Diamond's many extreme properties, such as its radiation and corrosion resistance, large bandgap, high electron and hole mobility, make it an attractive semiconductor for UV and particle detectors. This paper reviews the properties that are exploited by the latest generation of detectors, such as the radiation hardness and detection mechanisms, and those which are less well understood, such as grain boundaries and priming effects. The UV and particle detectors and dosimeters that have been reported in the last few years are described and briefly assessed.