Crime in Chichester district: statistics, rates and trends
10,452 crimes were recorded in Chichester district in the 12 months to August 2026, 81.1 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 5% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Chichester district at a glance
- Crime trends in Chichester district
- Types of crime in Chichester district
- Home Office recorded crime in Chichester district
- Chichester district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Chichester district
- Streets with the most crime in Chichester district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Chichester district
- Demographics of Chichester district
- Fly-tipping in Chichester
- Questions about crime in Chichester district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (3,214), anti-social behaviour (2,490) and shoplifting (1,092) made up 65% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 174th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.
| Measure | Chichester district | West Sussex | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 10,452 | 76,272 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 81.1 | 83.4 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +5% | +4% | -1% |
| Population | 128,934 | 915,037 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the most recorded crime in Chichester district of any year here (10,452 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 28%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 10,452 | 81.1 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 9,970 | 77.3 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 9,327 | 72.3 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 9,280 | 72.0 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 9,480 | 73.5 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 10,187 | 79.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 9,173 | 71.1 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 8,835 | 68.5 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 8,192 | 63.5 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,098 |
| July 2026 | 1,164 |
| June 2026 | 954 |
| May 2026 | 930 |
| April 2026 | 888 |
| March 2026 | 940 |
| February 2026 | 719 |
| January 2026 | 645 |
| December 2025 | 713 |
| November 2025 | 765 |
| October 2025 | 884 |
| September 2025 | 752 |
Compared with England and Wales, Chichester district recorded notably more anti-social behaviour (26% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (85% below) and drugs (56% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 60 to 94 and anti-social behaviour rose from 1,999 to 2,490, while theft from the person fell from 66 to 32 and vehicle crime fell from 443 to 318.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,214 | 24.9 | 34.2 | +2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,490 | 19.3 | 15.4 | +25% |
| Shoplifting | 1,092 | 8.5 | 8.5 | +13% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 885 | 6.9 | 6.7 | +2% |
| Public order | 837 | 6.5 | 6.7 | +8% |
| Other theft | 609 | 4.7 | 6.4 | -3% |
| Vehicle crime | 318 | 2.5 | 5.0 | -28% |
| Burglary | 303 | 2.4 | 3.6 | -19% |
| Drugs | 187 | 1.5 | 3.3 | -10% |
| Other crime | 166 | 1.3 | 2.1 | -5% |
| Possession of weapons | 121 | 0.9 | 1.0 | -2% |
| Bicycle theft | 104 | 0.8 | 0.8 | -24% |
| Robbery | 94 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +57% |
| Theft from the person | 32 | 0.2 | 1.7 | -52% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
7,799 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Chichester district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 60.5 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 1% on the year ending March 2025 (7,916), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Chichester district had the 84th lowest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Of the crimes recorded in the Sussex Police area in the year ending March 2026, 1.8% were not assigned to a district. Those crimes are counted in the force and England and Wales totals but in no district, so the figure for Chichester district is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in Chichester district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 1,190 offences (15% of the total). No category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate. Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.20 times), trafficking of drugs (0.23 times) and robbery of personal property (0.33 times).
