Crime in Eastbourne district: statistics, rates and trends
14,639 crimes were recorded in Eastbourne district in the 12 months to August 2026, 140.4 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 10% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Eastbourne district at a glance
- Crime trends in Eastbourne district
- Types of crime in Eastbourne district
- Home Office recorded crime in Eastbourne district
- Eastbourne district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Eastbourne district
- Streets with the most crime in Eastbourne district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Eastbourne district
- Demographics of Eastbourne district
- Fly-tipping in Eastbourne
- Questions about crime in Eastbourne district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,394), anti-social behaviour (3,279) and shoplifting (2,279) made up 68% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 20th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | Eastbourne district | East Sussex | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 14,639 | 51,507 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 140.4 | 91.8 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +10% | +10% | -1% |
| Population | 104,259 | 560,882 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the most recorded crime in Eastbourne district of any year here (14,639 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 30%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 14,639 | 140.4 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 13,338 | 127.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 12,980 | 124.5 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 12,029 | 115.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 11,410 | 109.4 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 11,673 | 112.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 12,184 | 116.9 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 11,573 | 111.0 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 11,263 | 108.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,374 |
| July 2026 | 1,481 |
| June 2026 | 1,286 |
| May 2026 | 1,376 |
| April 2026 | 1,237 |
| March 2026 | 1,333 |
| February 2026 | 1,106 |
| January 2026 | 1,105 |
| December 2025 | 1,052 |
| November 2025 | 1,171 |
| October 2025 | 1,063 |
| September 2025 | 1,055 |
Compared with England and Wales, Eastbourne district recorded notably more shoplifting (2.6 times the national rate), anti-social behaviour (2.0 times the national rate) and possession of weapons (66% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (49% below) and burglary (24% below). On the year before, anti-social behaviour rose from 2,029 to 3,279 and drugs rose from 346 to 545, while burglary fell from 355 to 282.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,394 | 42.1 | 34.2 | +4% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 3,279 | 31.5 | 15.4 | +62% |
| Shoplifting | 2,279 | 21.9 | 8.5 | -13% |
| Public order | 1,055 | 10.1 | 6.7 | +4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 950 | 9.1 | 6.7 | -2% |
| Other theft | 656 | 6.3 | 6.4 | -5% |
| Drugs | 545 | 5.2 | 3.3 | +58% |
| Vehicle crime | 419 | 4.0 | 5.0 | +21% |
| Burglary | 282 | 2.7 | 3.6 | -21% |
| Other crime | 227 | 2.2 | 2.1 | -3% |
| Robbery | 184 | 1.8 | 1.4 | +22% |
| Possession of weapons | 168 | 1.6 | 1.0 | +6% |
| Bicycle theft | 111 | 1.1 | 0.8 | +8% |
| Theft from the person | 90 | 0.9 | 1.7 | -3% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
11,505 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Eastbourne district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 110.4 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 1% on the year ending March 2025 (11,353), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Eastbourne district had the 26th highest 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 Eastbourne district is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in Eastbourne district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was shoplifting, with 2,411 offences (21% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for shoplifting (2.8 times the national rate), robbery of business property (2.3 times the national rate) and possession of weapons (1.8 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.39 times) and vehicle offences (0.66 times).
The largest rises on the year were in trafficking of drugs (from 46 to 177) and possession of weapons (+29%). The largest falls were in theft from the person (−29%) and non-residential burglary (−23%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoplifting | 2,411 | 23.1 | 8.1 | 2.85 | – |
| Violence without injury | 1,730 | 16.6 | 13.2 | 1.26 | −9% |
| Violence with injury | 1,356 | 13.0 | 8.1 | 1.60 | +6% |
| Public order offences | 1,026 | 9.8 | 7.0 | 1.41 | +10% |
| Stalking and harassment | 895 | 8.6 | 10.1 | 0.85 | +18% |
| Criminal damage | 882 | 8.5 | 6.8 | 1.24 | −4% |
| Other theft offences | 715 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 1.05 | 0% |
| Vehicle offences | 348 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 0.66 | −22% |
| Possession of drugs | 336 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.29 | +17% |
| Other sexual offences | 281 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 1.18 | −1% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 243 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.11 | +19% |
| Residential burglary | 203 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.78 | −11% |
| Possession of weapons | 182 | 1.7 | 1.00 | 1.75 | +29% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 177 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.43 | +285% |
| Rape | 163 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.29 | +3% |
| Robbery of business property | 114 | 1.1 | 0.47 | 2.30 | – |
| Bicycle theft | 114 | 1.1 | 0.85 | 1.28 | +8% |
| Non-residential burglary | 103 | 0.99 | 1.1 | 0.88 | −23% |
| Robbery of personal property | 83 | 0.80 | 0.91 | 0.87 | −17% |
| Theft from the person | 72 | 0.69 | 1.8 | 0.39 | −29% |
| Arson | 69 | 0.66 | 0.38 | 1.74 | −14% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 1 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.28 | −80% |
| Homicide | 1 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1.20 | – |
Recorded crime in Eastbourne 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. Eastbourne district's rate was above the England and Wales rate in 12 of those 14 years and below it in 2. 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 | 11,505 | 110.4 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 11,353 | 108.9 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 11,217 | 107.6 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 9,745 | 93.5 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 8,879 | 85.2 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 8,121 | 77.9 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 9,413 | 90.3 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 8,784 | 84.3 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 8,815 | 84.5 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 7,736 | 74.2 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 6,674 | 64.0 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 6,730 | 64.6 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 5,679 | 54.5 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 6,191 | 59.4 | 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, Eastbourne district had the 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.
