Rayleigh Crime Overview
Rayleigh is the second safest medium-sized town in Essex, and is the 154th safest overall out of Essex's 319 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Rayleigh in 2020 was 45 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Essex's overall crime rate, coming in 72% lower than the Essex rate of 78 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Rayleigh is the 27th safest medium-sized town, and the 3,617th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In October 2018, Rayleigh was the worst medium-sized town in Essex for theft from the person, with 5 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.15 per 1,000 inhabitants. September 2015 was also a bad month for Rayleigh residents, when it was Essex's most dangerous medium-sized town for bicycle theft, recording 11 crimes at a rate of 0.33 per 1,000 residents. Rayleigh recorded 4 reports of other crime during March 2015, making its crime rate of 0.12 the worst medium-sized town for other crime in Essex that month.
The most common crimes in Rayleigh are violence and sexual offences, with 718 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 22. This is 1.5% higher than 2019's figure of 707 offences and a difference of 0.33 from 2019's crime rate of 21. Rayleigh's least common crime is robbery, with 10 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 20% from 2019's figure of 12 crimes.
Compare Rayleigh to other towns and cities
See how Rayleigh shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Rayleigh and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Rayleigh Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Rayleigh This Year
| Rayleigh | Essex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 461 | 13.82 | 49,414 | 26.76 | 94% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 13 | 0.39 | 1,867 | 1.01 | 159% safer |
| Burglary | 61 | 1.83 | 7,121 | 3.86 | 111% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 111 | 3.33 | 14,037 | 7.60 | 128% safer |
| Drugs | 64 | 1.92 | 6,452 | 3.49 | 82% safer |
| Other Crime | 25 | 0.75 | 3,205 | 1.74 | 132% safer |
| Other Theft | 98 | 2.94 | 9,427 | 5.10 | 73% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 12 | 0.36 | 1,196 | 0.65 | 81% safer |
| Public Order | 152 | 4.56 | 15,093 | 8.17 | 79% safer |
| Robbery | 10 | 0.30 | 1,227 | 0.66 | 120% safer |
| Shoplifting | 71 | 2.13 | 7,118 | 3.85 | 81% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 21 | 0.63 | 992 | 0.54 | 14% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 151 | 4.53 | 10,550 | 5.71 | 26% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 718 | 21.53 | 65,394 | 35.41 | 64% safer |
Crime in Rayleigh Compared To Essex
Rayleigh Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billericay | 1,213 | 42.71 | 6% safer |
| Rayleigh | 1,507 | 45.19 | - |
| Wickford | 1,777 | 50.98 | 11% more dangerous |
| Stanford-le-Hope | 1,522 | 52.48 | 14% more dangerous |
| Canvey Island | 3,141 | 80.85 | 44% more dangerous |
| Witham | 2,205 | 81.82 | 45% more dangerous |
| Brentwood | 4,758 | 83.55 | 46% more dangerous |
Rayleigh Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.30 | 0.39 | 0.45 | 0.39 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 4.6 | 4.9 | 7 | 3.3 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.1 | 0.72 | 1.7 | 1.9 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.54 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.75 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 3.2 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 2.9 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.57 | 0.36 | Safer |
| Public Order | 2.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.48 | 0.33 | 0.36 | 0.30 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 3.5 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 2.1 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.51 | 0.84 | 0.51 | 0.63 | Getting worse |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.7 | 3.5 | 5 | 4.5 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 14 | 18 | 21 | 22 | Getting worse |
Changes In Rayleigh's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Rayleigh to the UK's Major Cities
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Rayleigh | 45.19 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 33% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 42% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 46% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 47% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 48% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 54% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 56% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 58% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 66% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 67% more dangerous |
Crime in Rayleigh's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rayleigh North East | 245 | 30 | Third |
| Rayleigh South East | 252 | 31 | Second |
| Rayleigh South West | 626 | 70 | First |
Crime in Rayleigh During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Rayleigh change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in October, when Rayleigh saw a 600% increase in drugs. Rayleigh saw a large fall in other crime during June, when it fell by 88% compared to June in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -70% | -21% | -13% | +58% | +29% | +47% | +28% | +75% | +150% | +65% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | +200% | - | +200% | - | -67% | - | - | - |
| Burglary | - | -75% | -76% | -67% | - | +67% | -36% | -75% | -56% | -64% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -15% | -87% | -71% | -61% | -47% | -36% | -32% | -21% | -32% | -67% |
| Drugs | -60% | -43% | - | - | -50% | +100% | +40% | +600% | +67% | -29% |
| Other Crime | -67% | - | +100% | -88% | - | -20% | +100% | -50% | - | -50% |
| Other Theft | -58% | -69% | -73% | -62% | +10% | -42% | -60% | -11% | -27% | +29% |
| Possession of Weapons | -67% | - | - | - | -33% | -20% | - | - | - | - |
| Public Order | - | -88% | +67% | +7% | +8% | +60% | -6% | +129% | -46% | +33% |
| Robbery | +100% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | - | - | -33% | -67% | +67% | - | -75% | -50% | +67% | -40% |
| Theft From the Person | -33% | - | - | - | - | - | -33% | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -83% | -38% | -23% | +80% | -18% | +111% | -32% | -17% | - | -46% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -33% | -49% | -36% | -23% | +76% | +54% | +7% | -12% | +56% | +6% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Rayleigh
What police force serves Rayleigh?
Rayleigh's local territorial police force is the Essex Police.How dangerous is Rayleigh?
Rayleigh is the second safest medium-sized town in Essex.What is Rayleigh's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Rayleigh are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Rayleigh?
Rayleigh's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021