Crime in Worthing: statistics, rates and trends
11,569 crimes were recorded in Worthing in the 12 months to August 2026, 101.6 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 10% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Worthing at a glance
- Crime trends in Worthing
- Types of crime in Worthing
- Worthing compared with nearby towns
- Areas within Worthing
- Streets with the most crime in Worthing
- What happened after crimes were reported in Worthing
- Demographics of Worthing
- Questions about crime in Worthing
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (3,486), anti-social behaviour (2,299) and shoplifting (1,872) made up 66% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 332nd of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Worthing | Worthing | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 11,569 | 11,569 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 101.6 | 101.6 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +10% | +10% | -1% |
| Population | 113,866 | 113,866 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the most recorded crime in Worthing of any year here (11,569 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 13%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 11,569 | 101.6 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 10,551 | 92.7 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 11,156 | 98.0 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 11,481 | 100.8 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 10,822 | 95.0 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 10,505 | 92.3 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 10,927 | 96.0 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 11,003 | 96.6 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 10,248 | 90.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,170 |
| July 2026 | 1,041 |
| June 2026 | 994 |
| May 2026 | 1,021 |
| April 2026 | 954 |
| March 2026 | 1,016 |
| February 2026 | 872 |
| January 2026 | 873 |
| December 2025 | 856 |
| November 2025 | 907 |
| October 2025 | 878 |
| September 2025 | 987 |
Compared with England and Wales, Worthing recorded notably more shoplifting (94% above the national rate), bicycle theft (54% above the national rate) and public order (36% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (79% below) and burglary (50% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 80 to 146 and anti-social behaviour rose from 1,620 to 2,299.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,486 | 30.6 | 34.2 | +1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,299 | 20.2 | 15.4 | +42% |
| Shoplifting | 1,872 | 16.4 | 8.5 | +2% |
| Public order | 1,035 | 9.1 | 6.7 | +20% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 776 | 6.8 | 6.7 | +7% |
| Other theft | 505 | 4.4 | 6.4 | -1% |
| Vehicle crime | 390 | 3.4 | 5.0 | +1% |
| Drugs | 311 | 2.7 | 3.3 | -8% |
| Other crime | 212 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0% |
| Burglary | 202 | 1.8 | 3.6 | -1% |
| Possession of weapons | 149 | 1.3 | 1.0 | +7% |
| Robbery | 146 | 1.3 | 1.4 | +82% |
| Bicycle theft | 145 | 1.3 | 0.8 | +4% |
| Theft from the person | 41 | 0.4 | 1.7 | -11% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
2 of the 8 nearest towns have a higher crime rate than Worthing; the highest is Littlehampton (123.8 per 1,000) and the lowest Storrington (47.0).
| Town | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Worthing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancing and Sompting | 1,930 | 67.4 | -34% |
| Rustington | 1,993 | 56.3 | -45% |
| Shoreham-by-Sea | 1,644 | 69.2 | -32% |
| Littlehampton | 2,308 | 123.8 | +22% |
| Wick (Arun) | 1,262 | 103.4 | +2% |
| Southwick (Adur) | 1,001 | 80.2 | -21% |
| Storrington | 312 | 47.0 | -54% |
| Henfield | 326 | 55.2 | -46% |
Of the 13 areas within Worthing, Central had the highest crime rate (287.9 per 1,000) and Goring the lowest (51.9), 6 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | Neighbourhood | 11,275 | 3,246 | 287.9 |
| Heene | Neighbourhood | 9,224 | 1,395 | 151.2 |
| Tarring | Neighbourhood | 8,700 | 859 | 98.7 |
| Castle | Neighbourhood | 9,671 | 926 | 95.8 |
| Northbrook | Neighbourhood | 8,143 | 768 | 94.3 |
| Broadwater | Neighbourhood | 9,268 | 703 | 75.9 |
| Selden | Neighbourhood | 8,556 | 639 | 74.7 |
| Gaisford | Neighbourhood | 9,438 | 682 | 72.3 |
| Marine | Neighbourhood | 8,456 | 545 | 64.5 |
| Salvington | Neighbourhood | 8,963 | 547 | 61.0 |
| Durrington | Neighbourhood | 5,903 | 360 | 61.0 |
| Offington | Neighbourhood | 7,927 | 466 | 58.8 |
| Goring | Neighbourhood | 8,342 | 433 | 51.9 |
The 10 locations below account for 31% of the crime recorded in Worthing over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (1,618).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 1,618 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 442 |
| On or near Parking Area | 398 |
| On or near Park Avenue | 241 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 230 |
| On or near Market Street | 157 |
| On or near Police Station | 146 |
| On or near Lyons Way | 129 |
| On or near Nightclub | 122 |
| On or near B2223 | 101 |
Of the 9,270 crimes in Worthing with a recorded outcome, 40% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 8.4% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,299 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,687 | 39.8% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,789 | 30.1% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 909 | 9.8% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 776 | 8.4% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 377 | 4.1% | 2.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 280 | 3.0% | 4.7% |
| Local resolution | 244 | 2.6% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 81 | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 71 | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 23 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 18 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 15 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
Worthing has an estimated population of 113,866 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has less social housing (9.8%, against 17.1%), fewer students (5.1%, against 7.9%) and an older population (23%, against 19%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Worthing average decile 6.3 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Worthing | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 16.3% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 22.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 58.0% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 25.9% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.1% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 31.7% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 16.2% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 21.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 68.1% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 9.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 22.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.3 | 5.5 (England) |
Is Worthing a safe place to live?
Worthing recorded 101.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 332nd of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were shoplifting and bicycle theft.
What is the most common crime in Worthing?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 3,486 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,299).
Is crime in Worthing going up or down?
Recorded crime in Worthing was up 10% on the year before: 11,569 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 10,551 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Worthing?
About 113,866 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 23% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Worthing?
Worthing is policed by Sussex.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.