
On or near School Way Map	Shoplifting: 4	4
On or near Fore Street Map	Shoplifting: 2 Anti-social behaviour: 2	2
On or near Petrol Station Map	Shoplifting: 2 Drugs: 1 Other crime: 1	2
On or near Pepper Street Map	Anti-social behaviour: 3	3
On or near King Street Map	Shoplifting: 3	3
On or near Vigobridge Road Map	Violence and sexual offences: 3	3
On or near Kellands Lane Map	Violence and sexual offences: 3	3

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

209 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

41.6%

Other Theft

12.4%

Criminal Damage & Arson

11.5%

Public Order

9.6%

Anti-social Behaviour

7.7%

Shoplifting

6.2%

Other Crime

4.3%

Burglary

3.3%

Vehicle Crime

2.4%

Robbery

0.5%

Drug Offences

0.5%

Crime Analysis: West Devon

West Devon recorded 209 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 43.4 per 1,000 residents — among the lower-crime areas in England and Wales, ranked #14 of 331 by crime rate.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in West Devon (41.6%). Other Theft (12.4%) and Criminal Damage & Arson (11.5%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in West Devon has risen noticeably — by 6.6%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Devon & Cornwall Police through the Police.uk open data platform and cross-referenced with ONS 2021 Census population estimates to produce the per-resident rates above. Data typically appears 1–2 months after the end of the recording period.

Stop & Search

April 2026

473

Total Stops

19.2%

Arrest Rate

213

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

286

Offensive weapons

Article for use in theft

Stolen goods

Articles for use in criminal damage

Firearms

Outcome

A no further action disposal304

Arrest91

Community resolution37

Not recorded34

Summons / charged by post5

Caution (simple or conditional)1

Khat or Cannabis warning1

Gender

Male379

Female76

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

93.5%

White

3.0%

Black

2.8%

Asian

0.7%

Other

Stop & search data published by Devon & Cornwall Police under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: police.uk.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

18 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Okehampton South	25	76.0
2	Okehampton North	25	63.3
3	Tavistock North	35	58.2
4	Drewsteignton	9	43.3
5	Tavistock South West	13	41.5

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Bridestowe	3	0.7
shield	South Tawton	10	3.7
shield	Chagford	2	1.3
shield	Mary Tavy	3	1.9
shield	Bere Ferrers	9	2.4

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -10.7%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +6.6%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.5%

Data Transparency

Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 331 local authorities in England & Wales.

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Police Force

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Devon & Cornwall Police

213 policing neighbourhoods

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