Vehicle crime near Cardiff: the latest police figures

Between October 2025 and September 2026, South Wales Police logged 1,386 vehicle offences inside a one-mile radius of Cardiff. The last three months (455) ran 27% above the three before (358), so the recent direction is up.

Month by month

August 2026 stands out at 164 recorded offences, while January 2026 dropped to 73. Offences rose 42% from the first half of the period to the second. Average: 115.5 a month.

How Cardiff compares

Ranked against 11 other towns, Cardiff comes 1. Its 116 offences a month are about 1.9 times the typical town in our set, next to 8 for Stafford.

Where offences were recorded

Just five locations make up 24% of the 1,386 offences recorded around Cardiff.

1. On or near Parking Area: 209
2. On or near Sports/recreation Area: 37
3. On or near Knox Road: 35
4. On or near Newport Road Lane: 30
5. On or near Further/higher Educational Building: 23

What happened next

The most common recorded outcome near Cardiff was "investigation complete; no suspect identified" (1111 cases).

What this means if you park near Cardiff

With roughly 116 offences a month close to Cardiff, assume a parked car here will be tried at some point. Numbers have climbed recently, so review how your vehicle is protected before the next August.

For a car kept near Cardiff, layering helps: an immobiliser to stop the engine starting, and a certified tracker for recovery if it goes anyway. See installation options.

Source: police.uk, centred on 51.4816, -3.1791, retrieved 2026-11-05. Method and limits.