Recorded crime in Crediton fell again in the latest figures, with police logging 51 offences during August; 30 fewer than at the recent peak in May.
Devon and Cornwall Police recorded 51 crimes in Crediton Town during August 2026, according to the force’s latest published local figures.
That compares with 65 in July, 76 in June and 81 in May.
August therefore becomes Crediton’s lowest monthly total since November 2025, when 42 crimes were recorded.
The fall from May to August amounts to 30 fewer recorded crimes — around 37 per cent.
Why are we talking about August in October?
Because August is currently the latest month published for Crediton.
As of the 5th of October, Devon and Cornwall Police’s local statistics run only to August, so September figures are not yet included.
Local crime statistics are published with a time lag rather than appearing in real time, meaning the newest figures available will normally relate to one of the previous two months.
A steady fall through the summer
The latest figures show a fairly steady decline:
- May – 81
- June – 76
- July – 65
- August – 51
That means the published monthly total has fallen for three consecutive months.
Looking further back, Crediton recorded 76 crimes in both December and January, 64 in February, 56 in March and 53 in April.
Only November 2025, with 42 offences, was lower than August in the latest 12-month series.
One quieter month on its own does not mean very much, but three successive falls seem to be a positive sign. It will take the September and autumn figures to show whether the decline is sustained.
What kinds of crime were recorded?
The largest police category in August was “violence and sexual offences”, with 20 reports.
That was followed by:
- 9 shoplifting offences
- 6 criminal damage and arson offences
- 5 other thefts
Those four categories account for 40 of the 51 crimes recorded during the month.
The wording of the largest category deserves some context.
“Violence and sexual offences” is a broad police classification covering a range of offences of very different seriousness. The figure should therefore not be interpreted as meaning 20 serious assaults or sexual offences occurred in Crediton.
Shoplifting remains a problem
With nine reports, shoplifting was the second most commonly recorded category during August.
For a town with a busy High Street, several large supermarkets and numerous independent businesses, retail crime remains one of the categories worth watching even as the overall number falls.
Nine incidents also means shoplifting accounted for almost one in every six crimes recorded in Crediton during the month.
Worth knowing
Recorded crime does not necessarily equal every crime that actually occurred.
These figures relate to offences reported to and recorded by Devon and Cornwall Police.
Month-to-month totals can move for a number of reasons, and individual cases can also generate more than one recorded offence.
The figures are therefore best viewed as a trend rather than a perfect measure of everything happening in the town. Sadly many crimes are not reported.
What they do show clearly is that Crediton’s published total has moved from 81 in May, to 51 in August.
What happens next?
The obvious figure to watch will be September.
If the next release shows another fall – or even broadly maintains August’s lower level – there will be stronger evidence that Crediton is experiencing a sustained reduction in recorded crime rather than a short-term dip.
Residents will also have an opportunity to speak directly to local officers this month.
Devon and Cornwall Police lists a Meet and Chat with your Local Neighbourhood Officer session in Crediton from 6pm to 7pm on Tuesday 13 October.
For now, the latest official snapshot is relatively encouraging:
Crediton recorded 51 crimes in August, its lowest monthly figure for nine months and 30 fewer than in May.
Sources & transparency
Tidings has used official Devon and Cornwall Police data only for this article.
August is the latest month currently published for Crediton as of the 5th October 2026. The figures relate to crimes reported to and recorded by police and should not be treated as a complete measure of all offending.