Ross-on-Wye Crime Rate April 2025 | Monthly Statistics

The crime profile in Ross-on-Wye during April 2025 reveals a balanced but distinctive mix of offences that reflect the area's character as a historic town with a mix of rural and urban features. Property crimes and violent crimes each accounted for 22.4% of total recorded incidents, with shoplifting and violence and sexual offences tied as the most frequent categories. This dual dominance suggests a combination of factors: the town’s retail presence, which may contribute to shoplifting, and its relatively low population density, which could explain the lower-than-average rates of violent crime. The overall crime rate of 6.1 per 1,000 residents places Ross-on-Wye 20.8% below the UK average, a consistent trend that aligns with the area’s smaller size and historic character, which may foster a more tightly knit community with lower crime propensity. Seasonal factors also appear to influence patterns, as the Easter period and spring weather likely drove increased outdoor activity, contributing to the sharp rise in shoplifting. However, the UK average for shoplifting (0.7 per 1,000) is 112% below the local rate, indicating a specific local challenge that may require targeted interventions in retail areas. Meanwhile, violence and sexual offences remain significantly below the UK average (46% lower), which could be attributed to the town’s quieter atmosphere compared to larger urban centres. This balance between property and violent crime, combined with the area’s unique demographic and geographic traits, illustrates a community where crime prevention efforts may need to focus on both retail security and community engagement strategies.

April 2025 saw significant fluctuations in specific crime categories, with burglary experiencing a 300% month-on-month increase from 1 to 4 incidents. This dramatic rise, though still relatively low in absolute terms, may be linked to seasonal factors such as Easter holidays, which can disrupt usual routines and create opportunities for opportunistic crimes. Concurrently, shoplifting increased by 66.7%, rising from 9 to 15 incidents, a figure that is 112% above the UK average for the same category. This suggests that local retail environments may be particularly vulnerable, due to high foot traffic during the Easter period or insufficient security measures in certain areas. Conversely, several categories saw notable declines, including possession of weapons (down 66.7%), theft from the person (down 66.7%), and other theft (down 66.7%). These reductions may reflect the impact of targeted policing efforts or natural seasonal variations in crime patterns. The town’s violent crime rate, at 1.4 per 1,000 residents, is 46% below the UK average, a figure that could be partly explained by the area’s lower population density and the absence of high-risk nightlife areas. This contrast with the shoplifting data highlights the combination of local factors that shape crime trends, where some categories are influenced by specific circumstances while others remain consistently lower than national benchmarks.

The crime rate in Ross-on-Wye during April 2025 (6.1 per 1,000) represents a 5.7% decrease from the previous month’s rate of 6.5 per 1,000, indicating a slight but measurable improvement in overall safety. On a daily basis, the town recorded an average of 2 crimes per day over the 30-day period, a figure that translates to a monthly exposure rate of one crime for every 164 residents. While this provides a local context for residents, this is a monthly aggregate and does not reflect daily fluctuations. When compared to the UK average, Ross-on-Wye’s crime rate remains lower, a trend that has likely been reinforced by the town’s smaller population and more compact built-up area. The population-scaled perspective reveals that each resident faces a lower risk of encountering crime than the national average, though this does not eliminate the need for vigilance in specific areas, such as retail zones where shoplifting remains elevated. The 5.7% month-on-month decline, while modest, suggests that crime prevention measures may be having some effect, particularly in categories like theft from the person and possession of weapons, which saw substantial reductions. However, the sharp increase in burglary underscores the need for continued monitoring of trends that could indicate emerging risks in the area.