South Hams has a crime rate of 42.98 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, placing it among the higher-crime areas in the UK at #12 of 331 local authorities. Crime levels vary significantly across South Hams'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 South Hams?

As of April 2026, South Hams has an annual crime rate of 42.98 per 1,000 residents, based on 342 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 South Hams rank nationally for crime?

South Hams ranks #12 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 South Hams?

The most common crime type in South Hams is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 175 incidents in April 2026 — 51.2% 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 South Hams local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Devon & Cornwall Police Police

Crime in South Hams: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

South Hams is one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, recording 342 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 3.74 per 1,000 residents. This places South Hams at #12 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 51.2% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 6.3% 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

monitoring42.98 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment342 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #12 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 6.3% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

342

trending_up +5.2% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

42.98per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#12of 331

Top 4% Safest UK

Devon

#1rank

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 Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 11	11
On or near Old Rectory Gardens Map	Violence and sexual offences: 8	8
On or near Parking Area Map	Criminal damage and arson: 6	6
On or near Sports/Recreation Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 3 Other theft: 2	3
On or near Champernowne Map	Violence and sexual offences: 3 Anti-social behaviour: 1	3
On or near Victory Road Map	Violence and sexual offences: 4	4
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 4	4
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 3	3
On or near Petrol Station Map	Other theft: 3	3
On or near Windsor Road Map	Anti-social behaviour: 2 Public order: 1	2

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

342 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

175

51.2%

Criminal Damage & Arson

11.4%

Anti-social Behaviour

9.9%

Other Theft

9.6%

Public Order

5.3%

Shoplifting

4.4%

Burglary

3.2%

Other Crime

2.3%

Drug Offences

0.9%

Robbery

0.9%

Vehicle Crime

0.6%

Bicycle Theft

0.3%

Crime Analysis: South Hams

South Hams recorded 342 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 42.98 per 1,000 residents — among the lower-crime areas in England and Wales, ranked #12 of 331 by crime rate.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in South Hams (51.2%). Criminal Damage & Arson (11.4%) and Anti-social Behaviour (9.9%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in South Hams has fallen noticeably — by 6.3%. 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

19 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Kingsbridge	36	72.5
2	Ivybridge West	30	64.1
3	Totnes	44	59.4
4	Wembury & Brixton	27	51.3
5	Dartmouth & East Dart	43	50.2

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Bickleigh & Cornwood	15	2.4
shield	Dartington & Staverton	3	0.8
shield	Newton & Yealmpton	15	1.8
shield	Woolwell	8	2.7
shield	Ermington & Ugborough	8	1.3

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +5.2%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -6.3%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.8%

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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