Photo: Richard Law · CC BY-SA 2.0Telford has more violent crime per resident than 89% of UK towns
For its size, it sits below 55% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more on crime per resident. The yearly rates were 44.8 violent and sexual offences and 13.0 incidents of burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 residents. Counting crimes police recorded inside Telford’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026, it grades D for safety. Recorded violence held steady in a year.
Crimes and reports per 1,000 residents (Census 2021) a year, September 2023 to August 2026.
What stands out about safety in Telford
About the middle for a city its size
Of 41 UK towns and cities of 110,000 to 212,000 people, Telford has the 20th lowest rate of graded crime: lower than Hammersmith and Fulham, Blackburn and Slough, higher than Norwich, Bournemouth and Crawley. Towns its size ↓
Neighbourhood ranks
25% of Telford’s residents live in a neighbourhood ranked in the highest-crime 20% of England (Indices of Deprivation 2025, crime domain), and 17% in the lowest-crime 30%. Neighbourhood ranks ↓
Written from the police.uk and government data on this page. Figures are crimes police recorded, not convictions.
What’s behind Telford’s grade
A firm grade. Built on 27,170 graded crimes over three years. The grade adds violent and sexual offences and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident and ranks Telford against every UK town of 1,000 or more.
Per resident, against all UK towns; beside it, how it compares with towns its size.
Police in Telford identify a suspect more often than across UK towns
No suspect was identified for 55% of Telford’s burglaries, vehicle crimes and criminal damage, against 69% across UK towns, and for 12% of violent and sexual offences against 19%. Most violent cases close as “unable to prosecute” (68% here), usually because the victim doesn’t support a prosecution. About 7% of violent and 5% of household crimes reached court.
The latest outcome police.uk shows for each crime recorded in the first of the three years (September 2023 to August 2024), so most cases have closed. 9,130 crimes.
What police recorded in the last 12 months
Against the typical town its size, Telford runs highest on possession of weapons (1.3 per 1,000 against 1.1). Drugs and vehicle crime sit below it.
Show as a table
| Category | In the grade | Reports | Per 1,000 | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence & sexual offences | Violent | 6,800 | 43.3 | 38.6 |
| Anti-social behaviour | not graded | 2,177 | 13.9 | 17.5 |
| Shoplifting | not graded | 1,599 | 10.2 | 10.3 |
| Criminal damage & arson | Home & vehicle | 1,130 | 7.2 | 7.5 |
| Public order | not graded | 959 | 6.1 | 7.4 |
| Other theft | not graded | 876 | 5.6 | 6.6 |
| Drugs | not graded | 459 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
| Burglary | Home & vehicle | 452 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
| Vehicle crime | Home & vehicle | 371 | 2.4 | 4.9 |
| Other crime | not graded | 362 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Possession of weapons | Violent | 205 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Robbery | Violent | 187 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Bicycle theft | not graded | 78 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Theft from the person | not graded | 57 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
“Violent” is police.uk’s violence and sexual offences (which includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury), robbery and possession of weapons. Anti-social behaviour isn’t a crime category; shoplifting and other theft happen mostly in shops and town centres rather than to residents, so neither counts in the grade.
September 2025 to August 2026, per 1,000 residents. The tick on each bar is the typical (median) town among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more.
Crime in Telford per 1,000 residents
A crime isn’t a victim: one person can report several, and crimes in a town centre often involve visitors rather than residents.
And about 12 burglaries, vehicle crimes or acts of criminal damage, plus 17 shoplifting and theft reports, in the 12 months to August 2026. Each dot is one resident; each coloured dot is one recorded crime.
