Town · Rhondda Cynon Taf

Crime rates in Tonyrefail

Recorded crime in Tonyrefail fell 12.9% in the year to July 2026: 1,204 offences, against 1,382 the year before. That works out at 1,204 offences, 71.4 per 1,000 residents against an England and Wales average of 91.2.

71.4 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents, year to July 2026
1,204 offences recorded in the same 12 months
-12.9% change on the previous 12 months
-22% below the England and Wales average

Of the 929 areas in England and Wales with a full year of data, Tonyrefail has the 280th lowest recorded crime rate. That is lower than 70% of them. Within Rhondda Cynon Taf it has the 2nd lowest rate of the 6.

England & Wales average, 91Tonyrefail, 71
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents. The colours are used throughout this page: the further right, the further above the England and Wales average.

The safest and worst parts of Tonyrefail

Neighbourhoods inside Tonyrefail, by recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to July 2026, shaded against the England and Wales average. Names are the House of Commons Library's, which are chosen to be the ones local people use.

Neighbourhoods in Tonyrefail by recorded crime rate
Neighbourhood Per 1,000 vs England & Wales Offences Year on year
Tonyrefail East 79.1 about average 501 -15.7%
Tonyrefail West 66.8 below average 703 -10.8%

Neighbourhoods here are Middle Layer Super Output Areas of around 7,000 residents. Each figure is an average over the whole neighbourhood, and the ones holding a town centre run high wherever daily visitors outnumber residents. How the figures work explains why these areas are used rather than electoral wards.

Shared by people who know it

What locals say about Tonyrefail

Nobody has shared a view of Tonyrefail yet. The police figures on this page say what was reported; only people who know the place can say what it is like to live there.

Live, work or spend time in Tonyrefail?

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Answers are anonymous, one per person per question, and count for two years. They describe how a place feels to the people who answered, are never mixed into the crime figures, and update on this page within a day. How local views work.

By type of offence

Recorded offences in the 12 months to July 2026, with the change on the 12 months before.

Recorded crime in Tonyrefail by offence type
Offence Offences Per 1,000 Share Year on year
Violence and sexual offences 591 35.1 49.1% -7.4%
Public order 156 9.3 13.0% +6.1%
Anti-social behaviour 102 6.1 8.5% -32.0%
Criminal damage and arson 100 5.9 8.3% -4.8%
Other theft 70 4.2 5.8% -26.3%
Vehicle crime 36 2.1 3.0% -12.2%
Shoplifting 35 2.1 2.9% -48.5%
Drugs 35 2.1 2.9% +2.9%
Other crime 34 2.0 2.8% -40.4%
Burglary 25 1.5 2.1% -26.5%
Possession of weapons 8 0.5 0.7% 0.0%
Robbery 8 0.5 0.7% +166.7%
Theft from the person 4 0.2 0.3% +100.0%
All recorded crime 1,204 71.4 100% -12.9%

Home Office recorded crime, data.police.uk. Rates use ONS mid-2024 population estimates (16,862 residents). Categories are the Home Office crime types as published; they are not comparable with court or conviction figures.

What happened to those crimes

Police recorded 1,102 offences other than anti-social behaviour in Tonyrefail in the year to July 2026. By the time this data was published, about 18% had been closed with no suspect identified and 47% closed because a prosecution was not possible or not pursued. Around 12% had led to a charge, caution or other formal action, and 24% were still open.

The widest shortfall against the national picture is for public order: 1.3% of cases here ended in a charge or other formal action, against 12.2% across England and Wales.

Police outcomes in Tonyrefail, latest 12 months
Outcome Share Offences
Closed: no suspect identified 195
Closed: prosecution not possible or not pursued 516
Charge, caution or other formal action 129
Still open or no outcome published yet 262

Outcomes describe where each investigation stood when the data was published, so recent offences are naturally still open and the closed shares will edge up as cases conclude. Anti-social behaviour is left out entirely: police record no outcomes for it, and counting it would quietly flatter every percentage here. "Formal action" spans charges, summonses, cautions, penalty notices and community resolutions.

