Crime Rate in Folkestone and Hythe: Trends, Hotspots

Overview of Crime in Folkestone and Hythe

The total recorded crimes in Folkestone and Hythe, UK in July 2025 are around 931 as per the recent police data. This equates to a Folkestone and Hythe crime rate of 8.48 per 1,000 population.

It's important to note that this crime data is based on the Geographic Boundry data provided by the ONS around Folkestone and Hythe, encompassing approximately 109,759 residents.

Most occured crime Types

The most prevalent crimes in the area during Jul were:

  • Violence and sexual offences: (383) incidents (15.71% increase)
  • Anti-social behaviour: (173) incidents (46.61% increase)
  • Shoplifting: (75) incidents (27.12% increase)
Folkestone and Hythe Crime Hotspots

The surrounding areas of below locations have emerged as crime hotspots,

  • Sussex Road with total crimes: 17
  • Claremont Road with total crimes: 16
  • Marine Terrace with total crimes: 14

Folkestone and Hythe Police Info:

Kent Police

How safe is Folkestone and Hythe?

To understand the safety of Folkestone and Hythe, we need to analyze Folkestone and Hythe crime statistics in relation to both national and regional averages. This report will examine the available data and provide a balanced assessment.

  • Relative to the UK:

    • Folkestone and Hythe has recorded 10,629 crimes in the current year, resulting in a crime rate of 96.84 per 1,000 residents. This places it at rank 146 out of 331 in the UK, indicating it is safer than average.

    • Yearly trends show that in the previous year, the city recorded 10,233 crimes with a crime rate of 93.23, ranking it 140 in the UK. This an increase in crime suggests Negative changes.

  • Relative to Kent:

    • In 2024, Folkestone and Hythe demonstrated a lower crime volume than the Kent average, with 10629 crimes compared to 13931.0. This suggests a relatively safer position within the region for the year. Furthermore, Folkestone and Hythe witnessed more crimes than 8 out of 11 other cities.

    • In 2023, Folkestone and Hythe had fewer crimes than the Kent average, with 10,233 crimes compared to 13,095. This reflects a relatively lower crime rate for the city within the region that year. Furthermore, Folkestone and Hythe witnessed more crimes than 9 out of 11 other cities.

  • Overall Assessment:

    • Based on the available data, Folkestone and Hythe is considered safer compared to the national averages.

    • Compared to other cities in Kent, Folkestone and Hythe has a lower crime rate in 2024.

    • The trend in crime rates suggests Negative changes in overall safety.

Folkestone and Hythe Crime Analysis: Ward & Area

The difference in crime rates between the most dangerous ward, Folkestone Central (271 crimes), and the safest, Hythe Rural (15 crimes), is 256 crimes. This noticeable difference indicates a clear disparity in safety across Folkestone and Hythe.

Similarly, the area of Folkestone Harbour (237 crimes) reports a significantly higher crime count compared to Lympne & Palmarsh (17 crimes), with a difference of 220 crimes. This noticeable difference highlights the diverse crime landscape within Folkestone and Hythe.

Most Dangerous Wards:

Folkestone Central271
Cheriton116
East Folkestone76
Folkestone Harbour73
North Downs East66

Safest Wards:

Walland & Denge Marsh48
Romney Marsh39
Sandgate & West Folkestone24
North Downs West21
Hythe Rural15

Most Dangerous Areas:

Folkestone Harbour237
Folkestone Morehall & Sandgate98
Cheriton & Horn Street86
Folkestone Foord75
Folkestone Central75

Safest Areas:

Hythe42
Saltwood, Seabrook & Etchinghill38
Lydd & Dungeness37
Lyminge, Densole & Elham19
Lympne & Palmarsh17

Folkestone and Hythe Crime Statstics

In July 2025 the Folkestone and Hythe has recorded 931 crimes with crime rate of 8.48 ranking 166th out of 331 in the UK and ranked 9 out 331 in terms of total crimes and 9 in terms of crime rate in Kent.

