Is Bristol, City of safe?

Bristol, City of has a crime rate of 136.45 per 1,000 residents — below the national average for England and Wales, placing it among the lower-crime areas in the UK at #303 of 331 local authorities. Crime levels vary significantly across Bristol, City of'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 Bristol, City of?

As of April 2026, Bristol, City of has an annual crime rate of 136.45 per 1,000 residents, based on 6,122 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 Bristol, City of rank nationally for crime?

Bristol, City of ranks #303 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 Bristol, City of?

The most common crime type in Bristol, City of is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 2,016 incidents in April 2026 — 32.9% 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 Bristol, City of local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Avon and Somerset Constabulary Police

Crime in Bristol, City of: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Bristol, City of is among the safer areas in England and Wales, recording 6,122 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 12.58 per 1,000 residents. This places Bristol, City of at #303 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 32.9% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 9.0% compared to the same period last year.

warning Crime is significantly above the UK average for this area.

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Key Statistics

monitoring136.45 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment6,122 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #303 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 9.0% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

6,122

trending_down -4.9% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

136.45per 1k

High Risk

National Safety

#303of 331

Top 2% Riskiest UK

National Population

472,467

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 Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 107 Robbery: 14	107
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 70 Anti-social behaviour: 24	70
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 67	67
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 54	54
On or near Nightclub Map	Violence and sexual offences: 42 Burglary: 10	42
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 32 Criminal damage and arson: 11	32
On or near Lanes End Map	Violence and sexual offences: 25 Public order: 14	25
On or near Parking Area Map	Shoplifting: 32	32
On or near Waterford Road Map	Shoplifting: 31	31
On or near Trelawney Avenue Map	Shoplifting: 30	30

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

6,122 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

2,016

32.9%

Anti-social Behaviour

956

15.6%

Shoplifting

631

10.3%

Public Order

471

7.7%

Criminal Damage & Arson

437

7.1%

Other Theft

411

6.7%

Vehicle Crime

359

5.9%

Burglary

292

4.8%

Robbery

152

2.5%

Drug Offences

128

2.1%

Bicycle Theft

1.5%

Other Crime

1.4%

Theft from Person

0.9%

Weapons Possession

0.7%

Crime Analysis: Bristol, City of

Bristol, City of recorded 6,122 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 136.45 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#303 of 331 local authorities).

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Bristol, City of at 32.9%. Anti-social Behaviour (15.6%) and Shoplifting (10.3%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Bristol, City of has risen noticeably — by 9.0%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Avon and Somerset Constabulary 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

669

Total Stops

18.5%

Arrest Rate

123

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

274

Stolen goods

Offensive weapons

Article for use in theft

Articles for use in criminal damage

Evidence of offences under the Act

Firearms

Anything to threaten or harm anyone

Outcome

A no further action disposal279

Not recorded157

Arrest124

Khat or Cannabis warning43

Community resolution41

Caution (simple or conditional)13

Summons / charged by post11

Penalty Notice for Disorder1

Gender

Male521

Female123

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

74.9%

White

15.8%

Black

4.2%

Mixed

3.2%

Asian

1.9%

Other

Stop & search data published by Avon and Somerset Constabulary under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: police.uk.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

34 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Central	976	211.8
2	Lawrence Hill	549	186.4
3	Hartcliffe and Withywood	359	183.2
4	Lockleaze	226	182.4
5	Ashley	351	166.5

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Cotham	49	1.9
shield	Hotwells and Harbourside	106	3.9
shield	Redland	63	4.8
shield	St George Troopers Hill	44	6.8
shield	Bedminster	69	5.3

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -4.9%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +9.0%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_up +0.3%

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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Avon and Somerset Constabulary

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