Crime in Wealden: statistics, rates and trends
9,107 crimes were recorded in Wealden in the 12 months to August 2026, 54.6 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 9% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Wealden at a glance
- Crime trends in Wealden
- Types of crime in Wealden
- Home Office recorded crime in Wealden
- Wealden compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Wealden
- Streets with the most crime in Wealden
- What happened after crimes were reported in Wealden
- Demographics of Wealden
- Fly-tipping in Wealden
- Questions about crime in Wealden
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (3,122), anti-social behaviour (2,156) and criminal damage and arson (783) made up 67% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 280th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest tenth.
| Measure | Wealden | East Sussex | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 9,107 | 51,507 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 54.6 | 91.8 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +9% | +10% | -1% |
| Population | 166,908 | 560,882 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the most recorded crime in Wealden of any year here (9,107 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 15%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 9,107 | 54.6 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 8,369 | 50.1 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 7,881 | 47.2 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 8,173 | 49.0 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 7,663 | 45.9 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 8,513 | 51.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 8,918 | 53.4 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 7,967 | 47.7 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 7,946 | 47.6 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 903 |
| July 2026 | 943 |
| June 2026 | 805 |
| May 2026 | 855 |
| April 2026 | 773 |
| March 2026 | 745 |
| February 2026 | 686 |
| January 2026 | 674 |
| December 2025 | 649 |
| November 2025 | 695 |
| October 2025 | 715 |
| September 2025 | 664 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (92% below) and robbery (84% below) were well below it. On the year before, drugs rose from 125 to 185 and anti-social behaviour rose from 1,568 to 2,156, while vehicle crime fell from 377 to 279 and shoplifting fell from 802 to 630.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,122 | 18.7 | 34.2 | +8% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,156 | 12.9 | 15.4 | +38% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 783 | 4.7 | 6.7 | +6% |
| Public order | 691 | 4.1 | 6.7 | +19% |
| Shoplifting | 630 | 3.8 | 8.5 | -21% |
| Other theft | 555 | 3.3 | 6.4 | +2% |
| Burglary | 306 | 1.8 | 3.6 | -12% |
| Vehicle crime | 279 | 1.7 | 5.0 | -26% |
| Other crime | 229 | 1.4 | 2.1 | +7% |
| Drugs | 185 | 1.1 | 3.3 | +48% |
| Possession of weapons | 87 | 0.5 | 1.0 | -15% |
| Robbery | 37 | 0.2 | 1.4 | +23% |
| Bicycle theft | 25 | 0.1 | 0.8 | n/a |
| Theft from the person | 22 | 0.1 | 1.7 | -12% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
6,852 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Wealden in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 41.1 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 3% on the year ending March 2025 (6,680), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Wealden had the 7th 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 Wealden is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in Wealden, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 1,047 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 trafficking of drugs (0.16 times), robbery of personal property (0.16 times) and possession of drugs (0.26 times).
The largest rises on the year were in possession of weapons (+35%) and robbery of personal property (+25%). The largest falls were in vehicle offences (−38%) and non-residential burglary (−24%). 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 | 1,047 | 6.3 | 13.2 | 0.47 | +8% |
| Violence with injury | 865 | 5.2 | 8.1 | 0.64 | +5% |
| Stalking and harassment | 822 | 4.9 | 10.1 | 0.49 | +21% |
| Shoplifting | 757 | 4.5 | 8.1 | 0.56 | – |
| Criminal damage | 662 | 4.0 | 6.8 | 0.58 | −13% |
| Public order offences | 629 | 3.8 | 7.0 | 0.54 | +12% |
| Other theft offences | 538 | 3.2 | 6.5 | 0.49 | −3% |
| Vehicle offences | 270 | 1.6 | 5.0 | 0.32 | −38% |
| Other sexual offences | 229 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.60 | +7% |
| Residential burglary | 226 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.54 | +9% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 216 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.62 | +3% |
| Rape | 123 | 0.74 | 1.2 | 0.61 | +12% |
| Non-residential burglary | 113 | 0.68 | 1.1 | 0.61 | −24% |
| Possession of drugs | 110 | 0.66 | 2.5 | 0.26 | +9% |
| Possession of weapons | 96 | 0.58 | 1.00 | 0.58 | +35% |
| Arson | 40 | 0.24 | 0.38 | 0.63 | −5% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 32 | 0.19 | 1.2 | 0.16 | +14% |
| Robbery of personal property | 25 | 0.15 | 0.91 | 0.16 | +25% |
| Robbery of business property | 17 | 0.10 | 0.47 | 0.21 | – |
| Bicycle theft | 16 | 0.10 | 0.85 | 0.11 | −38% |
| Theft from the person | 15 | 0.09 | 1.8 | 0.05 | −35% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 4 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.69 | −50% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | – |
Recorded crime in Wealden 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. Wealden'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 | 6,852 | 41.1 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 6,680 | 40.0 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 6,656 | 39.9 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 6,666 | 39.9 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 6,124 | 36.7 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 5,678 | 34.0 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 6,855 | 41.1 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 5,992 | 35.9 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 6,333 | 37.9 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 5,427 | 32.5 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 4,772 | 28.6 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 4,613 | 27.6 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 4,090 | 24.5 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 4,305 | 25.8 | 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, Wealden had the lowest 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.