Outcomes by offence in Tonyrefail

The share of cases ending in a charge, caution or other formal action, against the same figure for England and Wales. Offences with fewer than 30 recorded cases here are left out: a percentage of twelve cases moves several points on one decision.

Formal action rate by offence in Tonyrefail, against England and Wales
Offence Cases Charged or dealt with England & Wales Difference
Violence and sexual offences 591 12.4% 10.7% +1.7 pts
Public order 156 1.3% 12.2% -10.9 pts
Criminal damage and arson 100 12.0% 8.3% +3.7 pts
Other theft 70 4.3% 2.5% +1.8 pts
Vehicle crime 36 2.8% 2.8% 0.0 pts
Drugs 35 40.0% 55.8% -15.8 pts
Shoplifting 35 31.4% 25.9% +5.5 pts
Other crime 34 11.8% 17.0% -5.2 pts

"Charged or dealt with" counts every outcome that is a formal action: charged, summonsed, cautioned, penalty notice, community resolution. Anti-social behaviour is excluded from both columns because it carries no outcome by design. A low rate is not necessarily a failing of the force here: some offences are far harder to detect anywhere, which is why every row is shown against the national figure for the same offence rather than against the other rows.

Over time

Recorded crime in Tonyrefail peaked at 1,498 offences in 2011; the latest 12 months, at 1,204, are about 20% below that peak. That works out at roughly 3 a day.

12-month average Each month
501001502000Covid lockdown100LabLab2011201320152017201920212023Jul 2026
Offences recorded each month in Tonyrefail, Dec 2010 to Jul 2026. The coloured strip is the party holding the office that oversees the force; each break in it is an election.
Monthly figures (188 months)
Monthly recorded crime in Tonyrefail
MonthRecorded crimes
Jul 2026 136
Jun 2026 116
May 2026 97
Apr 2026 86
Mar 2026 89
Feb 2026 101
Jan 2026 80
Dec 2025 93
Nov 2025 97
Oct 2025 113
Sep 2025 96
Aug 2025 100
Jul 2025 155
Jun 2025 114
May 2025 102
Apr 2025 125
Mar 2025 139
Feb 2025 93
Jan 2025 102
Dec 2024 88
Nov 2024 136
Oct 2024 110
Sep 2024 91
Aug 2024 127
Jul 2024 146
Jun 2024 107
May 2024 130
Apr 2024 90
Mar 2024 123
Feb 2024 116
Jan 2024 97
Dec 2023 120
Nov 2023 98
Oct 2023 110
Sep 2023 105
Aug 2023 102
Jul 2023 82
Jun 2023 104
May 2023 110
Apr 2023 100
Mar 2023 72
Feb 2023 69
Jan 2023 97
Dec 2022 70
Nov 2022 90
Oct 2022 79
Sep 2022 91
Aug 2022 101
Jul 2022 88
Jun 2022 87
May 2022 79
Apr 2022 98
Mar 2022 96
Feb 2022 98
Jan 2022 121
Dec 2021 88
Nov 2021 99
Oct 2021 90
Sep 2021 110
Aug 2021 108
Jul 2021 95
Jun 2021 109
May 2021 107
Apr 2021 139
Mar 2021 112
Feb 2021 115
Jan 2021 137
Dec 2020 95
Nov 2020 124
Oct 2020 134
Sep 2020 123
Aug 2020 126
Jul 2020 117
Jun 2020 131
May 2020 126
Apr 2020 114
Mar 2020 76
Feb 2020 93
Jan 2020 110
Dec 2019 98
Nov 2019 100
Oct 2019 121
Sep 2019 102
Aug 2019 85
Jul 2019 118
Jun 2019 74
May 2019 111
Apr 2019 75
Mar 2019 107
Feb 2019 90
Jan 2019 77
Dec 2018 93
Nov 2018 95
Oct 2018 100
Sep 2018 93
Aug 2018 118
Jul 2018 145
Jun 2018 84
May 2018 87
Apr 2018 66
Mar 2018 65
Feb 2018 73
Jan 2018 77
Dec 2017 93
Nov 2017 78
Oct 2017 108
Sep 2017 74
Aug 2017 94
Jul 2017 104
Jun 2017 92
May 2017 111
Apr 2017 131
Mar 2017 101
Feb 2017 96
Jan 2017 100
Dec 2016 88
Nov 2016 83
Oct 2016 106
Sep 2016 80
Aug 2016 96
Jul 2016 70
Jun 2016 70
May 2016 113
Apr 2016 100
Mar 2016 94
Feb 2016 81
Jan 2016 93
Dec 2015 74
Nov 2015 71
Oct 2015 103
Sep 2015 105
Aug 2015 89
Jul 2015 116
Jun 2015 106
May 2015 81
Apr 2015 99
Mar 2015 82
Feb 2015 99
Jan 2015 91
Dec 2014 68
Nov 2014 95
Oct 2014 128
Sep 2014 114
Aug 2014 108
Jul 2014 141
Jun 2014 125
May 2014 105
Apr 2014 111
Mar 2014 91
Feb 2014 63
Jan 2014 85
Dec 2013 98
Nov 2013 81
Oct 2013 105
Sep 2013 70
Aug 2013 94
Jul 2013 99
Jun 2013 82
May 2013 99
Apr 2013 62
Mar 2013 66
Feb 2013 66
Jan 2013 100
Dec 2012 60
Nov 2012 79
Oct 2012 82
Sep 2012 86
Aug 2012 105
Jul 2012 114
Jun 2012 80
May 2012 129
Apr 2012 114
Mar 2012 101
Feb 2012 85
Jan 2012 114
Dec 2011 87
Nov 2011 114
Oct 2011 129
Sep 2011 119
Aug 2011 146
Jul 2011 142
Jun 2011 120
May 2011 100
Apr 2011 170
Mar 2011 119
Feb 2011 113
Jan 2011 139
Dec 2010 126

