Colchester has a crime rate of 87.12 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #195 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Colchester's wards; some neighbourhoods are considerably safer than the city average. See the ward breakdown and hotspot map on this page for a detailed local picture.

What is the crime rate in Colchester?

As of April 2026, Colchester has an annual crime rate of 87.12 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,561 recorded offences in the latest reporting period. This figure is sourced from Police.uk open data and normalised using ONS Census 2021 population estimates to allow accurate comparisons between areas.

How does Colchester rank nationally for crime?

Colchester ranks #195 out of 331 local authorities in England and Wales by annual crime rate per 1,000 residents. A rank of #1 indicates the highest crime rate nationally. Rankings are recalculated each month as new Police.uk data becomes available, covering all recorded crimes across the area.

What is the most common crime in Colchester?

The most common crime type in Colchester is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 647 incidents in April 2026 — 41.4% of all recorded crime in the area. Data is sourced from Police.uk and covers all crimes recorded by the responsible police force across the Colchester local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Essex Police Police

Crime in Colchester: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Colchester recorded 1,561 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 8.08 per 1,000 residents. This places Colchester at #195 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 41.4% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 6.4% compared to the same period last year.

info Crime is above average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring87.12 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,561 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #195 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 6.4% year-on-year

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry Period: April 2026 • Updated monthly

Total Crimes

1,561

trending_down -5.8% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

87.12per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#195of 331

Ranked by annual rate

Essex

#10rank

Ranked by annual rate

12-Month Crime Trend

Monthly Totals

Interactive Crime Map

District View

Live Points

Crime Incident

Area Boundary

Incident Distribution

Top Locations

Location Reference	Crime Breakdown	Primary Count
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 61 Burglary: 2	61
On or near Police Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 16 Drugs: 5 Public order: 4	16
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 19	19
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 17 Robbery: 2	17
On or near Charter Way Map	Violence and sexual offences: 14 Other theft: 5	14
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 11 Criminal damage and arson: 4	11
On or near Sports/Recreation Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 13	13
On or near Trinity Street Map	Shoplifting: 13	13
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 12	12
On or near Shopping Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 11	11

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,561 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

647

41.4%

Anti-social Behaviour

231

14.8%

Shoplifting

147

9.4%

Public Order

112

7.2%

Criminal Damage & Arson

104

6.7%

Other Theft

5.4%

Vehicle Crime

4.5%

Drug Offences

2.8%

Burglary

2.1%

Bicycle Theft

1.8%

Other Crime

1.7%

Weapons Possession

0.8%

Robbery

0.8%

Theft from Person

0.7%

Crime Analysis: Colchester

Colchester recorded 1,561 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 87.12 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, ranked #195 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Colchester (41.4%). Anti-social Behaviour (14.8%) and Shoplifting (9.4%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Colchester has risen noticeably — by 6.4%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Essex Police through the Police.uk open data platform and cross-referenced with ONS 2021 Census population estimates to produce the per-resident rates above. Data typically appears 1–2 months after the end of the recording period.

Stop & Search

April 2026

1,156

Total Stops

14.8%

Arrest Rate

Neighbourhoods

Outcome

A no further action disposal821

Arrest171

Community resolution155

Summons / charged by post4

Caution (simple or conditional)3

Khat or Cannabis warning2

Gender

Male925

Female156

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

75.6%

White

9.4%

Black

7.7%

Asian

4.6%

Mixed

2.7%

Other

Stop & search data published by Essex Police under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: police.uk.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

17 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Greenstead	206	149.7
2	Castle	301	138.3
3	New Town and Christ Church	179	113.9
4	Berechurch	87	86.6
5	Mile End	155	85.3

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Wivenhoe	36	2.4
shield	Lexden and Braiswick	43	3.6
shield	Rural North	26	2.3
shield	Tiptree	47	4.7
shield	Mersea and Pyefleet	34	3.4

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -5.8%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +6.4%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.3%

Data Transparency

Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 331 local authorities in England & Wales.

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