Every one of the 8 nearest districts has a higher crime rate than Wealden.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Wealden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewes | 7,500 | 73.3 | +34% |
| Eastbourne | 14,639 | 140.4 | +157% |
| Rother | 6,923 | 72.0 | +32% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 8,086 | 67.6 | +24% |
| Mid Sussex | 9,839 | 60.8 | +11% |
| Hastings | 13,338 | 146.2 | +168% |
| Brighton and Hove | 35,519 | 125.1 | +129% |
| Crawley | 16,073 | 129.6 | +138% |
Of the 62 areas within Wealden, Hailsham Central had the highest crime rate (119.7 per 1,000) and Groombridge the lowest (20.4), 6 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hailsham Central | Neighbourhood | 5,372 | 643 | 119.7 |
| Forest Row | Town | 3,914 | 433 | 110.6 |
| Hellingly | Town | 1,946 | 200 | 102.8 |
| Polegate North | Neighbourhood | 3,637 | 346 | 95.1 |
| Hellingly | Neighbourhood | 5,388 | 473 | 87.8 |
| Hailsham West | Neighbourhood | 4,406 | 371 | 84.2 |
| Westham | Town | 1,569 | 132 | 84.1 |
| Hailsham | Town | 21,628 | 1,803 | 83.4 |
| Hailsham East | Neighbourhood | 5,212 | 434 | 83.3 |
| Uckfield New Town | Neighbourhood | 7,694 | 585 | 76.0 |
| Wadhurst | Town | 1,761 | 116 | 65.9 |
| Upper Dicker | Town | 1,401 | 89 | 63.5 |
| Upper Willingdon | Neighbourhood | 3,457 | 213 | 61.6 |
| Crowborough Central | Neighbourhood | 3,770 | 232 | 61.5 |
| Hailsham South | Neighbourhood | 3,107 | 189 | 60.8 |
| Hailsham North West | Neighbourhood | 3,955 | 240 | 60.7 |
| Polegate | Town | 9,446 | 570 | 60.3 |
| Herstmonceux & Pevensey Levels | Neighbourhood | 5,762 | 341 | 59.2 |
| Uckfield | Town | 15,666 | 926 | 59.1 |
| Maresfield | Town | 2,382 | 140 | 58.8 |
| Crowborough Jarvis Brook | Neighbourhood | 2,729 | 159 | 58.3 |
| Heathfield North | Neighbourhood | 5,050 | 294 | 58.2 |
| Horam | Town | 3,409 | 198 | 58.1 |
| Maresfield | Neighbourhood | 3,795 | 216 | 56.9 |
| Hartfield | Neighbourhood | 2,511 | 138 | 55.0 |
| Herstmonceux | Town | 1,660 | 87 | 52.4 |
| Stone Cross | Neighbourhood | 5,631 | 295 | 52.4 |
| Lower Willingdon | Town | 8,083 | 405 | 50.1 |
| Arlington | Neighbourhood | 2,474 | 121 | 48.9 |
| Uckfield North | Neighbourhood | 3,125 | 151 | 48.3 |
| Crowborough South West | Neighbourhood | 3,616 | 167 | 46.2 |
| Crowborough | Town | 21,182 | 956 | 45.1 |
| Polegate South & Willingdon Watermill | Neighbourhood | 4,014 | 181 | 45.1 |
| Heathfield (Wealden) | Town | 8,301 | 373 | 44.9 |
| Crowborough North | Neighbourhood | 6,269 | 275 | 43.9 |
| Stone Cross | Town | 4,471 | 192 | 42.9 |
| Horam & Punnetts Town | Neighbourhood | 8,863 | 369 | 41.6 |
| Chiddingly, East Hoathly & Waldron | Neighbourhood | 3,211 | 133 | 41.4 |
| Frant & Wadhurst | Neighbourhood | 7,530 | 309 | 41.0 |
| Uckfield Ridgewood & Little Horsted | Neighbourhood | 2,399 | 96 | 40.0 |
| Ninfield | Town | 1,203 | 48 | 39.9 |
| Danehill & Fletching | Neighbourhood | 5,332 | 212 | 39.8 |
| Frant | Town | 2,092 | 83 | 39.7 |
| Mayfield & Five Ashes | Neighbourhood | 4,227 | 167 | 39.5 |
| East Dean and Friston | Town | 2,162 | 84 | 38.9 |
| Polegate Central | Neighbourhood | 4,992 | 192 | 38.5 |
| Uckfield East | Neighbourhood | 2,448 | 94 | 38.4 |
| South Downs | Neighbourhood | 3,345 | 127 | 38.0 |
| Crowborough St Johns | Neighbourhood | 2,556 | 97 | 37.9 |
| Lower Willingdon | Neighbourhood | 3,051 | 114 | 37.4 |
| Alfriston | Town | 1,183 | 43 | 36.3 |
| Pevensey Bay | Town | 2,904 | 104 | 35.8 |
| Hailsham North | Neighbourhood | 1,420 | 48 | 33.8 |
| Crowborough South East | Neighbourhood | 3,770 | 121 | 32.1 |
| Framfield & Cross-in-Hand | Neighbourhood | 2,861 | 88 | 30.8 |
| Mayfield (Wealden) | Town | 2,796 | 85 | 30.4 |
| Broad Oak (Wealden) | Town | 1,539 | 43 | 27.9 |
| Buxted | Town | 4,048 | 109 | 26.9 |
| Withyham | Neighbourhood | 3,275 | 87 | 26.6 |
| Hadlow Down & Rotherfield | Neighbourhood | 2,537 | 64 | 25.2 |