The largest rises on the year were in rape (+55%) and arson (+17%). The largest falls were in vehicle offences (−43%) and trafficking of drugs (−29%). Robbery of business property and shoplifting are not compared with the year ending March 2025: from April 2025 the Home Office Counting Rules were clarified so that a theft from a shop in which violence is used or threatened against staff or anyone else is recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting (ONS).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 1,190 | 9.2 | 13.2 | 0.70 | +1% |
| Shoplifting | 969 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 0.93 | – |
| Criminal damage | 871 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 0.99 | +11% |
| Violence with injury | 841 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 0.80 | −11% |
| Public order offences | 814 | 6.3 | 7.0 | 0.91 | +14% |
| Stalking and harassment | 717 | 5.6 | 10.1 | 0.55 | +8% |
| Other theft offences | 609 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 0.72 | −9% |
| Vehicle offences | 314 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 0.48 | −43% |
| Other sexual offences | 239 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 0.81 | +4% |
| Residential burglary | 197 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.61 | −4% |
| Possession of drugs | 155 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.48 | +10% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 154 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.57 | −25% |
| Non-residential burglary | 143 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.99 | −19% |
| Rape | 132 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.85 | +55% |
| Bicycle theft | 121 | 0.94 | 0.85 | 1.10 | +6% |
| Possession of weapons | 120 | 0.93 | 1.00 | 0.93 | 0% |
| Robbery of business property | 54 | 0.42 | 0.47 | 0.88 | – |
| Theft from the person | 45 | 0.35 | 1.8 | 0.20 | −6% |
| Robbery of personal property | 39 | 0.30 | 0.91 | 0.33 | −9% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 35 | 0.27 | 1.2 | 0.23 | −29% |
| Arson | 28 | 0.22 | 0.38 | 0.57 | +17% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 12 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 2.67 | +140% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | −100% |
Recorded crime in Chichester district since the year ending March 2013
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2013 to 2026. Chichester district's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 14 years. Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7,799 | 60.5 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 7,916 | 61.4 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 8,127 | 63.0 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 8,174 | 63.4 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 7,803 | 60.5 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 6,464 | 50.1 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 7,405 | 57.4 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 7,049 | 54.7 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 6,356 | 49.3 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 5,747 | 44.6 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 4,934 | 38.3 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 4,803 | 37.3 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 4,550 | 35.3 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 5,352 | 41.5 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Sussex Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 13 districts in the Sussex Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Chichester district had the 7th highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | 11,505 | 110.4 | 1.33 |
| Hastings | 10,035 | 110.0 | 1.32 |
| Crawley | 13,538 | 109.2 | 1.31 |
| Brighton and Hove | 28,335 | 99.8 | 1.20 |
| Worthing | 9,138 | 80.3 | 0.96 |
| Arun | 12,003 | 70.6 | 0.85 |
| Chichester | 7,799 | 60.5 | 0.73 |
| Rother | 5,527 | 57.5 | 0.69 |
| Lewes | 5,649 | 55.2 | 0.66 |
| Adur | 3,580 | 55.2 | 0.66 |
| Mid Sussex | 7,280 | 45.0 | 0.54 |
| Horsham | 6,729 | 44.4 | 0.53 |
| Wealden | 6,852 | 41.1 | 0.49 |
Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.
4 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Chichester district; the highest is Portsmouth district (125.0 per 1,000) and the lowest East Hampshire (47.3).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Chichester district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arun | 15,129 | 89.0 | +10% |
| Havant | 11,156 | 87.9 | +8% |
| Portsmouth | 26,789 | 125.0 | +54% |
| East Hampshire | 6,149 | 47.3 | -42% |
| Worthing | 11,569 | 101.6 | +25% |
| Gosport | 6,598 | 79.6 | -2% |
| Fareham | 7,052 | 61.1 | -25% |
| Horsham | 8,635 | 57.0 | -30% |
Of the 48 areas within Chichester district, Chichester Central had the highest crime rate (749.6 per 1,000) and Ifold the lowest (17.0), 44 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chichester Central | Neighbourhood | 2,500 | 1,874 | 749.6 |
| Chichester East | Neighbourhood | 7,661 | 1,410 | 184.0 |
| Chichester | Town | 34,712 | 5,505 | 158.6 |
| Chichester North | Neighbourhood | 7,467 | 1,081 | 144.8 |
| Westhampnett | Town | 1,938 | 252 | 130.0 |
| Goodwood | Neighbourhood | 4,149 | 415 | 100.0 |
| Selsey South | Neighbourhood | 5,754 | 469 | 81.5 |
| Selsey | Town | 10,974 | 829 | 75.5 |
| Chichester West | Neighbourhood | 7,593 | 571 | 75.2 |
| Sidlesham with Selsey North | Neighbourhood | 6,622 | 485 | 73.2 |
| Hunston | Town | 1,325 | 97 | 73.2 |
| Lavant | Neighbourhood | 2,732 | 184 | 67.3 |
| Tangmere | Town | 3,511 | 222 | 63.2 |
| Chichester South | Neighbourhood | 6,842 | 431 | 63.0 |
