Lewes is the second most dangerous small town in East Sussex, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of East Sussex's 108 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Lewes in 2021 was 74 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to East Sussex's overall crime rate, coming in 8% higher than the East Sussex rate of 68 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Lewes is the 221st most dangerous small town, and the 1,366th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2021, Lewes was the worst small town in East Sussex for bicycle theft, with 4 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.22 per 1,000 inhabitants. December 2021 was also a bad month for Lewes residents, when it was East Sussex's most dangerous small town for burglary, recording 7 crimes at a rate of 0.39 per 1,000 residents. Lewes recorded 27 reports of criminal damage and arson during December 2021, making its crime rate of 1.5 the worst small town for criminal damage and arson in East Sussex that month.
The most common crimes in Lewes are violence and sexual offences, with 482 offences during 2021, giving a crime rate of 27. This is 2.7% lower than 2020's figure of 495 offences and a difference of 0.73 from 2020's crime rate of 28. Lewes's least common crime is robbery, with 8 offences recorded in 2021, an increase of 12% from 2020's figure of 7 crimes.
Second Most Dangerous
Small Towns, East Sussex
2.6% higher, regional crime rate
South East
3.6% lower, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
As of 2022, the crime rate in Lewes is 2.6% higher than the South East and 3.6% lower than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
| Lewes | |
| South East | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Incidents mapped in Lewes represent the time frame between May 2019 and April 2022. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Last updated: 02 Jun, 2022
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualize the data you need.
Last updated: 02 Jun, 2022
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| Year | Crime Rate per 1,000 people | Total Crimes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 74 | 1,324 |
| 2020 | 67 | 1,195 |
| 2019 | 81 | 1,462 |
| 2018 | 83 | 1,485 |
| 2017 | 72 | 1,294 |
| 2016 | 62 | 1,107 |
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| Lewes | East Sussex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 512 | 28.53 | 21,724 | 25.62 | 10% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 37 | 2.06 | 1,259 | 1.48 | 28% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 66 | 3.68 | 2,012 | 2.37 | 36% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 214 | 11.93 | 6,489 | 7.65 | 36% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 50 | 2.79 | 2,108 | 2.49 | 11% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 72 | 4.01 | 1,249 | 1.47 | 63% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 68 | 3.79 | 5,025 | 5.93 | 56% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 13 | 0.72 | 709 | 0.84 | 17% safer |
| Public Order | 158 | 8.81 | 6,934 | 8.18 | 7% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 8 | 0.45 | 481 | 0.57 | 27% safer |
| Shoplifting | 74 | 4.12 | 3,207 | 3.78 | 8% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 9 | 0.50 | 493 | 0.58 | 16% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 73 | 4.07 | 2,832 | 3.34 | 18% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 482 | 26.86 | 24,831 | 29.28 | 9% safer |
View crime percentage over time for
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Crisp Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Parking Area | Offender given a caution |
| April 2022 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Nevill Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Bicycle theft | On or near Rotten Row | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Broomans Lane | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Spital Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Other crime | On or near Nevill Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Theft from the person | On or near Well House Place | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Public order | On or near Sports/Recreation Area | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Other theft | On or near Eastgate Wharf | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Other crime | On or near Nevill Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Drugs | On or near Nevill Road | Local resolution |
| April 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Broomans Lane | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Drugs | On or near Meridian Road | Offender given a caution |
| April 2022 | Other crime | On or near Nevill Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Public order | On or near Shopping Area | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Other crime | On or near Nevill Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Theft from the person | On or near Shopping Area | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Other crime | On or near Nevill Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| April 2022 | Public order | On or near Sports/Recreation Area | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 28 | 30 | 36 | 29 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 2.1 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 2.1 | Safer |
| Burglary | 3.9 | 6 | 3.8 | 3.7 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.8 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 2.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 4.0 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.67 | 0.89 | 0.50 | 0.72 | Safer |
| Public Order | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.50 | 0.67 | 0.39 | 0.45 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 8 | 5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.72 | 0.50 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.8 | 7 | 2.6 | 4.1 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 31 | 29 | 28 | 27 | Safer |
We only display green spaces in Lewes that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2021.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others | Crimes per Hectare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter's Field | 10 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 6 |
| Convent Field Playing Field | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | 5 | 1.9 |
| The Paddock | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 2.1 |
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.08 | 10% safer |
| Lewes | 73.79 | - |
| Croydon | 82.48 | 11% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 90.05 | 18% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 90.52 | 18% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 102.24 | 28% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 111.59 | 34% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 123.06 | 40% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 129.64 | 43% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 132.28 | 44% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 150.94 | 51% more dangerous |
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewes Central & East | 786 | 78 | First |
| Lewes West | 552 | 71 | Second |
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Lewes change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in July, when Lewes saw a 300% increase in drugs. Lewes saw a large fall in vehicle crime during April, when it fell by 90% compared to April in 2019. Other Theft saw a fall in every month of Lewes's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +43% | +43% | +95% | +36% | - | +40% | - | +5% | +2% | -59% |
| Bicycle Theft | -40% | - | -50% | -33% | -33% | -57% | -50% | - | +100% | - |
| Burglary | +30% | - | -38% | -73% | -14% | -22% | -27% | -38% | -40% | +75% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +86% | -72% | -50% | +23% | -26% | +64% | - | -8% | -20% | -50% |
| Drugs | - | - | -40% | - | +300% | +150% | +50% | - | -25% | -67% |
| Other Crime | +67% | +150% | - | +100% | +125% | - | - | - | -67% | - |
| Other Theft | -71% | -55% | -80% | -11% | -45% | -71% | -17% | -55% | +50% | -69% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | - | - | +50% | - | -33% | - | - | - |
| Public Order | +25% | -50% | +20% | -24% | +18% | +36% | - | +67% | +9% | -15% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | +86% | -38% | - | -67% | -38% | -33% | +17% | +33% | -14% | -17% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | +100% | - | - | +50% | - | +200% | - | -60% |
| Vehicle Crime | -61% | -90% | -73% | -87% | -29% | -67% | +200% | +20% | -57% | -71% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +5% | +2% | -21% | -21% | -19% | - | +40% | -34% | -20% | -20% |
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