Chelmsford has a crime rate of 73.92 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #129 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Chelmsford'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 Chelmsford?

As of April 2026, Chelmsford has an annual crime rate of 73.92 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,354 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 Chelmsford rank nationally for crime?

Chelmsford ranks #129 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 Chelmsford?

The most common crime type in Chelmsford is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 523 incidents in April 2026 — 38.6% 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 Chelmsford local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Essex Police Police

Crime in Chelmsford: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Chelmsford recorded 1,354 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 7.26 per 1,000 residents. This places Chelmsford at #129 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 38.6% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 18.5% compared to the same period last year.

check_circle Crime is below average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring73.92 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,354 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #129 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 18.5% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

1,354

trending_down -2.6% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

73.92per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#129of 331

Ranked by annual rate

Essex

#8rank

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 Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 28 Anti-social behaviour: 17 Other theft: 5	28
On or near Nightclub Map	Violence and sexual offences: 20 Shoplifting: 11 Vehicle crime: 2	20
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 31	31
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 26 Robbery: 3	26
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 28	28
On or near Park Road Map	Shoplifting: 11 Public order: 4 Criminal damage and arson: 3	11
On or near Police Station Map	Drugs: 15 Criminal damage and arson: 6	15
On or near Hospital Map	Violence and sexual offences: 13 Other theft: 4	13
On or near Tindal Square Map	Violence and sexual offences: 13 Public order: 3	13
On or near Bus/Coach Station Map	Shoplifting: 12	12

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,354 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

523

38.6%

Anti-social Behaviour

172

12.7%

Shoplifting

144

10.6%

Criminal Damage & Arson

6.7%

Public Order

6.4%

Drug Offences

6.2%

Other Theft

5.5%

Vehicle Crime

5.2%

Burglary

2.8%

Other Crime

2.1%

Robbery

1.2%

Weapons Possession

0.9%

Bicycle Theft

0.8%

Theft from Person

0.2%

Crime Analysis: Chelmsford

Chelmsford recorded 1,354 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 73.92 per 1,000 residents — broadly average for England and Wales, ranked #129 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Chelmsford (38.6%). Anti-social Behaviour (12.7%) and Shoplifting (10.6%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Chelmsford has risen sharply — by 18.5%. 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

24 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Moulsham and Central	334	159.4
2	Marconi	119	106.8
3	St Andrews	77	78.8
4	Boreham and The Leighs	43	70.8
5	Trinity	39	67.8

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	South Woodham-Chetwood and Collingwood	15	1.9
shield	Moulsham Lodge	12	2.1
shield	The Lawns	20	3.7
shield	Bicknacre and East and West Hanningfield	20	3.6
shield	Little Baddow, Danbury and Sandon	22	2.6

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -2.6%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +18.5%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_up +0.1%

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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