Strabane and Sion deemed ‘most dangerous’ places in Tyrone

STRABANE and Sion Mills have been named as the ‘most dangerous’ town and village in Tyrone by a crime data analysis group.

According to statistics from CrimeRate.co.uk, the two areas topped the inauspicious list when it came to crimes committed per 1,000 head of population.

In Strabane, the overall crime rate in 2021 was 71 crimes per 1,000 people. Whereas in Sion, the number was 84.

Referring to Strabane’s proportion of criminality, CrimeRate.co.uk reported, “This compares poorly to Tyrone’s overall crime rate, coming in 14 per-cent higher than the (average) Tyrone rate of 61 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Strabane is the 235th most dangerous small town.”

As for Sion, the report stated, “It is the most dangerous village in Tyrone, and is the most dangerous overall out of Tyrone’s 15 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Sion Mills in 2021 was 84 crimes per 1,000 people.”

This was 27 per-cent higher than the Tyrone rate of 61 per 1,000 residents.

CrimeRate.co.uk also reported that the most common crimes in Strabane are violence and sexual offences, with 554 offences taking place during 2021.

This is 20 per-cent higher than 2020’s figure of 442 offences. Strabane’s least common crime is bicycle theft, with three offences recorded last year.

The most common crimes in Sion Mills are also violence and sexual offences, with 84 offences during 2021.

Elsewhere, Castlederg was deemed the second most dangerous village in Tyrone, and overall the second most dangerous place across the county. The overall crime rate in Castlederg in 2021 was 72 crimes per 1,000 people. Newtownstewart positioned among the top five most dangerous villages with an overall crime rate in 2021 of 66 crimes per 1,000 people.

Up the road in Omagh, the town was described as the safest town in Tyrone, and is the third safest overall in the county. The overall crime rate in Omagh in 2021 was 52 crimes per 1,000 people.

Across the North, Belfast was deemed one of the most dangerous places overall with a crime rate of 101 crimes per 1,000.

CrimeRate.co.uk is a data analysis and GIS project dedicated to uncovering crime trends in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The website explains, “We aggregate open police force data, social media signals and file FOI requests with local police departments to build the most complete catalogue of crime and safety information in the region.”