| Heathfield South | Neighbourhood | 3,251 | 79 | 24.3 |
| Groombridge | Town | 1,813 | 37 | 20.4 |
The 10 locations below account for 20% of the crime recorded in Wealden over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (563).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 563 |
| On or near Parking Area | 366 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 259 |
| On or near High Street | 200 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 135 |
| On or near Bridge End | 70 |
| On or near Uckfield Road | 66 |
| On or near Mabel Way | 55 |
| On or near Station Road | 54 |
| On or near Trefoil Road | 54 |
Of the 6,951 crimes in Wealden with a recorded outcome, 45% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 2.5% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,156 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,149 | 45.3% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,271 | 32.7% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 597 | 8.6% | 11.5% |
| Local resolution | 243 | 3.5% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 223 | 3.2% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 174 | 2.5% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 83 | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 74 | 1.1% | 0.3% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 61 | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 44 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 19 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 13 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Wealden has an estimated population of 166,908 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (11%, against 23%), less social housing (8.4%, against 17.1%) and an older population (27%, against 19%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Wealden average decile 7.2 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Wealden | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 16.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 27.2% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 55.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.2% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 29.5% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 4.7% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 32.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 14.9% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 10.6% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 78.1% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 8.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 13.5% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.2 | 5.5 (England) |
602 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Wealden in 2024/25 (3.6 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 Wealden has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Wealden a safe place to live?
Wealden recorded 54.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 280th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in Wealden?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 3,122 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,156).
Is crime in Wealden going up or down?
Recorded crime in Wealden was up 9% on the year before: 9,107 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 8,369 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Wealden?
About 166,908 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 27% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Wealden?
Wealden is policed by Sussex.
How many crimes did the police record in Wealden in the year ending March 2026?
6,852 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 41.1 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 6,680.
Which offences are more common in Wealden 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 (1,047).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.