Lowest recorded crime in Admaston & Bratton, Park and Shawbirch; highest in Malinslee & Dawley Bank
| Ward | Residents | Violent | Homes & vehicles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admaston & Bratton | 2,917 | 5.3 | 3.5 | |
| Park | 2,502 | 16.1 | 4.7 | |
| Shawbirch | 2,916 | 19 | 5.3 | |
| Ironbridge Gorge | 2,454 | 17 | 12.1 | |
| Muxton | 6,730 | 24.3 | 8.9 | |
| Ercall | 3,544 | 22.8 | 10.5 | |
| Horsehay & Lightmoor | 8,556 | 34.6 | 7.2 | |
| St Georges | 6,366 | 31.9 | 10.3 | |
| Hadley & Leegomery | 11,353 | 33.5 | 10.7 | |
| Donnington | 6,842 | 38 | 8.5 | |
| Apley Castle | 3,091 | 36.4 | 11.5 | |
| Oakengates & Ketley Bank | 9,961 | 35.7 | 13.6 | |
| Priorslee | 6,720 | 39.9 | 11.6 | |
| Dawley & Aqueduct | 8,893 | 42.1 | 11.1 | |
| Wrockwardine Wood & Trench | 6,342 | 43.2 | 11.2 | |
| Dothill | 2,647 | 44.8 | 10.3 | |
| Brookside | 6,515 | 46.1 | 11.9 | |
| Arleston | 3,715 | 47.6 | 12 | |
| The Nedge | 10,058 | 46.2 | 14.2 | |
| Wrockwardine | 1,034 | 56.7 | 13.9 | |
| Haygate | 3,760 | 51.7 | 21.3 | |
| Woodside | 7,594 | 61.2 | 15.7 | |
| College | 3,604 | 66 | 19.7 | |
| Ketley & Overdale | 10,792 | 69.2 | 17.7 | |
| Madeley & Sutton Hill | 10,476 | 71 | 23.3 | |
| Malinslee & Dawley Bank | 7,081 | 81.8 | 18.9 |
| At or near | Reports | Mostly |
|---|---|---|
| Car parks | 4,414 | 40% violent |
| Shopping areas | 1,982 | 51% shoplifting & theft |
| Supermarkets | 1,838 | 60% shoplifting & theft |
| Conference and exhibition centres | 463 | 42% violent |
| Petrol stations | 437 | 40% shoplifting & theft |
| Nightclubs | 356 | 57% shoplifting & theft |
| Sports and recreation grounds | 280 | 51% violent |
| College and university buildings | 91 | 49% violent |
| Bus and coach stations | 42 | 31% violent |
A ward’s rate counts crimes where they happened, not where victims live, so Malinslee & Dawley Bank records 1.9× the violent crime per resident of the rest of Telford. police.uk places each crime at an anonymous map point; some are named for the kind of place (a supermarket, a car park), and each row adds up every place of that kind in Telford. We show only these, never streets or homes.
Crimes per 1,000 residents a year by council ward (the part of each ward inside Telford’s built-up area), September 2023 to August 2026. Beside it, the public places police.uk named most often.
25% of Telford residents live in one of England’s highest-crime neighbourhoods
17% of residents live in the lowest-crime 30% of England’s neighbourhoods, and 25% in the highest-crime 20%. The crime domain scores the risk of violence, burglary, theft and criminal damage where people live, so it can read differently from the town-wide rate, which counts crimes where they happened.
Telford’s residents by the crime decile of their neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people) in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (crime domain), where 1 is the highest-crime 10% of England’s neighbourhoods and 10 the lowest.
How crime in Telford has moved
“Towns its size” pools all UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more that police.uk covers each month (Greater Manchester has no data).
Rolling three-month rate, per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026 against the 12 before: violent +4% (towns its size +2%), homes and vehicles -3% (towns its size -5%), shoplifting and theft -10% (towns its size -3%), anti-social behaviour -14% (towns its size -2%).
Of 41 towns its size, Telford is 20th from the least graded crime
| # | Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Shops & theft | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond upon Thames London | 192,888 | 18.8 | 17.9 | 15.9 | C+ |
| … | ||||||
| 17 | Norwich Norfolk | 200,744 | 42.7 | 14.8 | 23 | D |
| 18 | Bournemouth Dorset | 196,453 | 37.1 | 20.4 | 19.8 | D |
| 19 | Crawley West Sussex | 120,567 | 42.7 | 15 | 22.5 | D |
| 20 | Telford Shropshire | 156,890 | 44.8 | 13 | 17.6 | D |
| 21 | Swansea West Glamorgan | 170,090 | 42.6 | 15.6 | 21.1 | D |
| 22 | Chelmsford Essex | 110,612 | 44.5 | 15.2 | 21 | D |
| 23 | Exeter Devon | 126,181 | 47.6 | 14.5 | 25.3 | D |
| … | ||||||
| 41 | Westminster London | 203,571 | 81.4 | 42.3 | 254.6 | D− |
Safety letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only.
