Crime in Great Yarmouth: statistics, rates and trends
6,872 crimes were recorded in Great Yarmouth in the 12 months to August 2026, 231.1 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 1% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Great Yarmouth at a glance
- Crime trends in Great Yarmouth
- Types of crime in Great Yarmouth
- Great Yarmouth compared with nearby towns
- Areas within Great Yarmouth
- Streets with the most crime in Great Yarmouth
- What happened after crimes were reported in Great Yarmouth
- Demographics of Great Yarmouth
- Questions about crime in Great Yarmouth
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (2,887), anti-social behaviour (971) and criminal damage and arson (670) made up 66% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 4th of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | Great Yarmouth | Great Yarmouth | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 6,872 | 11,347 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 231.1 | 112.9 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -1% | 0% | -1% |
| Population | 29,737 | 100,529 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Great Yarmouth peaked in the year to August 2022 (7,815 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2024 (6,760). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 9%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 6,872 | 231.1 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 6,949 | 233.7 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 6,760 | 227.3 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 7,278 | 244.7 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 7,815 | 262.8 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 7,329 | 246.5 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 7,393 | 248.6 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 7,584 | 255.0 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 7,530 | 253.2 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 706 |
| July 2026 | 730 |
| June 2026 | 617 |
| May 2026 | 675 |
| April 2026 | 489 |
| March 2026 | 554 |
| February 2026 | 480 |
| January 2026 | 451 |
| December 2025 | 494 |
| November 2025 | 499 |
| October 2025 | 597 |
| September 2025 | 580 |
Compared with England and Wales, Great Yarmouth recorded notably more possession of weapons (4.9 times the national rate), criminal damage and arson (3.3 times the national rate) and violence and sexual offences (2.8 times the national rate). On the year before, possession of weapons rose from 94 to 141, while bicycle theft fell from 79 to 48 and vehicle crime fell from 167 to 136.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 2,887 | 97.1 | 34.2 | -1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 971 | 32.7 | 15.4 | +1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 670 | 22.5 | 6.7 | +2% |
| Public order | 497 | 16.7 | 6.7 | +9% |
| Shoplifting | 450 | 15.1 | 8.5 | +2% |
| Other theft | 443 | 14.9 | 6.4 | -7% |
| Drugs | 193 | 6.5 | 3.3 | -16% |
| Other crime | 158 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 0% |
| Burglary | 152 | 5.1 | 3.6 | -13% |
| Possession of weapons | 141 | 4.7 | 1.0 | +50% |
| Vehicle crime | 136 | 4.6 | 5.0 | -19% |
| Robbery | 66 | 2.2 | 1.4 | +8% |
| Theft from the person | 60 | 2.0 | 1.7 | -6% |
| Bicycle theft | 48 | 1.6 | 0.8 | -39% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
Great Yarmouth has a higher crime rate than all 8 of its nearest towns.
| Town | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Great Yarmouth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradwell (Great Yarmouth) | 683 | 56.1 | -76% |
| Gorleston-on-Sea | 2,130 | 89.4 | -61% |
| Caister-on-Sea | 453 | 52.7 | -77% |
| Lowestoft | 6,485 | 90.8 | -61% |
| Brundall | 242 | 44.6 | -81% |
| Beccles | 637 | 62.0 | -73% |
| Bungay | 280 | 54.0 | -77% |
| Poringland | 264 | 37.6 | -84% |
Of the 4 areas within Great Yarmouth, Nelson had the highest crime rate (296.8 per 1,000) and Yarmouth North the lowest (117.6).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | Neighbourhood | 9,496 | 2,818 | 296.8 |
| Central and Northgate | Neighbourhood | 8,655 | 2,388 | 275.9 |
| Southtown and Cobholm | Neighbourhood | 5,748 | 971 | 168.9 |
| Yarmouth North | Neighbourhood | 4,414 | 519 | 117.6 |
The 10 locations below account for 25% of the crime recorded in Great Yarmouth over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (420).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 420 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 315 |
| On or near Theatre Plain | 227 |
| On or near Supermarket | 172 |
| On or near Alexandra Road | 167 |
| On or near Thamesfield Way | 120 |
| On or near Orford Close | 86 |
| On or near Theatre/Concert Hall | 80 |
| On or near Nightclub | 77 |
| On or near Harbord Crescent | 74 |
Of the 5,901 crimes in Great Yarmouth with a recorded outcome, 20% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 7.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 971 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,703 | 45.8% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 1,195 | 20.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 647 | 11.0% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 462 | 7.8% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 276 | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 263 | 4.5% | 2.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 122 | 2.1% | 4.7% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 84 | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 75 | 1.3% | 0.6% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 43 | 0.7% | 0.0% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 20 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 6 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
Great Yarmouth has an estimated population of 29,737 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more households without a car (43%, against 23%), more private renting (37%, against 20%) and more residents with no qualifications (32%, against 18%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Great Yarmouth average decile 1.4 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Great Yarmouth | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 20.9% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 15.6% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 49.4% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 5.9% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 18.2% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.2% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 14.9% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 32.0% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 42.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 38.4% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 24.2% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 37.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 1.4 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 73.8% | 10.1% (England) |
Is Great Yarmouth a safe place to live?
Great Yarmouth recorded 231.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 4th of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were possession of weapons and criminal damage and arson.
What is the most common crime in Great Yarmouth?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 2,887 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (971).
Is crime in Great Yarmouth going up or down?
Recorded crime in Great Yarmouth was down 1% on the year before: 6,872 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 6,949 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Great Yarmouth?
About 29,737 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 16% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Great Yarmouth?
Great Yarmouth is policed by Norfolk.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.