Download every month as CSV, including which months each force filed.

Streets and the crime map

The named streets with the most recorded offences in the year to July 2026, beside every mapped location in Tonyrefail.

These are not the most dangerous streets. The police snap every offence to the nearest point on a fixed list of anonymised map points, so one point collects everything recorded around a cluster of addresses. A street with a station, a row of pubs or a shopping parade on it gathers the crime of everyone passing through. A point has no resident population, so there is no rate here, only a count.

Streets in Tonyrefail with the most recorded crime
Street Relative scale Offences
On or near Heol Waun Tonyrefail West 72
On or near Bryngolau Tonyrefail West 70
On or near Primrose Court Tonyrefail East 42
On or near Elizabeth Street Tonyrefail West 41
On or near Heol Tyllwyd Tonyrefail East 28
On or near Penrhiw-Fer Road Tonyrefail West 28
On or near Investiture Place Tonyrefail East 25
On or near Bryn-Hedd Tonyrefail West 24
On or near Prichard Street Tonyrefail East 22
On or near Highlands Close Tonyrefail East 20
On or near Capel Farm Tonyrefail East 19
On or near Evergreen Court Tonyrefail East 18

Compared with nearby areas

Area Relative scale Per 1,000 Offences
Tonyrefail 71.4 1,204
Pyle 75.8 1,240
Porthcawl 76.7 1,247
Aberdare 95.0 3,948
Maesteg 95.5 1,908
Church Village 37.9 593
Pontypridd 104.9 3,020

Against the rest of the country

In the national table, where 1st is the highest recorded crime rate, Tonyrefail was 435th of 706 in December 2010 and is 650th of 929 today. It has moved 215 places away from the top: recorded crime here has fallen relative to the rest of the country.

1st23246469692920102026rank
Position in the national table of every area at this level, each month. First place is the highest recorded crime rate, so the line is drawn with first at the top: a line that climbs is a place moving up the table, not down it. A place can move without changing at all, because the rank is relative to everywhere else.

