The ‘most dangerous’ uni suburb: Cardiff students speak out about living in Cathays

Cardiff University students have spoken out about living in Cathays after it has been described as the “most dangerous” university suburb in the UK.

A new study analysed police crime data and revealed estimated crime rates for student suburbs across the UK, with Cathays coming up top on the list. The analysis showed 32.5 crimes occur per 100 people in the popular student area.

Across a 12-month period, crime rate data has shown 6,495 crimes were committed in Cathays, with over 30 per cent being labelled as sexual or violent crimes, The Sun reports.

The second highest number of offences committed was found to be shoplifting, with 1,562 cases, and the third being bicycle theft, with 416 reported incidents.

To contextualise the figures, the crime data relates to acts committed in the university’s location which may not be against, or involve, its students. Cardiff University doesn’t have a specific issue with crime itself, but the institution does recognise crime occurs in the city, and has developed a multi-layered approach to safeguarding its students, which it says is paramount.

via Canva

Amid the recent crime data findings, Cardiff students and residents of Cathays have come forward to share their own horror stories of life living in the area.

One account has come from 21-year-old Charlie Evans, a second-year mechanical engineering student at Cardiff University, who found himself “surrounded” by a gang of balaclava-wearing individuals after attending a black-tie dinner earlier in the evening.

The 6ft tall rugby player told The Sun: “There were about 20 of them, all wearing black balaclavas, and I didn’t want to hang around to find out what they wanted from me.”

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The 21-year-old student added feeling as though the individuals were “shaping up” to him, prompting him to assume they were going to “beat me up and rob me”.

Charlie managed to escape before things escalated, saying: “I ran as fast as I could for as far as I could and felt incredibly lucky to have got away safely, but it’s made me very wary about being out and about in Cathays late at night.

“I play rugby and I’m fit, but the next person these guys target might not be able to leg it quite so easily. It was a seriously scary experience.”

Charlie’s “seriously scary” encounter doesn’t seem to be an isolated event, either, as many more accounts have attested to similar experiences.

22-year-old Seth O’Brian, from Taunton, Somerset, recounted when two of his best friends, both female students living in Cathays, were followed by some men after leaving a club in June.

According to Seth, the men pulled up across from the women, wound down their windows and pointed a gun in their direction, threatening to shoot if they didn’t get into the car.

The 22-year-old said the students ran in the opposite direction “as fast as they could”, escaping to safety.

Seth doesn’t believe the area feels safe for women, adding: “No one should have to be dealing with these kinds of incidents at any time, let alone when they’ve chosen a city for an education. Sometimes it is just mental here.”

Though he did attest to having loved his university experience despite the high crime rates in the area.

Mr Zahid Akbar, a mini-market owner with a shop next to the Cathays club Misfits, revealed he’s been asked to hand over CCTV footage nearly every week by police officers.

Misfits in Cathays via Google Maps

Speaking about the requests, Zahid said: “It is rather annoying, to be honest, because it takes my time and I think they should be putting their own cameras in place instead of relying on mine.”

A Cardiff spokesperson has said: “Any suggestion that Cardiff University has a specific issue with crime and violence is misleading, irresponsible and could cause unnecessary alarm. It’s also worth pointing out that there are two other universities based in the city.

“Cardiff is Wales’s capital city, the largest city in Wales and one of the largest cities in the UK. The university is physically based in a city centre near one of Europe’s most thriving night-time economies. The city also plays host to some of the UK’s biggest sporting and music events, attracting thousands of visitors. There is no fair statistical comparison between Cardiff and other any other Welsh or other UK universities. This study includes all crime in Cardiff’s city centre, as well as the student district.”

Referring to the study’s findings, the spokesperson added: “Police UK data shows that just 16.5 per cent of crime reported in the Cathays ward in June 2025 was in the Cathays student area.

“It is unfair and inaccurate to claim that Cardiff is a dangerous neighbourhood for students.

“We recognise that acts of crime do occur. We work in close partnership with Cardiff University Students’ Union, Cardiff Council and South Wales Police and have developed key initiatives designed to help safeguard students’ personal safety.

“These are available to all Cardiff University students and are directly communicated and outlined on our student intranet.”

As part of its response to crime, the university has introduced an online disclosure tool for students. This tool gives students the choice to remain anonymous, connecting them with trained Disclosure Response Advisors who can help to manage safety concerns, outline options available for both specialist support and reporting and provide practical advice.

Appointments can also be prioritised for students who have experienced violence/abuse in the past 72 hours and may wish to preserve forensic evidence.

The university further highlighted several other initiatives designed to help safeguard students’ personal safety at night, available for all students: “They include the Drinkaware Crew consisting of specially trained student staff working in bars and clubs in order to reduce drunken anti-social behaviour; the Safe Taxi Scheme to help students get home safely on nights out and; the Student Safety Walk project which supports students who may feel uncomfortable getting home alone late at night.”

The spokesperson emphasised the multi-layered approach to student safety that Cardiff adopts. This includes a volunteer walking service on evenings, a Safety Bus, and a Safe Taxi Scheme for security and support.

All university halls have strong security measures, including 24-hour dedicated security guards and extensive CCTV coverage, with its ultimate goal being to educate students on safety, support victims of violence or abuse, and foster a positive and secure campus community as part of its wider student wellbeing strategy.

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