In 2024, the total Folkestone and Hythe crimes were 10,629. The crime rate of Folkestone and Hythe in 2024 was 96.84 (year) or 8.07 (month) ranking it 146 danzarous in the UK. Folkestone and Hythe ranked 9 in terms of total crimes and 8 in terms of crime rate in Kent.

In 2023, the total crimes in Folkestone and Hythe were around 10,233 crimes with yearly crime rate of 93.23 (year) or 7.77 (month) ranking 140 out 331 most dangerous city in the UK. As compared to neighboring cities in Kent, Folkestone and Hythe ranked 10 out 331 in terms of total crimes or 8 as per crime rate of Folkestone and Hythe

CityJuly 202520242023
CrimesRank (Kent)CrimesRank (Kent)CrimesRank (Kent)
Sevenoaks755 139,267 119,149 12
Tonbridge and Malling831 129,859 1210,249 11
Tunbridge Wells778 119,548 109,318 10
Ashford1,081 1012,638 911,651 9
Maidstone1,781 820,408 517,055 7
Dover1,088 712,554 712,219 6
Canterbury1,780 117,254 616,993 5
Swale1,664 517,812 416,687 4
Dartford1,334 414,503 312,932 3
Gravesham1,008 313,542 212,627 2
Thanet1,816 219,161 118,027 1

Folkestone and Hythe Crime Map

Detailed Crime Data Analysis

Monthly Trends

July 2025 crime data shows Violence and sexual offences saw the largest number of reported crimes with 383 incidents, and Anti-social behaviour was another prevalent crime category with 173 incidents.

During June 2025, The highest incident rate was for Violence and sexual offences (331 reports) and Anti-social behaviour incidents were also notably high (118 cases).

In May 2025, Violence and sexual offences dominated crime reports (347 incidents), followed by Anti-social behaviour also remained a significant concern (112 incidents).

Recorded incidents of Violence and sexual offences were the most frequent (302 incidents) were the most common in April 2025, with There was a large number of incidents involving Anti-social behaviour (133 incidents) also being high.

For March 2025 , the most reported crimes were Most crimes reported were Violence and sexual offences (335 incidents) and then Anti-social behaviour showed a substantial number of incidents (87 incidents).

February 2025 crime data shows Violence and sexual offences saw the largest number of reported crimes with 316 incidents, and Anti-social behaviour was another prevalent crime category with 74 incidents.

During January 2025, The highest incident rate was for Violence and sexual offences (331 reports) and Anti-social behaviour incidents were also notably high (88 cases).

December 2024 crime data shows Violence and sexual offences saw the largest number of reported crimes with 334 incidents, and Anti-social behaviour was another prevalent crime category with 85 incidents.

During November 2024, The highest incident rate was for Violence and sexual offences (305 reports) and Anti-social behaviour incidents were also notably high (114 cases).

In October 2024, Violence and sexual offences dominated crime reports (349 incidents), followed by Anti-social behaviour also remained a significant concern (104 incidents).

Recorded incidents of Violence and sexual offences were the most frequent (286 incidents) were the most common in September 2024, with There was a large number of incidents involving Anti-social behaviour (111 incidents) also being high.

For August 2024 , the most reported crimes were Most crimes reported were Violence and sexual offences (372 incidents) and then Anti-social behaviour showed a substantial number of incidents (169 incidents).

Crime TypeCountCrime RateChange

Crime by Type

A total of 91 Possession of weapons incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 7.58 incidents per month. April 2025 saw the highest number of Possession of weapons incidents with 12 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202510
June 20257
May 202510
April 202512
March 20255
February 20258
January 20258
December 20243
November 20247
October 20243
September 202410
August 20248

A total of 49 Theft from the person incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 4.08 incidents per month. July 2025 saw the highest number of Theft from the person incidents with 6 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 20256
June 20252
May 20252
April 20255
March 20253
February 20253
January 20254
December 20245
November 20246
October 20243
September 20245
August 20245

A total of 266 Vehicle crime incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 22.17 incidents per month. February 2025 saw the highest number of Vehicle crime incidents with 39 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202518
June 202512
May 202527
April 202524
March 202519
February 202539
January 202529
December 202416
November 202430
October 202426
September 20249
August 202417

