Leigh-on-Sea Crime Overview

Leigh-on-Sea is the second safest small town in Essex, and is the 65th safest overall out of Essex's 319 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Leigh-on-Sea in 2020 was 28 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Essex's overall crime rate, coming in 181% lower than the Essex rate of 78 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Leigh-on-Sea is the 98th safest small town, and the 4,417th safest location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In August 2020, Leigh-on-Sea was the worst small town in Essex for bicycle theft, with 7 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.30 per 1,000 inhabitants. March 2020 was also a bad month for Leigh-on-Sea residents, when it was Essex's most dangerous small town for possession of weapons, recording 3 crimes at a rate of 0.13 per 1,000 residents. Leigh-on-Sea recorded 3 reports of theft from the person during July 2020, making its crime rate of 0.13 the worst small town for theft from the person in Essex that month.

The most common crimes in Leigh-on-Sea are violence and sexual offences, with 251 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 11. This is 9% higher than 2019's figure of 228 offences and a difference of 0.99 from 2019's crime rate of 10. Leigh-on-Sea's least common crime is theft from the person, with 4 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 100% from 2019's figure of 8 crimes.

Compare Leigh-on-Sea to other towns and cities

See how Leigh-on-Sea shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Leigh-on-Sea and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.

Leigh-on-Sea Crime Map

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Crime in Leigh-on-Sea Compared To Essex

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Summary of Crimes in Leigh-on-Sea This Year

 Leigh-on-SeaEssex 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour32413.8949,41426.7693% safer
Bicycle Theft361.541,8671.0134% more dangerous
Burglary461.977,1213.8696% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson703.0014,0377.60153% safer
Drugs301.296,4523.49171% safer
Other Crime130.563,2051.74211% safer
Other Theft361.549,4275.10231% safer
Possession of Weapons70.301,1960.65117% safer
Public Order672.8715,0938.17185% safer
Robbery60.261,2270.66154% safer
Shoplifting100.437,1183.85795% safer
Theft From the Person40.179920.54218% safer
Vehicle Crime713.0410,5505.7188% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences25110.7665,39435.41229% safer

Leigh-on-Sea Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Great Baddow15510.33168% safer
Leigh-on-Sea64727.73-
Springfield66731.7613% more dangerous
Hawkwell41532.9016% more dangerous
Wivenhoe26433.2117% more dangerous
Hockley35435.5622% more dangerous
Stanway40938.0927% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Leigh-on-Sea

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Leigh-on-Sea

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near St Davids TerraceInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021BurglaryOn or near Cliff ParadeInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021DrugsOn or near Sports/Recreation AreaLocal resolution
August 2021Possession of weaponsOn or near Sports/Recreation AreaOffender given a caution
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Sports/Recreation AreaInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Sports/Recreation AreaUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Avenue RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Cheltenham DriveInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Barnard RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Barnard RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Barnard RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near London RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Other theftOn or near Hamboro GardensInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Other theftOn or near Leigh HillInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Other theftOn or near Leigh HillUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Possession of weaponsOn or near Leigh HillUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Dundee AvenueUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Dundee AvenueUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near West StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021ShopliftingOn or near West StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified

Leigh-on-Sea Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour1111914Getting worse
Bicycle Theft1.52.01.41.5Safer
Burglary2.83.62.62.0Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson3.03.82.73.0Safer
Drugs0.640.510.731.3Getting worse
Other Crime0.390.390.470.56Getting worse
Other Theft2.02.61.81.5Safer
Possession of Weapons0.040.130.340.30Getting worse
Public Order1.32.02.22.9Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.090.430.130.26Getting worse
Shoplifting1.60.990.470.43Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.210.260.340.17Safer
Vehicle Crime3.35.04.83.0Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences781011Getting worse

Changes In Leigh-on-Sea's Crime Rates Over Time

Comparing Leigh-on-Sea to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Leigh-on-Sea27.73-
Barnet67.7159% more dangerous
Coventry77.4164% more dangerous
Croydon83.2267% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8168% more dangerous
Bristol86.2168% more dangerous
Leicester97.4472% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8773% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2874% more dangerous
Bradford133.0279% more dangerous
Leeds137.1080% more dangerous

Crime in Leigh-on-Sea During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Leigh-on-Sea change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in October, when Leigh-on-Sea saw a 700% increase in public order. Leigh-on-Sea saw a large fall in other theft during May, when it fell by 83% compared to May in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour+58%+56%+75%-4%+28%+33%+53%+25%+74%+218%
Bicycle Theft+200%+100%-40%-75%+33%+133%-50%+100%+50%-
Burglary+500%-80%+200%+100%-67%-+50%+500%-80%-25%
Criminal Damage and Arson+17%-73%-44%-64%+13%+80%--75%+100%+25%
Drugs---+600%--50%--+33%-
Other Crime+100%-----50%+100%-67%--
Other Theft-67%-71%-83%-50%+200%-78%+50%--50%-50%
Possession of Weapons-------+100%--50%
Public Order+67%+100%+150%+33%--11%+75%+700%-33%+125%
Robbery---+100%------
Shoplifting--67%---25%-25%--+33%-50%
Theft From the Person----+200%-----
Vehicle Crime-33%-56%-67%-71%-50%--60%+50%-14%-80%
Violence and Sexual Offences+31%-11%-+77%-14%+16%+24%+7%+62%+108%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Leigh-on-Sea

What police force serves Leigh-on-Sea?
Leigh-on-Sea's local territorial police force is the Essex Police.
How dangerous is Leigh-on-Sea?
Leigh-on-Sea is the second safest small town in Essex.
What is Leigh-on-Sea's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Leigh-on-Sea are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Leigh-on-Sea?
Leigh-on-Sea's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).

Last updated: 05 Oct 2021