Crime in Gravesham: statistics, rates and trends
10,265 crimes were recorded in Gravesham in the 12 months to August 2026, 92.8 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 11% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Gravesham at a glance
- Crime trends in Gravesham
- Types of crime in Gravesham
- Gravesham compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Gravesham
- Streets with the most crime in Gravesham
- What happened after crimes were reported in Gravesham
- Demographics of Gravesham
- Fly-tipping in Gravesham
- Questions about crime in Gravesham
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (3,558), anti-social behaviour (2,213) and criminal damage and arson (993) made up 66% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 120th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | Gravesham | Kent | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 10,265 | 145,778 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 92.8 | 88.9 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -11% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 110,671 | 1,639,029 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Gravesham of any year here (10,265 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 33%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 10,265 | 92.8 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 11,495 | 103.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 12,441 | 112.4 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 12,546 | 113.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 13,359 | 120.7 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 14,215 | 128.4 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 15,148 | 136.9 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 13,688 | 123.7 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 15,243 | 137.7 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 917 |
| July 2026 | 889 |
| June 2026 | 832 |
| May 2026 | 831 |
| April 2026 | 922 |
| March 2026 | 912 |
| February 2026 | 791 |
| January 2026 | 811 |
| December 2025 | 844 |
| November 2025 | 845 |
| October 2025 | 822 |
| September 2025 | 849 |
Compared with England and Wales, Gravesham recorded notably more criminal damage and arson (33% above the national rate) and anti-social behaviour (30% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (70% below) and shoplifting (56% below). On the year before, bicycle theft rose from 37 to 55 and robbery rose from 88 to 116, while drugs fell from 704 to 349 and theft from the person fell from 80 to 55.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,558 | 32.1 | 34.2 | -14% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,213 | 20.0 | 15.4 | +22% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 993 | 9.0 | 6.7 | -9% |
| Other theft | 856 | 7.7 | 6.4 | -10% |
| Vehicle crime | 572 | 5.2 | 5.0 | -13% |
| Shoplifting | 407 | 3.7 | 8.5 | -28% |
| Public order | 381 | 3.4 | 6.7 | -27% |
| Drugs | 349 | 3.2 | 3.3 | -50% |
| Burglary | 310 | 2.8 | 3.6 | -16% |
| Other crime | 291 | 2.6 | 2.1 | -21% |
| Robbery | 116 | 1.0 | 1.4 | +32% |
| Possession of weapons | 109 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +7% |
| Bicycle theft | 55 | 0.5 | 0.8 | +49% |
| Theft from the person | 55 | 0.5 | 1.7 | -31% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
4 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Gravesham; the highest is Dartford district (107.0 per 1,000) and the lowest Castle Point (62.3).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Gravesham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurrock | 18,319 | 101.2 | +9% |
| Dartford | 13,370 | 107.0 | +15% |
| Medway | 29,963 | 102.4 | +10% |
| Bexley | 20,080 | 78.3 | -16% |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 9,281 | 67.8 | -27% |
| Sevenoaks | 7,699 | 62.7 | -32% |
| Basildon | 19,026 | 98.3 | +6% |
| Castle Point | 5,644 | 62.3 | -33% |
Of the 27 areas within Gravesham, Town had the highest crime rate (215.3 per 1,000) and Vigo Village the lowest (26.9), 8 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town | Neighbourhood | 11,847 | 2,551 | 215.3 |
| Northfleet & Springhead | Neighbourhood | 9,422 | 1,279 | 135.7 |
| Shorne | Town | 1,249 | 143 | 114.5 |
| Singlewell | Neighbourhood | 5,152 | 562 | 109.1 |
| Gravesend | Town | 60,609 | 6,402 | 105.6 |
| Northfleet | Town | 30,031 | 2,830 | 94.2 |
| Westcourt | Neighbourhood | 7,355 | 662 | 90.0 |
| Pelham | Neighbourhood | 5,244 | 451 | 86.0 |
| Denton | Neighbourhood | 4,801 | 401 | 83.5 |
| Coldharbour & Perry Street | Neighbourhood | 10,000 | 825 | 82.5 |
| Whitehill & Windmill Hill | Neighbourhood | 8,184 | 660 | 80.6 |
| Rosherville | Neighbourhood | 4,951 | 351 | 70.9 |
| Higham & Shorne | Neighbourhood | 6,503 | 447 | 68.7 |
| Woodlands | Neighbourhood | 9,750 | 657 | 67.4 |
| Painters Ash | Neighbourhood | 5,658 | 375 | 66.3 |
| Riverview Park | Neighbourhood | 6,027 | 357 | 59.2 |
| Sole Street | Town | 1,547 | 89 | 57.5 |
| Higham (Gravesham) | Town | 2,424 | 123 | 50.7 |
| Lower Higham | Town | 1,422 | 71 | 49.9 |
| Istead Rise, Cobham & Luddesdown | Neighbourhood | 4,871 | 237 | 48.7 |
| Culverstone Green | Town | 3,065 | 140 | 45.7 |
| Chalk | Neighbourhood | 2,249 | 101 | 44.9 |
| Istead Rise | Town | 3,324 | 148 | 44.5 |
| Meopham | Town | 4,219 | 172 | 40.8 |
| Meopham North | Neighbourhood | 4,219 | 172 | 40.8 |
| Meopham South & Vigo | Neighbourhood | 4,438 | 177 | 39.9 |
| Vigo Village | Town | 1,373 | 37 | 26.9 |
The 10 locations below account for 20% of the crime recorded in Gravesham over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (402).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 402 |
| On or near Supermarket | 328 |
| On or near Chase Square | 249 |
| On or near Police Station | 229 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 196 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 164 |
| On or near New Road | 145 |
| On or near King Street | 112 |
| On or near Home Mead Close | 104 |
| On or near Barrack Row | 80 |
Of the 8,052 crimes in Gravesham with a recorded outcome, 38% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,213 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,092 | 38.4% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,834 | 35.2% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 624 | 7.7% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 466 | 5.8% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 271 | 3.4% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 265 | 3.3% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 237 | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 168 | 2.1% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 68 | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 12 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 9 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 6 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Gravesham has an estimated population of 110,671 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (27%, against 34%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Gravesham average decile 4.8 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Gravesham | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 21.4% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 16.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 58.9% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.8% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 20.6% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.0% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 26.7% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 20.3% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 19.7% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 63.3% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 17.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 4.8 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 10.3% | 10.1% (England) |
2,574 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Gravesham in 2024/25 (23.3 per 1,000 residents; the council changed how it counts fly-tipping during the year), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Gravesham has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Gravesham a safe place to live?
Gravesham recorded 92.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 120th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour.
What is the most common crime in Gravesham?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 3,558 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,213).
Is crime in Gravesham going up or down?
Recorded crime in Gravesham was down 11% on the year before: 10,265 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 11,495 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Gravesham?
About 110,671 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 17% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Gravesham?
Gravesham is policed by Kent.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.