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Crime

Crime in Powys by area

Every neighbourhood we cover, ranked by crimes per 1,000 residents a year, from police.uk figures for June to August 2026. Highest first. Pick a type of crime to re-rank, or tap a column to sort.

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2,702crimes recordedJune to August 2026
-20%on the 3 months beforeless crime
Meifodlowest rate1.7 per 1,000 a year
66.1middle areacrimes per 1,000 a year

Darker means more crime per resident. Tap an area for its page.

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Most improved: Ystradgynlais (-12%), Llandrindod Wells (7%) and Newtown (9%), compared with the three months before.

Every area, ranked

#Most common
1Llandrindod WellsLD1 · 5,598 residents 181.5▲ 7%violence
2NewtownSY16 · 11,362 residents 168.6▲ 9%violence
3Builth WellsLD2 · 2,471 residents 150.5▲ 39%violence
4WelshpoolSY21 · 6,638 residents 136.2▲ 12%violence
5LlanelweddLD2 · 2,471 residents 136▲ 47%violence
6BreconLD3 · 8,256 residents 121.1▲ 16%violence
7Pen RhosSA9 · 2,563 residents 117.1▼ 23%violence
8MachynllethSY20 · 2,161 residents 116.6▲ 24%violence
9TalgarthLD3 · 1,701 residents 115.2▲ 11%violence
10RhayaderLD6 · 2,083 residents 115.2▼ 9%violence
11Llansantffraed-CwmdeuddwrLD6 · 2,083 residents 111.4▼ 12%violence
12YstradgynlaisSA9 · 8,174 residents 103.7▼ 12%violence
13Lower Cwm-TwrchSA9 · 2,219 residents 100.9▼ 11%violence
14Hay-on-WyeHR3 · 1,680 residents 76.2▼ 24%violence
15LlanfyllinSY22 · 1,585 residents 68.1▼ 10%violence
16GurnosSA9 · 5,694 residents 68.1▼ 3%violence
17LlanidloesSY18 · 2,784 residents 66.1▲ 24%violence
18LlangattockNP8 · 1,650 residents 63▲ 63%violence
19PresteigneLD8 · 2,650 residents 57.4▲ 81%violence
20CrickhowellNP8 · 3,759 residents 56.4▲ 179%violence
21KnightonLD7 · 2,911 residents 55▼ 22%violence
22GuilsfieldSY21 · 2,258 residents 47.8▲ 23%violence
23Llansantffraid-ym-MechainSY22 · 1,988 residents 44.3▲ 38%violence
24CarreghofaSY22 · 3,406 residents 43.5▲ 54%violence
25Groes-lwydSY21 · 2,258 residents 40.7▲ 15%violence
26Four CrossesSY22 · 1,854 residents 36.7–violence
27CoelbrenSA10 · 2,082 residents 34.6▼ 18%violence
28SennybridgeLD3 · 1,747 residents 29.8▲ 30%violence
29Llanwrtyd WellsLD5 · 1,768 residents 20.4▼ 31%violence
30Llanfair CaereinionSY21 · 1,706 residents 18.8▼ 43%violence
31Pen-y-bont-fawrSY10 · 1,955 residents 14.3–violence
32ChurchstokeSY15 · 1,740 residents 6.9–violence
33KerrySY16 · 2,016 residents 6▼ 79%violence
34MeifodSY22 · 2,399 residents 1.7▼ 99%violence

Change compares the last three months with the three before. A dash means too few crimes to compare fairly.

Why busy centres look worst

Crimes are counted where they happen, but residents are counted where they live. Town centres and shopping areas have lots of shops, bars and visitors and not many residents, so their rates come out high even though most people there are just passing through.

How we work it out

Each area is a circle round its middle, the same as on its MeBabber page. We count the crimes police.uk records inside the circle over the last three months and turn that into a yearly figure, then divide by the number of people who live inside the circle, from the 2021 Census. Police locations are moved slightly on purpose to protect victims, so treat small differences between neighbouring areas with a pinch of salt.

Sources: data.police.uk and the Office for National Statistics, both under the Open Government Licence. Figures update every month.

Crime in every area

Questions people ask

Which areas of Powys have the lowest crime?

Over June to August 2026, the areas with the fewest crimes per 1,000 residents were Meifod, Kerry, Churchstoke, Pen-y-bont-fawr and Llanfair Caereinion.

Which areas of Powys have the highest crime?

Leaving aside the big shopping and industrial areas, where visitors and workers push the figures up, the highest rates over June to August 2026 were in Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, Builth Wells, Welshpool and Llanelwedd.

Is crime going up or down in Powys?

Across Powys, 2,702 crimes were recorded over June to August 2026, 20% fewer than the three months before.

How is crime per 1,000 residents worked out?

We count the crimes police.uk records inside each area, turn the last three months into a yearly figure, and divide by the number of people who live there from the 2021 Census.