One In Nine Cardiff Residents Admit Not Reporting Crime

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One in nine Cardiff residents admit they’ve witnessed a violent crime and not proceeded to take any action to report it.

So, how does the approach of the Welsh capital compare to the rest of the UK? 

The security experts at Get Licensed have put the honesty of Brits to the test, including surveying Cardiff residents, to reveal crime reporting trends and shoplifting habits. 

You can find the full survey findings here: https://www.get-licensed.co.uk/reports/uk-shoplifting-honesty-crime-report-2025. 

Get Licensed asked UK respondents, “Have you witnessed a crime and chosen not to report it?”

The results can be seen below:

In Cardiff, 11% of locals who have witnessed a violent crime admit they did not take action, which is the highest proportion of any UK city. The next highest rate was recorded in London, Edinburgh, and Southampton, where 7% of residents in each city admitted they wouldn’t report violent crime. 

Across the UK, people aged 25-34 are the least likely to report a violent crime if they witnessed one. 

These insights form part of a bigger research piece that reveals further crime reporting trends and shoplifting habits across the UK:

• Almost one in four (23%) Brits admit they’ve witnessed minor crimes, such as shoplifting, and chose not to report them.
  
• Wallet finders in London are the most likely in the UK to take a wallet’s cash before handing it in (9%).
  
• If a wallet were on the floor, men are more likely than women to steal its monetary contents, irrespective of whether there was £1 or £1,000 inside.
  
• Of those who have never witnessed a crime, one in eight (12%) say they would ignore it if they did.
  
• More than four-fifths (84%) of respondents who admitted to accidentally shoplifting say they would hand a lost wallet to the authorities, a higher proportion than those who say they’ve never shoplifted (78%).