Is Tunbridge Wells safe?

Tunbridge Wells has a crime rate of 61.87 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #86 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Tunbridge Wells'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 Tunbridge Wells?

As of April 2026, Tunbridge Wells has an annual crime rate of 61.87 per 1,000 residents, based on 682 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 Tunbridge Wells rank nationally for crime?

Tunbridge Wells ranks #86 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 Tunbridge Wells?

The most common crime type in Tunbridge Wells is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 203 incidents in April 2026 — 29.8% 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 Tunbridge Wells local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Kent Police Police

Crime in Tunbridge Wells: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Tunbridge Wells recorded 682 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 5.73 per 1,000 residents. This places Tunbridge Wells at #86 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 29.8% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 12.5% compared to the same period last year.

check_circle Crime is below average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring61.87 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment682 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #86 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 12.5% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

682

trending_up +8.1% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

61.87per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#86of 331

Ranked by annual rate

Kent

#2rank

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 Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 39 Criminal damage and arson: 5	39
On or near Petrol Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9 Other theft: 3	9
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 12	12
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 9	9
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 7	7
On or near St Andrews Court Map	Shoplifting: 7	7
On or near Sweeps Hill Close Map	Violence and sexual offences: 5	5
On or near The Mews Map	Violence and sexual offences: 5	5
On or near Parking Area Map	Shoplifting: 5	5
On or near Causton Road Map	Shoplifting: 5	5

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

682 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

203

29.8%

Anti-social Behaviour

133

19.5%

Shoplifting

12.9%

Criminal Damage & Arson

11.6%

Other Theft

7.2%

Vehicle Crime

4.7%

Public Order

4.3%

Burglary

3.4%

Drug Offences

2.8%

Other Crime

1.3%

Weapons Possession

1.0%

Theft from Person

0.7%

Robbery

0.6%

Bicycle Theft

0.3%

Crime Analysis: Tunbridge Wells

Tunbridge Wells recorded 682 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 61.87 per 1,000 residents — broadly average for England and Wales, ranked #86 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Tunbridge Wells at 29.8%. Anti-social Behaviour (19.5%) and Shoplifting (12.9%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Tunbridge Wells has risen sharply — by 12.5%. 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

20 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Sherwood	89	91.6
2	Paddock Wood East	52	90.9
3	Paddock Wood West	15	75.9
4	Park	66	72.5
5	Culverden	62	65.9

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Speldhurst and Bidborough	15	2.5
shield	Brenchley and Horsmonden	8	1.5
shield	Southborough North	17	3.9
shield	St John's	27	3.6
shield	Goudhurst and Lamberhurst	11	2.3

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +8.1%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +12.5%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.2%

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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