Colchester crime rate Interactive maps and visualisation

Overview of Colchester crime rate

Essential tools against vehicle theft.

Colchester, with a medium crime designation, ranks 10th among 25 similar jurisdictions for its crime rate. In 2023, the area reported 18,646 incidents of crime among a population of 192,715, resulting in a crime rate of 96.75 per 1,000 people, reflecting a substantial decrease of 12.08% from the previous year.

The primary crime categories in Colchester are Violence and sexual offences (44.0%), Anti-social behaviour (8.7%), and Public order (8.1%), with the least common being Possession of weapons (1.0%), Robbery (0.9%), and Theft from the person (0.6%).

Colchester is segmented into 17 wards, with Castle (Colchester) (363.4), Greenstead (150.7), and Mile End (Colchester) (116.0) experiencing the highest crime rates. The most peaceful wards are Lexden and Braiswick (48.4), Prettygate (48.3), and Mersea and Pyefleet (43.1).

Examining Colchester’s postcode districts, CO1 (242.6), CO4 (100.2), and CO2 (98.5) have the highest crime rates, while CO7 (46.1), CO8 (41.5), and CO6 (40.9) are the safest.

Colchester experienced an increase in Anti-social behaviour, Drugs, Vehicle crime, and Violence and sexual offences in recent years, with a notable rise in Anti-social behaviour in 2020. However, there was a significant decrease in Anti-social behaviour, alongside drops in Burglary, Criminal damage and arson, Other theft, Public order, and Shoplifting, showing a multifaceted trend in crime rates.

Colchester crime incidents by crime type

A total of 18646 crime incidents were reported in 2023. Below is the breakdown by crime type.

Violence and sexual offences – 8196 (44.0)%
Anti-social behaviour – 1619 (8.7)%
Public order – 1515 (8.1)%
Criminal damage and arson – 1503 (8.1)%
Other theft – 1332 (7.1)%
Shoplifting – 1140 (6.1)%
Vehicle crime – 969 (5.2)%
Burglary – 669 (3.6)%
Drugs – 480 (2.6)%
Bicycle theft – 407 (2.2)%
Other crime – 353 (1.9)%
Possession of weapons – 178 (1.0)%
Robbery – 172 (0.9)%
Theft from the person – 113 (0.6)%

How does Colchester compare against nearby areas ?

Colchester ranks 10th when compared against 25 nearby boroughs/local administrative districts.

List of nearby boroughs/local administrative districts from high crime rate to low (2023):

Heat map for all nearby areas Colchester is compared against

Crime rates in Colchester wards

There are 17 wards within Colchester. Castle (Colchester), Greenstead, Mile End (Colchester) has highest crime rate (crime per 1000 residents). Below map shows 2023 crime rates broken down by crime types.

get-ward-map/colchester/

List of all 17 wards from high crime rate to low.