Harwich Crime Overview
Harwich is the second most dangerous small town in Essex, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Essex's 319 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Harwich in 2020 was 107 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Essex's overall crime rate, coming in 27% higher than the Essex rate of 78 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Harwich is the 45th most dangerous small town, and the 398th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, Harwich was the worst small town in Essex for criminal damage and arson, with 17 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.90 per 1,000 inhabitants. June 2020 was also a bad month for Harwich residents, when it was Essex's most dangerous small town for burglary, recording 11 crimes at a rate of 0.58 per 1,000 residents. Harwich recorded 7 reports of possession of weapons during September 2020, making its crime rate of 0.37 the worst small town for possession of weapons in Essex that month.
The most common crimes in Harwich are violence and sexual offences, with 1,023 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 54. This is 15% higher than 2019's figure of 869 offences and a difference of 8.13 from 2019's crime rate of 46. Harwich's least common crime is theft from the person, with 3 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 233% from 2019's figure of 10 crimes.
Compare Harwich to other towns and cities
See how Harwich shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Harwich and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Harwich Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Harwich This Year
| Harwich | Essex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 660 | 34.84 | 49,414 | 26.76 | 23% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 13 | 0.69 | 1,867 | 1.01 | 46% safer |
| Burglary | 129 | 6.81 | 7,121 | 3.86 | 43% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 223 | 11.77 | 14,037 | 7.60 | 35% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 73 | 3.85 | 6,452 | 3.49 | 9% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 46 | 2.43 | 3,205 | 1.74 | 28% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 108 | 5.70 | 9,427 | 5.10 | 11% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 19 | 1.00 | 1,196 | 0.65 | 35% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 237 | 12.51 | 15,093 | 8.17 | 35% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 10 | 0.53 | 1,227 | 0.66 | 25% safer |
| Shoplifting | 35 | 1.85 | 7,118 | 3.85 | 108% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 3 | 0.16 | 992 | 0.54 | 238% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 108 | 5.70 | 10,550 | 5.71 | 0.18% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,023 | 54.00 | 65,394 | 35.41 | 34% more dangerous |
Crime in Harwich Compared To Essex
Harwich Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 32 | 32 | 32 | 35 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.95 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.69 | Safer |
| Burglary | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 13 | 10 | 15 | 12 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.8 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 2.4 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.95 | 0.84 | 0.95 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 7 | 9 | 9 | 13 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.63 | 0.63 | 0.58 | 0.53 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 4.6 | 7 | 3.7 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.42 | 0.58 | 0.53 | 0.16 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 6 | 4.2 | 6 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 31 | 36 | 46 | 54 | Getting worse |
Changes In Harwich's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Harwich to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 58% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 38% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 29% safer |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 25% safer |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 24% safer |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 10% safer |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 4.0% safer |
| Harwich | 107.01 | - |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 0.25% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 20% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 22% more dangerous |
Crime in Harwich's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harwich Parkeston | 993 | 127 | Second |
| Harwich Town & Dovercourt | 904 | 138 | First |
Crime in Harwich During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Harwich change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Harwich saw a 800% increase in vehicle crime. Harwich saw a large fall in other theft during April, when it fell by 91% compared to April in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -18% | -3% | -9% | -26% | +65% | +47% | +10% | +41% | +2% | +38% |
| Bicycle Theft | -50% | - | - | - | -67% | -67% | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | +25% | +50% | +25% | +38% | +13% | -56% | -33% | +25% | -77% | +120% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -34% | -55% | -39% | - | -5% | -10% | +6% | +67% | -56% | -6% |
| Drugs | -14% | +100% | +150% | +200% | +50% | +600% | +150% | - | +100% | +17% |
| Other Crime | +300% | - | -40% | -63% | +167% | +100% | +400% | -67% | -44% | - |
| Other Theft | -60% | -91% | +38% | - | - | -15% | +38% | -33% | +50% | +14% |
| Possession of Weapons | -67% | - | +400% | - | - | +50% | +133% | - | -67% | - |
| Public Order | +80% | +9% | +31% | +160% | +68% | +43% | -30% | - | -44% | +64% |
| Robbery | - | -25% | - | - | - | - | - | +200% | - | - |
| Shoplifting | - | -89% | -67% | -40% | - | - | +50% | +100% | -60% | +300% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -36% | +6% | +800% | +33% | -14% | -82% | +83% | +67% | -43% | +50% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +12% | - | +24% | -19% | +41% | +10% | +49% | +5% | +3% | +23% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Harwich
What police force serves Harwich?
Harwich's local territorial police force is the Essex Police.How dangerous is Harwich?
Harwich is the second most dangerous small town in Essex.What is Harwich's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Harwich are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Harwich?
Harwich's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021