The figures also reveal the safest place to live in Northern Ireland
People in South Belfast are more likely to witness crime than residents of any other part of Northern Ireland.
The latest PSNI recorded crime figures show that there has been a rise in some serious types of offending, including rape and all sexual offences (by 4%), stalking and harassment (1%), robbery (19%), drug offences (5%), and possession of weapons (14%).
However, the general trend of falling crime over the past decade has continued. In the year ending March 2026, 93,601 offences were recorded, a 2% drop on the previous 12 months.
The figures also reveal that some parts of the country are far more dangerous places to live than others. The highest volume of offences last year were recorded in Belfast, a total of 30,994 offences.
That means a third of all recorded crime in Northern Ireland last year took place in Belfast.
Crime rates, which account for population size, are generally considered the fairest way to compare crime across areas of wildly different sizes.
You can see how it compares where you live using our interactive map:
They show that Belfast also has the highest crime rate in Northern Ireland, of 88 crimes per 1,000 residents.
Population figures are not readily available for the four policing districts within Belfast – North, South, East, and West – so the crime rate is for the city as a whole. However, estimates based on census population ward figures show that residents in South Belfast are most likely to witness crime.
Last year, South Belfast, covered by the local policing team based on Lisburn Road, experienced the highest volume of crime, with 10,117 recorded offences. South Belfast also had the highest crime rate, followed by North, West, and then East Belfast.
However, higher crime rates in South Belfast may be driven by visitors to the district for its nightlife or shopping.
Outside of Belfast, residents of Derry City and Strabane were most likely to experience crime with a crime rate of 61 crimes per 1,000 residents, significantly lower than Belfast.
Meanwhile, Mid Ulster was the safest place to live in Northern Ireland, with the nation’s lowest crime rate of 29 crimes per 1,000 residents.
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