| Wisborough Green | Town | 1,317 | 82 | 62.3 |
| North Mundham & Tangmere | Neighbourhood | 9,163 | 565 | 61.7 |
| North Mundham | Town | 1,738 | 106 | 61.0 |
| Mid Lavant | Town | 1,442 | 86 | 59.6 |
| Hammer | Town | 1,655 | 97 | 58.6 |
| Southbourne | Town | 4,945 | 285 | 57.6 |
| Westbourne | Neighbourhood | 3,660 | 208 | 56.8 |
| West Wittering | Town | 1,314 | 74 | 56.3 |
| Bosham | Town | 2,978 | 163 | 54.7 |
| Birdham | Town | 1,979 | 108 | 54.6 |
| Hambrook and Nutbourne | Town | 1,868 | 99 | 53.0 |
| The Witterings | Neighbourhood | 10,305 | 528 | 51.2 |
| Harbour Villages | Neighbourhood | 10,199 | 514 | 50.4 |
| Petworth | Town | 3,224 | 160 | 49.6 |
| East Wittering | Town | 7,012 | 346 | 49.3 |
| Westbourne | Town | 2,356 | 113 | 48.0 |
| Southbourne | Neighbourhood | 9,232 | 428 | 46.4 |
| Fernhurst | Town | 2,176 | 99 | 45.5 |
| Midhurst | Town | 5,495 | 240 | 43.7 |
| Midhurst | Neighbourhood | 6,723 | 289 | 43.0 |
| Fishbourne (Chichester) | Town | 2,704 | 114 | 42.2 |
| Stedham | Town | 1,228 | 49 | 39.9 |
| Fernhurst | Neighbourhood | 6,581 | 260 | 39.5 |
| Harting | Neighbourhood | 3,287 | 114 | 34.7 |
| Fittleworth | Neighbourhood | 3,735 | 123 | 32.9 |
| Easebourne | Town | 1,657 | 50 | 30.2 |
| Kirdford | Town | 1,263 | 38 | 30.1 |
| Loxwood | Neighbourhood | 7,850 | 236 | 30.1 |
| Easebourne | Neighbourhood | 3,655 | 107 | 29.3 |
| Loxwood | Town | 2,149 | 58 | 27.0 |
| Fittleworth | Town | 1,504 | 39 | 25.9 |
| West Thorney | Town | 2,485 | 54 | 21.7 |
| Northchapel | Town | 1,474 | 30 | 20.4 |
| Ifold | Town | 1,647 | 28 | 17.0 |
The 10 locations below account for 23% of the crime recorded in Chichester district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (740).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 740 |
| On or near Parking Area | 337 |
| On or near Church Road | 247 |
| On or near St Martin'S Street | 191 |
| On or near Westhampnett Road | 173 |
| On or near North Mead | 168 |
| On or near Park/Open Space | 162 |
| On or near Cooper Street | 143 |
| On or near Shamrock Close | 127 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 116 |
Of the 7,962 crimes in Chichester district with a recorded outcome, 46% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.4% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,490 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,643 | 45.8% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,358 | 29.6% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 847 | 10.6% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 350 | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 239 | 3.0% | 4.7% |
| Local resolution | 224 | 2.8% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 144 | 1.8% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 53 | 0.7% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 38 | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 28 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 22 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 16 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Chichester district has an estimated population of 128,934 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has an older population (28%, against 19%), fewer households without a car (14%, against 23%) and more retired residents (30%, against 22%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Chichester district average decile 6.2 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Chichester district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 15.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 27.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 53.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 29.7% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.7% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 37.2% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 14.8% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 14.1% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 66.7% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 15.1% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 18.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.2 | 5.5 (England) |
816 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Chichester in 2024/25 (6.3 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Chichester has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Chichester district a safe place to live?
Chichester district recorded 81.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 174th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were anti-social behaviour.
What is the most common crime in Chichester district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 3,214 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,490).
Is crime in Chichester district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Chichester district was up 5% on the year before: 10,452 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 9,970 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Chichester district?
About 128,934 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 28% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Chichester district?
Chichester district is policed by Sussex.
How many crimes did the police record in Chichester district in the year ending March 2026?
7,799 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 60.5 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 7,916.
Which offences are more common in Chichester district than across England and Wales?
None: no category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate in the year ending March 2026. The largest category was violence without injury (1,190).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.