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Feeling safe and secure is crucial for enjoying university. See how safe university towns and cities are to help you finalise where to study.

CHOOSING A UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE SAFETY UNDERGRADUATE
Author image
Jamie Dobbs 23 Mar 2022
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Police car at junction

CONTENTS

  1. City crime stats methodology

  2. England and Wales

  3. Northern Ireland

  4. Scotland

  5. UK

  6. Data sources

City crime stats methodology

The tables below show the crime rates against the general public in UK towns and cities with two or more universities, with a three-year rolling average of crime per population of 1,000.

Each town or city has three categories of crime measured – domestic burglary, robbery of personal property and violence against the person with injury – and a total score and ranking. The data can help you decide if a university is right for you.

We also list crime rates specific to where students live during term time.

  1. GO TO
  2. Crime rates in university cities and towns
  3. University crime statistics

England and Wales

Town/City *Domestic burglary Robbery of personal property **Violence
against the
person – with
injury		 Total Rank
Bath 2.9 0.4 5.3 8.7 1
Birmingham 6.8 3.2 12.5 22.6 32
Bournemouth 5.5 1.2 13.4 20.2 27
Bradford 7.9 1.3 12.1 21.2 31
Brighton 2.9 1.2 9.7 13.8 12
Bristol 5.6 1.6 9.4 16.6 20
Cambridge 4.9 1.2 6.6 12.8 7
Canterbury 3.5 0.8 9.4 13.8 10
Cardiff 4.2 0.7 9.0 13.8 11
Chichester 2.9 0.2 6.3 9.4 3
Colchester 3.4 0.6 8.9 12.9 8
Coventry 5.7 1.8 8.6 16.1 17
Derby 5.1 1.4 12.7 19.2 23
Exeter 1.4 0.5 9.3 11.2 5
Guildford 2.7 0.2 5.9 8.8 2
Hull 8.7 1.5 16.0 26.2 35
Lancaster 4.4 0.5 9.6 14.4 13
Leeds 7.6 1.4 11.3 20.3 29
Leicester 5.8 1.7 12.9 20.3 28
Lincoln 5.7 0.8 11.8 18.3 21
Liverpool 6.7 1.3 11.8 19.8 24
Manchester 11.0 5.6 14.1 30.7 36
Middlesbrough 9.6 1.5 13.5 24.5 34
Newcastle 4.3 0.5 11.0 15.9 16
Newport 4.8 1.0 10.4 16.2 18
Northampton 5.0 1.7 13.1 19.8 25
Norwich 4.3 1.3 13.6 19.1 22
Nottingham 5.1 1.6 13.2 19.9 26
Oxford 4.5 0.9 7.7 13.0 9
Plymouth 2.3 0.7 12.5 15.5 15
Portsmouth 3.9 1.1 16.1 21.1 30
Reading 4.1 1.3 9.6 15.0 14
Sheffield 6.6 1.2 8.4 16.2 19
Southampton 6.3 1.4 15.7 23.3 33
Swansea 3.3 0.4 8.2 11.9 6
Winchester 3.2 0.3 6.4 9.9 4

Northern Ireland

Town/City *Domestic burglary Robbery of personal property **Violence
against the
person – with
injury		 Total Rank
Belfast 6.2 1.0 13.0 20.2 1

Scotland

Town/City *Domestic burglary Robbery of personal property **Violence
against the
person – with
injury		 Total Rank
Aberdeen 3.9 0.5 0.9 5.2 3
Dundee 3.4 0.5 0.9 4.8 2
Edinburgh 6.7 0.5 0.8 8.0 5
Glasgow 4.1 0.5 1.5 6.1 4
Stirling 2.4 0.2 0.5 3.1 1

UK

Town/City *Domestic burglary Robbery of personal property **Violence
against the
person – with
injury		 Total Rank
Aberdeen 3.9 0.5 0.9 5.2 3
Bath 2.9 0.4 5.3 8.7 6
Belfast 6.2 1.0 13.0 20.2 32
Birmingham 6.8 3.2 12.5 22.6 38
Bournemouth 5.5 1.2 13.4 20.2 33
Bradford 7.9 1.3 12.1 21.2 37
Brighton 2.9 1.2 9.7 13.8 15
Bristol 5.6 1.6 9.4 16.6 25
Cambridge 4.9 1.2 6.6 12.8 12
Canterbury 3.5 0.8 9.4 13.8 16
Cardiff 4.2 0.7 9.0 13.8 17
Chichester 2.9 0.2 6.3 9.4 8
Colchester 3.4 0.6 8.9 12.9 13
Coventry 5.7 1.8 8.6 16.1 22
Derby 5.1 1.4 12.7 19.2 28
Dundee 3.4 0.5 0.9 4.8 2
Edinburgh 6.7 0.5 0.8 8.0 5
Exeter 1.4 0.5 9.3 11.2 10
Glasgow 4.1 0.5 1.5 6.1 4
Guildford 2.7 0.2 5.9 8.8 7
Hull 8.7 1.5 16.0 26.2 41
Lancaster 4.4 0.5 9.6 14.4 18
Leeds 7.6 1.4 11.3 20.3 34
Leicester 5.8 1.7 12.9 20.3 35
Lincoln 5.7 0.8 11.8 18.3 26
Liverpool 6.7 1.3 11.8 19.8 29
Manchester 11.0 5.6 14.1 30.7 42
Middlesbrough 9.6 1.5 13.5 24.5 40
Newcastle 4.3 0.5 11.0 15.9 21
Newport 4.8 1.0 10.4 16.2 23
Northampton 5.0 1.7 13.1 19.8 30
Norwich 4.3 1.3 13.6 19.1 27
Nottingham 5.1 1.6 13.2 19.9 31
Oxford 4.5 0.9 7.7 13.0 14
Plymouth 2.3 0.7 12.5 15.5 20
Portsmouth 3.9 1.1 16.1 21.1 36
Reading 4.1 1.3 9.6 15.0 19
Sheffield 6.6 1.2 8.4 16.2 24
Southampton 6.3 1.4 15.7 23.3 39
Stirling 2.4 0.2 0.5 3.1 1
Swansea 3.3 0.4 8.2 11.9 11
Winchester 3.2 0.3 6.4 9.9 9

Data sources

Metric

England and Wales definition

Latest data

Domestic burglary

Domestic burglary

gov.uk

Violence against the person – with Injury

Violence against the person – with injury

gov.uk

Robbery of personal property

Robbery of personal property

gov.uk

 

Population

gov.uk
 

Metric

Northern Ireland definition

Latest data

Domestic burglary

Burglary – domestic

nisra.gov.uk

Violence against the person – with injury

Serious violent crime

nisra.gov.uk

Robbery of personal property

Robbery – personal

nisra.gov.uk

 

Population 

nisra.gov.uk
 

Metric

Scotland definition

Latest data

Domestic burglary

Domestic burglary = Housebreaking

gov.scot

Violence against the person – with injury

Violence against the person – with injury = Homicide, attempted murder and serious assault, and other violence

gov.scot

Robbery of personal property

Robbery

gov.scot

 

Population

gov.scot

Last updated March 2022.

CHOOSING A UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE SAFETY UNDERGRADUATE
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