Crime in South East: statistics, rates and trends
787,517 crimes were recorded in South East in the 12 months to August 2026, 81.7 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
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Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (283,434), anti-social behaviour (127,220) and shoplifting (76,676) made up 62% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 8th of the 9 regions covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | South East | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 787,517 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 81.7 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | 0% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 9,642,942 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in South East peaked in the year to August 2022 (843,361 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (785,229). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 5%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 787,517 | 81.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 785,229 | 81.4 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 795,839 | 82.5 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 816,889 | 84.7 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 843,361 | 87.5 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 833,119 | 86.4 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 839,650 | 87.1 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 803,267 | 83.3 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 827,878 | 85.9 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 73,226 |
| July 2026 | 76,692 |
| June 2026 | 69,663 |
| May 2026 | 70,963 |
| April 2026 | 65,766 |
| March 2026 | 66,456 |
| February 2026 | 57,481 |
| January 2026 | 59,390 |
| December 2025 | 59,350 |
| November 2025 | 61,474 |
| October 2025 | 64,311 |
| September 2025 | 62,745 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (72% below) and robbery (41% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 5,951 to 7,811 and anti-social behaviour rose from 106,256 to 127,220, while theft from the person fell from 5,670 to 4,594.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 283,434 | 29.4 | 34.2 | -5% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 127,220 | 13.2 | 15.4 | +20% |
| Shoplifting | 76,676 | 8.0 | 8.5 | -1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 60,109 | 6.2 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Public order | 56,649 | 5.9 | 6.7 | -2% |
| Other theft | 53,777 | 5.6 | 6.4 | +3% |
| Vehicle crime | 34,698 | 3.6 | 5.0 | -5% |
| Drugs | 25,381 | 2.6 | 3.3 | +2% |
| Burglary | 23,621 | 2.4 | 3.6 | -6% |
| Other crime | 17,978 | 1.9 | 2.1 | +1% |
| Possession of weapons | 8,282 | 0.9 | 1.0 | -5% |
| Robbery | 7,811 | 0.8 | 1.4 | +31% |
| Bicycle theft | 7,287 | 0.8 | 0.8 | -4% |
| Theft from the person | 4,594 | 0.5 | 1.7 | -19% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
7 of the 8 nearest regions have a higher crime rate than South East; the highest is London (124.0 per 1,000) and the lowest East of England (80.6).
| Region | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs South East |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 1,126,877 | 124.0 | +52% |
| East of England | 530,364 | 80.6 | -1% |
| South West | 437,109 | 83.7 | +3% |
| West Midlands | 579,648 | 93.7 | +15% |
| East Midlands | 475,616 | 93.9 | +15% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 615,075 | 108.4 | +33% |
| North West | 439,611 | 93.0 | +14% |
| North East | 319,289 | 115.7 | +42% |
Of the 19 areas within South East, Southampton had the highest crime rate (133.7 per 1,000) and Wokingham the lowest (45.1).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | District | 259,424 | 34,688 | 133.7 |
| Brighton and Hove | District | 283,870 | 35,519 | 125.1 |
| Portsmouth | District | 214,321 | 26,789 | 125.0 |
| Reading | District | 182,907 | 20,492 | 112.0 |
| Slough | District | 167,359 | 17,289 | 103.3 |
| Medway | District | 292,655 | 29,963 | 102.4 |
| Milton Keynes | District | 305,884 | 30,686 | 100.3 |
| East Sussex | County | 560,882 | 51,507 | 91.8 |
| Kent | County | 1,639,029 | 145,778 | 88.9 |
| Isle of Wight | District | 141,660 | 11,831 | 83.5 |
| West Sussex | County | 915,037 | 76,272 | 83.4 |
| Surrey | County | 1,248,649 | 87,794 | 70.3 |
| Oxfordshire | County | 763,218 | 51,303 | 67.2 |
| Bracknell Forest | District | 130,806 | 8,590 | 65.7 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | District | 158,943 | 10,360 | 65.2 |
| West Berkshire | District | 165,112 | 10,756 | 65.1 |
| Hampshire | County | 1,447,214 | 93,650 | 64.7 |
| Buckinghamshire | District | 578,772 | 35,812 | 61.9 |
| Wokingham | District | 187,200 | 8,438 | 45.1 |
Of the 660,297 crimes in South East with a recorded outcome, 36% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.2% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 127,220 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 238,631 | 36.1% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 229,265 | 34.7% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 69,205 | 10.5% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 34,061 | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 26,118 | 4.0% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 24,755 | 3.7% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 14,774 | 2.2% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 11,279 | 1.7% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 4,774 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 3,626 | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 1,692 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 1,662 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
South East has an estimated population of 9,642,942 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (17%, against 23%) and less social housing (14%, against 17%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up South East average decile 6.6 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | South East | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 19.8% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 59.2% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 7.2% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 35.8% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 15.4% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 16.9% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 67.1% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.6% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.2% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.6 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 3.3% | 10.1% (England) |
Is South East a safe place to live?
South East recorded 81.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 8th of the 9 regions on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in South East?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 283,434 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (127,220).
Is crime in South East going up or down?
Recorded crime in South East was almost unchanged on the year before: 787,517 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 785,229 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of South East?
About 9,642,942 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 20% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.