Exeter Crime Rate March 2025 | Monthly Statistics

Exeter's crime rate in March 2025 stood at 9.5 per 1,000 residents, marking a 21.8% increase above the UK average of 7.8 per 1,000. This figure reflects a notable shift in the city's crime profile, with violence and sexual offences comprising 35.8% of all reported crimes, followed by shoplifting (17.3%) and anti-social behaviour (16.4%). The seasonal transition to spring, with evenings lengthening after the clocks changed, may have influenced these patterns. Violence and sexual offences in Exeter at 3.4 per 1,000 residents are 25% above the UK average, a disparity that could be linked to the city's status as a major university town with a transient population. Shoplifting, at 1.7 per 1,000 residents, is an even more striking outlier, 150% above the UK average, driven by the high footfall in retail areas such as the city centre and Exeter Cathedral precinct. Anti-social behaviour, while lower than shoplifting, still exceeds the UK average by 28%, a trend that may be connected to the city's dense urban environment and the pressures of student life. The data also shows a marked contrast in property crime trends, with vehicle crime at 0.1 per 1,000 residents—74% below the UK average—suggesting that local policing strategies or infrastructure may be mitigating risk in this category. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions in retail and public spaces while also highlighting areas where Exeter's performance aligns with national trends.

March 2025 saw a 125% increase in possession of weapons, with incidents rising from 8 to 18. This surge, though still relatively low in absolute terms, suggests a shift in criminal activity patterns that could be linked to seasonal changes or local factors. Bicycle theft also spiked by 114.3%, climbing from 7 to 15 cases, a rate 67% above the UK average. This contrasts sharply with a 63.6% drop in robbery, which fell from 11 to 4 incidents. The city's violent crime rate of 3.4 per 1,000 residents is 25% above the UK average for this category, with 35.8% of all crimes falling under violence and sexual offences. Meanwhile, vehicle crime remains significantly below the UK average, with only 0.1 per 1,000 residents, a 74% deficit. These disparities highlight the uneven distribution of risk across different crime types, with retail and public spaces likely bearing the brunt of the recent increases.

Exeter's crime rate in March 2025 rose to 9.5 per 1,000 residents, a 16.2% increase from February's 8.2 per 1,000. This places the city 21.8% above the UK average of 7.8 per 1,000, a gap that has widened over recent months. On a daily basis, the area recorded approximately 43 crimes per day in March, reflecting a consistent presence of criminal activity. When scaled to the population, this means one reported crime occurred for roughly every 105 residents over the course of the month. The shift in crime patterns appears to be concentrated in violent and property-related offences, with no significant change in burglary or vehicle crime compared to previous months. This suggests that while the overall rate has climbed, the nature of the increase is not uniformly distributed across all crime categories.