Is Folkestone and Hythe safe?

Folkestone and Hythe has a crime rate of 77.73 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #152 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Folkestone and Hythe'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 Folkestone and Hythe?

As of April 2026, Folkestone and Hythe has an annual crime rate of 77.73 per 1,000 residents, based on 745 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 Folkestone and Hythe rank nationally for crime?

Folkestone and Hythe ranks #152 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 Folkestone and Hythe?

The most common crime type in Folkestone and Hythe is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 272 incidents in April 2026 — 36.5% 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 Folkestone and Hythe local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Kent Police Police

Crime in Folkestone and Hythe: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Folkestone and Hythe recorded 745 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 6.79 per 1,000 residents. This places Folkestone and Hythe at #152 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 36.5% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 12.9% compared to the same period last year.

check_circle Crime is below average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring77.73 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment745 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #152 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 12.9% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

745

trending_down -11.0% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

77.73per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#152of 331

Ranked by annual rate

Kent

#5rank

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 Petrol Station Map	Shoplifting: 16	16
On or near Police Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 5 Drugs: 4 Criminal damage and arson: 3	5
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 12	12
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 12	12
On or near Supermarket Map	Anti-social behaviour: 12	12
On or near Cheriton Interchange Map	Shoplifting: 11	11
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 6 Drugs: 3	6
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9	9
On or near Sussex Road Map	Shoplifting: 9	9
On or near Shopping Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 5 Anti-social behaviour: 3	5

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

745 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

272

36.5%

Anti-social Behaviour

130

17.4%

Shoplifting

9.4%

Criminal Damage & Arson

9.1%

Other Theft

7.4%

Public Order

5.5%

Drug Offences

5.4%

Vehicle Crime

2.3%

Burglary

2.0%

Other Crime

1.9%

Weapons Possession

1.3%

Bicycle Theft

0.8%

Robbery

0.5%

Theft from Person

0.4%

Crime Analysis: Folkestone and Hythe

Folkestone and Hythe recorded 745 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 77.73 per 1,000 residents — broadly average for England and Wales, ranked #152 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Folkestone and Hythe (36.5%). Anti-social Behaviour (17.4%) and Shoplifting (9.4%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Folkestone and Hythe has fallen sharply — by 12.9%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Kent 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

1,479

Total Stops

17.8%

Arrest Rate

279

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

749

Stolen goods

227

Article for use in theft

190

Offensive weapons

189

Articles for use in criminal damage

Firearms

Evidence of wildlife offences

Goods on which duty has not been paid etc.

Outcome

A no further action disposal869

Community resolution335

Arrest264

Summons / charged by post6

Caution (simple or conditional)4

Penalty Notice for Disorder1

Gender

Male1,190

Female264

Other25

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

75.2%

White

8.5%

Black

6.2%

Asian

5.1%

Other

5.0%

Mixed

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

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

13 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Folkestone Central	196	185.5
2	Broadmead	55	91.0
3	East Folkestone	74	76.0
4	Cheriton	97	74.8
5	Folkestone Harbour	64	68.4

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	North Downs West	7	1.0
shield	Hythe Rural	23	3.6
shield	Sandgate & West Folkestone	28	3.5
shield	North Downs East	62	4.5
shield	Romney Marsh	31	4.4

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -11.0%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -12.9%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.8%

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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