Bath Crime Rate May 2025 | Monthly Statistics

Bath's crime rate for May 2025 stood at 9.4 per 1,000 residents, placing it 16% above the UK average of 8.1. This figure reflects a persistent challenge for the city, which balances its historic charm with the pressures of modern urban living. The most common crimes reported were violence and sexual offences (32.9% of total incidents), shoplifting (20.0%), and anti-social behaviour (14.3%). These patterns align with Bath's character as a tourist destination and university town, where high foot traffic and the concentration of retail and hospitality businesses create environments conducive to certain types of crime. Seasonal factors may also play a role: May's longer evenings and bank holidays could contribute to increased socialising and associated incidents of public order and anti-social behaviour. Shoplifting rates in Bath are 184% above the UK average, a stark contrast to the 75% below UK rates for vehicle crime. This divergence suggests that Bath's retail sector, which includes a significant number of independent shops and historic sites, may be particularly vulnerable to theft compared to other areas with more uniform retail landscapes. The city's violent crime rate (3.1 per 1,000) is 10% above the UK average, a figure that may reflect the pressures of a transient population and the challenges of maintaining public safety in densely populated areas. As the weather warms and daylight hours increase, the dynamics of crime in Bath are likely to shift further, with outdoor spaces becoming more active and more exposed to certain types of incidents.

May 2025 saw a dramatic 80% decrease in theft from the person, with reported incidents falling from 5 in April to 1. This sharp decline, though unexplained by available data, may be linked to increased police patrols or seasonal changes in tourist behaviour. Conversely, shoplifting increased by 13.1% (160 to 181 incidents), a rise that is consistent with the city's retail environment and the higher foot traffic associated with May's bank holidays. The crime mix in Bath continued to skew towards property-related offences, with shoplifting, anti-social behaviour, and violence accounting for 67% of all reported crimes. This balance contrasts sharply with the UK average, where property crimes make up a smaller proportion of the total. Violence and sexual offences in Bath (3.1 per 1,000) are 10% above the UK average, a figure that may reflect the city's mix of residential and commercial areas. Meanwhile, vehicle crime in Bath is 75% below the UK average (0.1 vs 0.4 per 1,000), a statistic that could be attributed to the city's limited car parking and the presence of public transport options. Residents may find the 80% drop in theft from the person particularly noteworthy, as it suggests a potential shift in criminal activity patterns or increased awareness among the public.

Bath's crime rate in May 2025 remained stable compared to the previous month, with a 1.4% decrease from 9.5 to 9.4 per 1,000 residents. This slight decline suggests that the city's overall crime profile has not changed significantly over the short term. On a daily basis, Bath experienced an average of 29 crimes per day in May, a figure that provides a concrete sense of the frequency of incidents in a local context. Over the course of the month, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 106 residents, a monthly exposure rate that, while higher than the UK average, remains within the range of other comparable urban areas. When viewed through the lens of Bath's population of 96,241, this means that each resident is statistically more likely to be involved in or witness a crime than in some other parts of the country. However, the city's population density and the concentration of its services and attractions may contribute to this higher exposure rate. The comparison to the UK average crime rate (8.1 per 1,000) highlights the need for continued vigilance and targeted interventions in Bath, particularly in areas where shoplifting and violence remain high. The stability of the crime rate over the past month suggests that any changes in public policy or community initiatives may not yet have had a measurable impact, but the data provides a baseline for future analysis.