Sandy Crime Overview
Sandy is the third most dangerous small town in Bedfordshire, and is the 27th most dangerous overall out of Bedfordshire's 127 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Sandy in 2020 was 66 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Bedfordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 10% lower than the Bedfordshire rate of 72 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Sandy is the 247th most dangerous small town, and the 1,706th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In May 2020, Sandy was the worst small town in Bedfordshire for criminal damage and arson, with 15 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.2 per 1,000 inhabitants. October 2020 was also a bad month for Sandy residents, when it was Bedfordshire's most dangerous small town for other crime, recording 5 crimes at a rate of 0.40 per 1,000 residents. Sandy recorded 8 reports of other theft during July 2020, making its crime rate of 0.63 the worst small town for other theft in Bedfordshire that month.
The most common crimes in Sandy are violence and sexual offences, with 288 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 23. This is 1.7% lower than 2019's figure of 293 offences and a difference of 0.39 from 2019's crime rate of 23. Sandy's least common crime is theft from the person, with 3 offences recorded in 2020, the same as 2019's figure of 3 crimes.
Compare Sandy to other towns and cities
See how Sandy shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Sandy and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Sandy Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Sandy This Year
| Sandy | Bedfordshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 272 | 21.55 | 14,995 | 22.22 | 3.1% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 11 | 0.87 | 988 | 1.46 | 68% safer |
| Burglary | 50 | 3.96 | 3,497 | 5.18 | 31% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 111 | 8.79 | 4,944 | 7.32 | 17% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 14 | 1.11 | 1,657 | 2.45 | 121% safer |
| Other Crime | 20 | 1.58 | 1,039 | 1.54 | 2.5% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 63 | 4.99 | 3,881 | 5.75 | 15% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 4 | 0.32 | 329 | 0.49 | 53% safer |
| Public Order | 92 | 7.29 | 5,103 | 7.56 | 3.7% safer |
| Robbery | 13 | 1.03 | 597 | 0.88 | 15% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 49 | 3.88 | 2,504 | 3.71 | 4.4% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 3 | 0.24 | 464 | 0.69 | 188% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 109 | 8.64 | 5,613 | 8.32 | 3.7% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 288 | 22.82 | 18,031 | 26.71 | 17% safer |
Crime in Sandy Compared To Bedfordshire
Sandy Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brickhill | 201 | 25.02 | 162% safer |
| Stotfold | 355 | 28.60 | 129% safer |
| Ampthill | 268 | 31.47 | 108% safer |
| Flitwick | 603 | 44.43 | 47% safer |
| Biggleswade | 1,170 | 53.98 | 21% safer |
| Sandy | 827 | 65.52 | - |
| Houghton Regis | 1,334 | 68.07 | 3.7% more dangerous |
| Kempston | 1,862 | 88.32 | 26% more dangerous |
Sandy Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 22 | 18 | 13 | 22 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.48 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.87 | Safer |
| Burglary | 7 | 7 | 4.0 | 4.0 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 9 | 6 | 7 | 9 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 0.48 | 0.55 | 0.95 | 1.1 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.63 | 0.71 | 1.2 | 1.6 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 3.6 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 5.0 | Getting worse |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.16 | 0.32 | 0.32 | 0.32 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 3.0 | 3.6 | 6 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.87 | 0.40 | 0.55 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 5 | 5 | 2.2 | 3.9 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.16 | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.24 | Getting worse |
| Vehicle Crime | 7 | 5 | 5 | 9 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 10 | 15 | 23 | 23 | Getting worse |
Changes In Sandy's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Sandy to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 65.52 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 3.2% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 15% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 21% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 24% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 24% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 33% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 36% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 39% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 51% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 52% more dangerous |
Crime in Sandy's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy North | 333 | 56 | Second |
| Sandy South | 499 | 75 | First |
Crime in Sandy During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Sandy change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in September, when Sandy saw a 700% increase in shoplifting. Sandy saw a large fall in other crime during March, when it fell by 80% compared to March in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +240% | +100% | +27% | +142% | +150% | +133% | +173% | +100% | +25% | -45% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | -50% | -50% | - | - | +100% | -50% | - | -67% |
| Burglary | -20% | -63% | -33% | +100% | -25% | +33% | - | - | +60% | -67% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -33% | -33% | +114% | +33% | - | -20% | +50% | +29% | +13% | +200% |
| Drugs | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | -33% | - |
| Other Crime | -80% | - | - | - | -50% | - | - | +150% | -33% | - |
| Other Theft | +25% | - | - | -38% | +167% | +150% | +80% | -25% | - | - |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Public Order | +80% | -25% | -42% | +167% | +43% | +63% | +14% | -40% | -57% | +125% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | - |
| Shoplifting | - | - | +100% | - | -20% | +150% | +700% | - | -67% | - |
| Vehicle Crime | +60% | +29% | +150% | +133% | +200% | +44% | +50% | +67% | +500% | -63% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +3% | -25% | +32% | -53% | - | -5% | +85% | +13% | -6% | -44% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Sandy
What police force serves Sandy?
Sandy's local territorial police force is the Bedfordshire Police.How dangerous is Sandy?
Sandy is the third most dangerous small town in Bedfordshire.What is Sandy's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Sandy are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Sandy?
Sandy's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021