Crap Towns / Colchester / Crime

How much crime is there in Colchester?

The police recorded 102 crimes per 1,000 people a year in Colchester from September 2023 to August 2026, 34% higher than the typical town's 76.2. The most common was violence and sexual offences, at 48.7. In the 12 months to August 2026 it was 107, up from 99.6 in the 12 months to August 2024.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
September 2023 to August 2024	99.6	78.6
September 2024 to August 2025	101	77.4
September 2025 to August 2026	107	73.7

**By type**
Crime	Here	Typical town
Violence and sexual offences	48.7	34.1
Shoplifting	10.3	7.1
Public order	8.3	6.6
Criminal damage and arson	8.2	7.0
Other theft	7.2	5.4
Vehicle crime	5.8	3.8
Drugs	3.4	2.4
Burglary	3.1	3.1
Bicycle theft	2.1	0.5
Other crime	2.1	2.0
Robbery	1.2	0.6
Possession of weapons	1.1	0.8
Theft from the person	0.9	0.4

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Crimes per 1,000 people a year
Jaywick	19.1 km	152
Clacton-on-Sea	19.6 km	115
Colchester	–	102
Berechurch	3.3 km	75.3
Sudbury	20.0 km	72.8
Halstead	19.3 km	60.3
Tiptree	14.1 km	45.9
Hadleigh	17.6 km	45.2
Brightlingsea	12.2 km	44.6
Wivenhoe	5.2 km	41.5
West Mersea	12.7 km	34.9
The typical town	–	76.2