Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0Crime in Chelston: the figures, without a grade
The local count comes to 246.7 violent and sexual offences and 36.1 incidents of burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 people each year. Violent crime was down 7% in a year. Chelston has no Safety Grade, though police recorded crimes inside its built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Below 1,000 residents, a handful of incidents moves the rate a long way, so Chelston, with fewer, has no Safety Grade.
Crimes and reports per 1,000 residents (Census 2021) a year, September 2023 to August 2026.
What stands out about safety in Chelston
Violent crime fell over the year
In the 12 months to August 2026 police recorded 7% less violent crime per resident in Chelston than in the year before; across UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people violent crime held steady. Trend ↓
Written from the police.uk and government data on this page. Figures are crimes police recorded, not convictions.
What police recorded in the last 12 months
Against the typical town its size, Chelston runs highest on other theft (38.6 per 1,000 against 2.5), public order (33.7 per 1,000 against 2.4) and violence & sexual offences (212 per 1,000 against 16.6).
Show as a table
| Category | In the grade | Reports | Per 1,000 | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence & sexual offences | Violent | 88 | 212 | 16.6 |
| Other theft | not graded | 16 | 38.6 | 2.5 |
| Public order | not graded | 14 | 33.7 | 2.4 |
| Anti-social behaviour | not graded | 11 | 26.5 | 5.3 |
| Shoplifting | not graded | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| Vehicle crime | Home & vehicle | 5 | 12 | 1.5 |
| Criminal damage & arson | Home & vehicle | 3 | 7.2 | 3.2 |
| Drugs | not graded | 2 | 4.8 | 0.6 |
| Robbery | Violent | 2 | 4.8 | 0 |
| Other crime | not graded | 1 | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| Possession of weapons | Violent | 1 | 2.4 | 0 |
| Burglary | Home & vehicle | 0 | 0 | 1.6 |
| Bicycle theft | not graded | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Theft from the person | not graded | 0 | 0 | 0 |
“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 of 1,000 to 2,500 people.
Police in Chelston identify a suspect more often than across UK towns
No suspect was identified for 5% of Chelston’s burglaries, vehicle crimes and criminal damage, against 69% across UK towns, and for 1% of violent and sexual offences against 19%. Most violent cases close as “unable to prosecute” (58% here), usually because the victim doesn’t support a prosecution. About 3% 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. 139 crimes.
How crime in Chelston has moved
“Towns its size” pools all UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people that police.uk covers each month (Greater Manchester has no data).
Rolling twelve-month rate, per 1,000 residents a year (longer windows for smaller places, where a few crimes swing a month). In the 12 months to August 2026 against the 12 before: violent -7% (towns its size +3%).
Crime in Chelston 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 19 burglaries, vehicle crimes or acts of criminal damage, plus 51 shoplifting and theft reports, in the 12 months to August 2026. Each dot is one resident; each coloured dot is one recorded crime.
Crime in the places around Chelston
| Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelston | 415 | 246.7 | 36.1 | — |
| Wellington | 13,815 | 40.8 | 8.8 | C− |
| Rockwell Green | 2,854 | 39.6 | 7 | C |
| Milverton | 1,112 | 17.7 | 4.8 | A− |
| Trull | 1,427 | 10 | 5.4 | A |
| Norton Fitzwarren | 3,770 | 32.9 | 9.9 | C |
| Cotford St Luke | 2,411 | 27.7 | 9.3 | C+ |
| Taunton | 61,667 | 56.2 | 15.1 | D |
Chelston records more graded crime per resident than every neighbour in the table. Wellington, 1.2 miles away, records 40.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year (3-year average), against Chelston’s 246.7.
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 Chelston 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 Chelston
Is Chelston safe?
Police recorded 246.7 violent and sexual offences and 36.1 burglaries, vehicle crimes and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year over the three years to August 2026 (police.uk, inside Chelston’s built-up area).
Is crime going up in Chelston?
In the 12 months to August 2026, against the 12 months before, violent crime fell 7%, burglary, vehicle crime and damage fell 50%, shoplifting and theft rose 75% and anti-social behaviour rose 38%. Across UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, violent crime held steady.
What is the most common crime in Chelston?
Violence & sexual offences: 88 in the 12 months to August 2026, which in police.uk includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury. Next came other theft (16) and public order (14), with 11 reports of anti-social behaviour.
How does Chelston compare with Taunton?
Taunton records 56.2 violent and sexual offences and 15.1 crimes against homes and vehicles per 1,000 residents a year, against Chelston’s 246.7 and 36.1, over the same three years.
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) · 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.