Is Denbighshire safe?

Denbighshire has a crime rate of 101.95 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #242 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Denbighshire'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 Denbighshire?

As of April 2026, Denbighshire has an annual crime rate of 101.95 per 1,000 residents, based on 938 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 Denbighshire rank nationally for crime?

Denbighshire ranks #242 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 Denbighshire?

The most common crime type in Denbighshire is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 406 incidents in April 2026 — 43.3% 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 Denbighshire local authority area.

April 2026 Source: North Wales Police Police

Crime in Denbighshire: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Denbighshire recorded 938 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 9.62 per 1,000 residents. This places Denbighshire at #242 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 43.3% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 7.1% compared to the same period last year.

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

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Key Statistics

monitoring101.95 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment938 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #242 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 7.1% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

938

trending_up +4.9% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

101.95per 1k

High Risk

National Safety

#242of 331

Top 22% Riskiest UK

National Population

95,820

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: 36 Criminal damage and arson: 10	36
On or near Sydenham Avenue Map	Shoplifting: 22 Bicycle theft: 1	22
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 16	16
On or near Shopping Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 6 Shoplifting: 5	6
On or near Rhodfa Flint Map	Violence and sexual offences: 8 Public order: 3	8
On or near Petrol Station Map	Shoplifting: 7 Robbery: 1	7
On or near Sussex Street Map	Anti-social behaviour: 7	7
On or near Parking Area Map	Other theft: 7	7
On or near Maes Emlyn Map	Anti-social behaviour: 7	7
On or near Glascoed Road Map	Criminal damage and arson: 5 Drugs: 2	5

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

938 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

406

43.3%

Anti-social Behaviour

211

22.5%

Shoplifting

6.9%

Criminal Damage & Arson

6.6%

Public Order

6.5%

Other Theft

5.0%

Drug Offences

2.6%

Burglary

2.1%

Other Crime

1.7%

Weapons Possession

1.0%

Vehicle Crime

0.9%

Bicycle Theft

0.5%

Theft from Person

0.2%

Robbery

0.2%

Crime Analysis: Denbighshire

Denbighshire recorded 938 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 101.95 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#242 of 331 local authorities).

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Denbighshire (43.3%). Anti-social Behaviour (22.5%) and Shoplifting (6.9%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Denbighshire has risen noticeably — by 7.1%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by North 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

302

Total Stops

12.9%

Arrest Rate

283

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

175

Offensive weapons

Stolen goods

Articles for use in criminal damage

Article for use in theft

Evidence of offences under the Act

Detailed object of search unavailable

Outcome

A no further action disposal212

Arrest39

Community resolution34

Not recorded13

Summons / charged by post4

Gender

Male233

Female56

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

51.3%

White

47.0%

Other

1.3%

Black

0.3%

Asian

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

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

29 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Rhyl West	242	460.1
2	Rhyl South West	79	152.2
3	Denbigh Caledfryn Henllan	59	131.5
4	Prestatyn East	41	106.4
5	Rhyl East	55	90.7

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Moel Famau	1	0.5
shield	Tremeirchion	6	3.6
shield	Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch	6	3.4
shield	Llandyrnog	8	3.6
shield	Trefnant	6	2.4

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +4.9%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +7.1%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.2%

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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283 policing neighbourhoods

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