A total of 50 Bicycle theft incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 4.17 incidents per month. July 2025 saw the highest number of Bicycle theft incidents with 8 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 20258
June 20255
May 20255
April 20254
March 20252
February 20251
January 20253
December 20245
November 20243
October 20245
September 20242
August 20247

A total of 290 Other crime incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 24.17 incidents per month. March 2025 saw the highest number of Other crime incidents with 41 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202528
June 202519
May 202518
April 202524
March 202541
February 202524
January 202529
December 202421
November 202421
October 202419
September 202420
August 202426

A total of 752 Shoplifting incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 62.67 incidents per month. July 2025 saw the highest number of Shoplifting incidents with 75 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202575
June 202559
May 202562
April 202565
March 202561
February 202561
January 202561
December 202461
November 202457
October 202468
September 202451
August 202471

A total of 1368 Anti-social behaviour incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 114.00 incidents per month. July 2025 saw the highest number of Anti-social behaviour incidents with 173 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 2025173
June 2025118
May 2025112
April 2025133
March 202587
February 202574
January 202588
December 202485
November 2024114
October 2024104
September 2024111
August 2024169

A total of 45 Robbery incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 3.75 incidents per month. May 2025 saw the highest number of Robbery incidents with 10 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 20257
June 20253
May 202510
April 20253
March 20256
February 20254
January 20253
December 20242
November 20241
October 20242
September 20241
August 20243

A total of 686 Other theft incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 57.17 incidents per month. April 2025 saw the highest number of Other theft incidents with 77 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202555
June 202555
May 202555
April 202577
March 202553
February 202556
January 202546
December 202458
November 202458
October 202451
September 202461
August 202461

A total of 510 Public order incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 42.50 incidents per month. April 2025 saw the highest number of Public order incidents with 54 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202551
June 202529
May 202544
April 202554
March 202544
February 202531
January 202540
December 202443
November 202436
October 202441
September 202452
August 202445

A total of 384 Drugs incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 32.00 incidents per month. March 2025 saw the highest number of Drugs incidents with 41 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202528
June 202532
May 202537
April 202540
March 202541
February 202526
January 202538
December 202439
November 202425
October 202431
September 202427
August 202420

A total of 899 Criminal damage and arson incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 74.92 incidents per month. April 2025 saw the highest number of Criminal damage and arson incidents with 98 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202567
June 202565
May 202581
April 202598
March 202574
February 202559
January 202569
December 202456
November 202463
October 202497
September 202473
August 202497

A total of 249 Burglary incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 20.75 incidents per month. September 2024 saw the highest number of Burglary incidents with 31 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 202522
June 202522
May 202515
April 202526
March 202523
February 202525
January 202516
December 202415
November 20249
October 202421
September 202431
August 202424

A total of 3991 Violence and sexual offences incidents were recorded over 12 month period, averaging 332.58 incidents per month. July 2025 saw the highest number of Violence and sexual offences incidents with 383 reported cases.

MonthCount
July 2025383
June 2025331
May 2025347
April 2025302
March 2025335
February 2025316
January 2025331
December 2024334
November 2024305
October 2024349
September 2024286
August 2024372

High Crime Locations Folkestone and Hythe in July 2025

A detailed breakdown of crime incidents by location within the Folkestone and Hythe postcode area is presented below.

1. Sussex Road (Map)
Total17
Shoplifting8
Robbery2
Public order2
Other theft2
Drugs2
Vehicle crime1
2. Claremont Road (Map)
Total16
Violence and sexual offences6
Other theft3
Other crime3
Burglary3
Criminal damage and arson1
3. Marine Terrace (Map)
Total14
Violence and sexual offences6
Anti-social behaviour3
Other theft2
Public order1
Drugs1
Criminal damage and arson1
4. Petrol Station (Map)
Total12
Shoplifting11
Other theft1
5. Supermarket (Map)
Total12
Shoplifting7
Anti-social behaviour4
Robbery1
6. Parking Area (Map)
Total11
Shoplifting8
Public order2
Robbery1

  • Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2021. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  • Contains Office for National Statistics data licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0
  • Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.