Bridgend has a crime rate of 75.85 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #146 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Bridgend'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 Bridgend?

As of April 2026, Bridgend has an annual crime rate of 75.85 per 1,000 residents, based on 989 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 Bridgend rank nationally for crime?

Bridgend ranks #146 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 Bridgend?

The most common crime type in Bridgend is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 418 incidents in April 2026 — 42.3% 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 Bridgend local authority area.

April 2026 Source: South Wales Police Police

Crime in Bridgend: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Bridgend recorded 989 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 6.8 per 1,000 residents. This places Bridgend at #146 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 42.3% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 8.3% compared to the same period last year.

check_circle Crime is below average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring75.85 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment989 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #146 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 8.3% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

989

trending_down -1.6% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

75.85per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#146of 331

Ranked by annual rate

National Population

145,490

Estimated population

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 Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 22	22
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 21	21
On or near Prison Map	Violence and sexual offences: 12 Drugs: 2 Possession of weapons: 1	12
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 14	14
On or near Parking Area Map	Shoplifting: 14	14
On or near Sports/Recreation Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9	9
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 7	7
On or near Tairfelin Map	Public order: 3 Anti-social behaviour: 3	3
On or near Dunraven Place Map	Violence and sexual offences: 6	6
On or near Petrol Station Map	Shoplifting: 5	5

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

989 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

418

42.3%

Anti-social Behaviour

137

13.9%

Public Order

128

12.9%

Shoplifting

8.4%

Criminal Damage & Arson

7.0%

Other Theft

4.7%

Other Crime

2.6%

Drug Offences

2.5%

Vehicle Crime

2.0%

Burglary

1.6%

Weapons Possession

0.9%

Bicycle Theft

0.5%

Robbery

0.4%

Theft from Person

0.3%

Crime Analysis: Bridgend

Bridgend recorded 989 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 75.85 per 1,000 residents — broadly average for England and Wales, ranked #146 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Bridgend (42.3%). Anti-social Behaviour (13.9%) and Public Order (12.9%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Bridgend has fallen noticeably — by 8.3%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by South Wales 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

664

Total Stops

14.2%

Arrest Rate

203

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

408

Offensive weapons

Stolen goods

Article for use in theft

Articles for use in criminal damage

Evidence of offences under the Act

Outcome

A no further action disposal522

Arrest94

Community resolution24

Summons / charged by post18

Caution (simple or conditional)4

Not recorded2

Gender

Male560

Female97

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

88.0%

White

6.5%

Black

3.6%

Asian

1.9%

Other

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

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

28 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Bridgend Central	183	126.6
2	Maesteg East	48	109.3
3	Brackla West	23	106.3
4	Maesteg West	50	99.1
5	Porthcawl East Central	42	95.7

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Rest Bay	4	1.7
shield	Brackla West Central	8	2.3
shield	Nottage	3	0.9
shield	Brackla East and Coychurch Lower	22	1.4
shield	Llangynwyd	9	3.0

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -1.6%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -8.3%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -1.5%

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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South Wales Police

203 policing neighbourhoods

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