1 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Eastbourne district; the highest is Hastings district (146.2 per 1,000) and the lowest Wealden (54.6).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Eastbourne district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wealden | 9,107 | 54.6 | -61% |
| Lewes | 7,500 | 73.3 | -48% |
| Rother | 6,923 | 72.0 | -49% |
| Hastings | 13,338 | 146.2 | +4% |
| Brighton and Hove | 35,519 | 125.1 | -11% |
| Mid Sussex | 9,839 | 60.8 | -57% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 8,086 | 67.6 | -52% |
| Adur | 4,575 | 70.5 | -50% |
Of the 11 areas within Eastbourne district, Devonshire had the highest crime rate (235.1 per 1,000) and Crumbles the lowest (29.6), 8 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devonshire | Neighbourhood | 15,422 | 3,626 | 235.1 |
| Meads | Neighbourhood | 11,534 | 2,604 | 225.8 |
| Hampden Park | Neighbourhood | 10,672 | 1,594 | 149.4 |
| Langney | Neighbourhood | 10,606 | 1,533 | 144.5 |
| Eastbourne | Town | 99,922 | 14,430 | 144.4 |
| Upperton | Neighbourhood | 11,433 | 1,234 | 107.9 |
| Ratton | Neighbourhood | 9,932 | 1,038 | 104.5 |
| St Anthony's | Neighbourhood | 11,711 | 1,140 | 97.3 |
| Old Town | Neighbourhood | 11,336 | 1,036 | 91.4 |
| Sovereign | Neighbourhood | 11,613 | 834 | 71.8 |
| Crumbles | Town | 1,248 | 37 | 29.6 |
The 10 locations below account for 31% of the crime recorded in Eastbourne district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (2,047).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 2,047 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 510 |
| On or near Parking Area | 456 |
| On or near Station Street | 275 |
| On or near Terminus Road | 245 |
| On or near Ceylon Place | 233 |
| On or near Hospital | 215 |
| On or near Ivy Terrace | 190 |
| On or near Nightclub | 156 |
| On or near Theatre/Concert Hall | 155 |
Of the 11,360 crimes in Eastbourne district with a recorded outcome, 44% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 6.4% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 3,279 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 4,984 | 43.9% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 3,383 | 29.8% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 1,018 | 9.0% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 731 | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 374 | 3.3% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 344 | 3.0% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 241 | 2.1% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 85 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 76 | 0.7% | 1.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 36 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 34 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 33 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
Eastbourne district has an estimated population of 104,259 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has an older population (25%, against 19%), more private renting (27%, against 20%) and more retired residents (28%, against 22%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Eastbourne district average decile 4.9 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Eastbourne district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 16.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 24.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 51.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 28.0% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.3% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 29.8% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 18.4% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 26.5% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 60.3% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.0% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 26.6% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 4.9 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 13.9% | 10.1% (England) |
1,100 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Eastbourne in 2024/25 (10.6 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 Eastbourne has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Eastbourne district a safe place to live?
Eastbourne district recorded 140.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 20th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.
What is the most common crime in Eastbourne district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,394 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (3,279).
Is crime in Eastbourne district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Eastbourne district was up 10% on the year before: 14,639 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 13,338 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Eastbourne district?
About 104,259 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 25% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Eastbourne district?
Eastbourne district is policed by Sussex.
How many crimes did the police record in Eastbourne district in the year ending March 2026?
11,505 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 110.4 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 11,353.
Which offences are more common in Eastbourne district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were shoplifting (2,411 offences, 2.8 times the England and Wales rate), robbery of business property (114 offences, 2.3 times the England and Wales rate) and possession of weapons (182 offences, 1.8 times the England and Wales rate).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.