Highest and lowest recorded crime rates in South East (August 2026)
Hastings had the highest recorded crime rate of South East’s 64 councils in August 2026, at 146.8 per 1,000 people.
Waverley had the lowest, at 43.1 per 1,000 people. The middle council, Lewes, had 73.1 per 1,000 people.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.
See it on the map| Rank | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hastings | 146.8 per 1,000 |
| 2 | Eastbourne | 140.9 per 1,000 |
| 3 | Southampton | 133.8 per 1,000 |
| 4 | Crawley | 129.1 per 1,000 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 126.7 per 1,000 |
| 6 | Brighton and Hove | 125.0 per 1,000 |
| 7 | Thanet | 114.8 per 1,000 |
| 8 | Reading | 111.5 per 1,000 |
| 9 | Canterbury | 107.5 per 1,000 |
| 10 | Oxford | 107.1 per 1,000 |
| 11 | Dartford | 105.9 per 1,000 |
| 12 | Slough | 103.2 per 1,000 |
| 13 | Medway | 102.4 per 1,000 |
| 14 | Worthing | 101.6 per 1,000 |
| 15 | Milton Keynes | 99.4 per 1,000 |
| 16 | Swale | 97.7 per 1,000 |
| 17 | Gravesham | 92.3 per 1,000 |
| 18 | Arun | 87.8 per 1,000 |
| 19 | Havant | 87.6 per 1,000 |
| =20 | Dover | 86.8 per 1,000 |
| =20 | Spelthorne | 86.8 per 1,000 |
| 22 | Folkestone and Hythe | 86.0 per 1,000 |
| 23 | Maidstone | 85.4 per 1,000 |
| 24 | Runnymede | 85.0 per 1,000 |
| 25 | Epsom and Ewell | 84.9 per 1,000 |
| 26 | Isle of Wight | 84.0 per 1,000 |
| 27 | Guildford | 80.6 per 1,000 |
| 28 | Chichester | 80.3 per 1,000 |
| 29 | Gosport | 79.9 per 1,000 |
| 30 | Rushmoor | 77.9 per 1,000 |
| 31 | Ashford | 76.4 per 1,000 |
| 32 | Lewes | 73.1 per 1,000 |
| 33 | Rother | 72.0 per 1,000 |
| 34 | Woking | 71.9 per 1,000 |
| 35 | Cherwell | 71.0 per 1,000 |
| 36 | Adur | 70.6 per 1,000 |
| 37 | Reigate and Banstead | 69.8 per 1,000 |
| 38 | Basingstoke and Deane | 69.7 per 1,000 |
| 39 | Tandridge | 69.1 per 1,000 |
| =40 | Tonbridge and Malling | 67.3 per 1,000 |
| =40 | Tunbridge Wells | 67.3 per 1,000 |
| 42 | Eastleigh | 65.6 per 1,000 |
| 43 | Mole Valley | 65.3 per 1,000 |
| =44 | Bracknell Forest | 65.0 per 1,000 |
| =44 | West Berkshire | 65.0 per 1,000 |
| 46 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 64.8 per 1,000 |
| 47 | Sevenoaks | 62.5 per 1,000 |
| 48 | Surrey Heath | 61.4 per 1,000 |
| =49 | Buckinghamshire | 61.3 per 1,000 |
| =49 | Winchester | 61.3 per 1,000 |
| 51 | Fareham | 61.1 per 1,000 |
| 52 | Elmbridge | 61.0 per 1,000 |
| 53 | Test Valley | 60.7 per 1,000 |
| 54 | Mid Sussex | 60.2 per 1,000 |
| 55 | New Forest | 58.4 per 1,000 |
| 56 | Horsham | 56.8 per 1,000 |
| 57 | Wealden | 54.1 per 1,000 |
| 58 | Vale of White Horse | 52.2 per 1,000 |
| 59 | West Oxfordshire | 48.8 per 1,000 |
| =60 | East Hampshire | 47.1 per 1,000 |
| =60 | South Oxfordshire | 47.1 per 1,000 |
| 62 | Wokingham | 44.6 per 1,000 |
| 63 | Hart | 44.2 per 1,000 |
| 64 | Waverley | 43.1 per 1,000 |
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates. Source and method · See it on the map