Time of year

Recorded crime here peaks in July, about 32% above its quietest month, December.

avgJFMAMJJASOND
Each calendar month against this area's own average month, across every complete year of data. Indexed rather than counted, so a long-term fall does not flatten the shape of the year underneath it.

Crime in context

How tightly packed it is

551 people per square kilometre, across 31 km². England and Wales averages about 400 people per square kilometre. Density is the usual explanation for a high position in the national crime table: a rate divides the crime of everyone who passes through by the number who sleep there.

Officers to record it

South Wales Police had 3,534 full-time equivalent officers as at 31 March 2026, 2.59 per 1,000 residents, above the England and Wales figure of 2.42. That is 24% above its low point of 2,861 in 2014. Recorded crime partly measures how much policing there is to record it, so a change in officer numbers moves the figures on this page even when nothing else does.

Officer numbers are full-time equivalents from the Home Office police workforce return, counted across the whole force area. Nothing in this section causes anything on this page: a correlation is not a cause.

Who oversees policing in Tonyrefail

Policing in Tonyrefail is overseen by the police and crime commissioner for South Wales Police. Emma Wools (Labour Co-op) won that election in May 2024. Since that election, recorded crime here is down 5.7% (the latest 12 months of data against the 12 months up to the election).

Councils in England and Wales have no policing powers. The police force covering an area is answerable to a directly elected commissioner, or to the combined authority mayor where that office has taken the role on. The coloured strip under the trend chart shows these terms against the crime line.

The change column reports what recorded crime did across each term, because it is the first thing a reader wants from this table. It is what happened, not what the officeholder caused: recorded crime moves with reporting rules, how a force records what is reported, national policy and a pandemic, and those effects are far larger than anything one commissioner does in four years. The terms spanning 2020 and 2021 in particular contain the lockdowns, which cut recorded crime everywhere and handed the following term the rebound.

Elections to the office overseeing policing in Tonyrefail
Election Elected Party Office Crime over the term
May 2024 Emma Wools Labour Co-op Police and Crime Commissioner -5.7%
May 2021 Alun Michael Labour Co-op Police and Crime Commissioner -12.5%
May 2016 Alun Michael Labour Co-op Police and Crime Commissioner +27.5%
November 2012 Alun Michael Labour Co-op Police and Crime Commissioner -2.6%

These are election results, not terms of office: commissioners resign, die and are disqualified mid-term, and by-elections between the scheduled polls are listed here only where one has been held. For who holds the office today, the force's own website is the authority. The last column compares recorded crime in the 12 months ending at the handover (or the latest data) with the 12 months ending at the election itself; where a monthly return is missing, the window slides by up to four months to the nearest complete one. A dash means the term ran under a year or no complete window exists near it.

Questions

Is Tonyrefail safe?

In the year to July 2026, the recorded crime rate in Tonyrefail was 71.4 per 1,000 residents. That is 22% lower than the England and Wales average. A recorded crime rate measures what the police recorded, across a whole town. It says nothing about any particular street, and areas with busy town centres, shopping areas or nightlife record more crime per resident because far more people are present than live there.

Is crime in Tonyrefail going up or down?

In Tonyrefail, the latest 12 months are 12.9% lower than the 12 before. Over the full series, recorded crime here peaked at 1,498 offences in 2011 and the current total is about 20% below it.

What is the most common crime in Tonyrefail?

The most commonly recorded offence in Tonyrefail is violence and sexual offences, with 591 offences in the 12 months to July 2026 (49% of all recorded crime). The next most common is public order, with 156.

Where does this come from?

Police recorded crime open data, published at data.police.uk by the Home Office under the Open Government Licence. It covers offences the police recorded, which is not the same as offences committed: crimes that are never reported never appear. Rates use ONS mid-2024 population estimates. How the figures work sets out the calculation, the reporting lag and every known gap.

Figures cover the 12 months to July 2026, the most recent month any force has published; police data arrives roughly two months in arrears.