Graded crime per 1,000 residents a year, September 2023 to August 2026, counting from the least: towns ranked near Telford, and others in Shropshire.
Six people died in collisions on Telford’s roads in 2021–2025
Police recorded 498 collisions with injuries inside Telford in five years, in which six people died (2 were pedestrians). 141 people were killed or seriously injured: 38 on foot and 20 on a bicycle.
That is about what is typical for UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: at their median rate (1.1 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Telford’s size would see about 9 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Telford’s own rate (0.8) is context, not a ranking.
Counting serious injuries too, Telford had 18.0 people killed or seriously injured per 100,000 residents a year, below the median for UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more (30.3). 27% of them were on foot, against 31% across UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more.
Casualties are counted where the collision happened, not where people lived: a main road through town adds through-traffic, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Seriously injured uses the Department for Transport’s adjusted figures, which even out the police forces’ different ways of recording injuries. There’s no national rate here: more than half of road deaths in England and Wales (58%) happen outside every town’s built-up area. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), 2021–2025.
Collisions police recorded inside Telford’s built-up area, 2021–2025. Described here; not part of the Safety Grade.
Crime in the places around Telford
| Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telford | 156,890 | 44.8 | 13 | D |
| Shifnal | 8,973 | 27.9 | 9 | C+ |
| Broseley | 5,596 | 23.7 | 9.2 | B− |
| Edgmond | 1,560 | 10.7 | 6 | A |
| Newport | 14,191 | 24.7 | 7.3 | B− |
| Much Wenlock | 1,766 | 24.2 | 15.1 | C+ |
| Albrighton | 6,983 | 13.9 | 4.4 | A |
| Bridgnorth | 12,172 | 26.4 | 12.7 | C+ |
Telford records more graded crime per resident than every neighbour in the table. Shifnal, 4.2 miles away, records 27.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year (3-year average), against Telford’s 44.8.
Per 1,000 residents a year, the same three years. Tap a town for its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Where crimes happen, not where victims live. police.uk places each crime at a point near where it happened. Town centres with shops, stations, a hospital and nightlife record more crime per resident, and residents of nearby villages who come in to shop or go out are part of that count.
- Bigger towns record more per resident. Across UK towns, recorded crime per resident rises steeply with size, more than in the U.S., so a city’s grade sits low against the whole UK. The “towns its size” figures show where Telford sits among towns like it; they are context and don’t change the grade.
- Points are approximate. police.uk moves each point to the nearest of a set of anonymous map points, so crimes near the edge of the built-up area can fall either side of it.
Questions about safety in Telford
Is Telford safe?
Police recorded 44.8 violent and sexual offences and 13 burglaries, vehicle crimes and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year over the three years to August 2026 (police.uk, inside Telford’s built-up area). That earns a D for safety: less crime per resident than 14% of UK towns. Among 41 UK towns of 110,000 to 212,000 people, Telford is 20th from the least crime.
What are the safest areas of Telford?
By council ward, Admaston & Bratton, Park and Shawbirch record the least violent and household crime per resident: 5.3, 16.1 and 19 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year (3-year average), against 81.8 in Malinslee & Dawley Bank.
Is crime going up in Telford?
In the 12 months to August 2026, against the 12 months before, violent crime held steady, burglary, vehicle crime and damage held steady, shoplifting and theft fell 10% and anti-social behaviour fell 14%. Across UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, violent crime held steady.
Is Telford city centre safe at night?
police.uk placed 356 crimes and reports at or near nightclubs in three years, 21% of them violent, and Malinslee & Dawley Bank ward records 81.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 of its residents a year. Over the last two years, violent crime peaked in July and was lowest in February.
What is the most common crime in Telford?
Violence & sexual offences: 6,800 in the 12 months to August 2026, which in police.uk includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury. Next came shoplifting (1,599) and criminal damage & arson (1,130), with 2,177 reports of anti-social behaviour.
Sources: data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025, crime domain by LSOA (residents from ONS Census 2021) · Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions 2021–2025, points inside the built-up-area boundary · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.