Petersfield Crime Overview
Petersfield is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in Hampshire, and is the 59th most dangerous overall out of Hampshire's 274 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Petersfield in 2020 was 59 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Hampshire's overall crime rate, coming in 20% lower than the Hampshire rate of 70 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Petersfield is the 337th most dangerous small town, and the 2,208th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, Petersfield was the worst small town in Hampshire for drugs, with 7 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.45 per 1,000 inhabitants. May 2020 was also a bad month for Petersfield residents, when it was Hampshire's most dangerous small town for other theft, recording 7 crimes at a rate of 0.45 per 1,000 residents. Petersfield recorded 1 report of robbery during September 2020, making its crime rate of 0.06 the worst small town for robbery in Hampshire that month.
The most common crimes in Petersfield are violence and sexual offences, with 342 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 22. This is 7% higher than 2019's figure of 319 offences and a difference of 1.49 from 2019's crime rate of 21. Petersfield's least common crime is robbery, with 3 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 33% from 2019's figure of 4 crimes.
Compare Petersfield to other towns and cities
See how Petersfield shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Petersfield and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Petersfield Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Petersfield This Year
| Petersfield | Hampshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 212 | 13.72 | 33,040 | 17.86 | 30% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 19 | 1.23 | 2,415 | 1.31 | 7% safer |
| Burglary | 49 | 3.17 | 8,209 | 4.44 | 40% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 96 | 6.21 | 13,551 | 7.33 | 18% safer |
| Drugs | 43 | 2.78 | 4,844 | 2.62 | 6% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 13 | 0.84 | 2,366 | 1.28 | 52% safer |
| Other Theft | 80 | 5.18 | 8,190 | 4.43 | 14% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 16 | 1.04 | 1,725 | 0.93 | 11% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 92 | 5.95 | 15,526 | 8.39 | 41% safer |
| Robbery | 3 | 0.19 | 1,170 | 0.63 | 232% safer |
| Shoplifting | 82 | 5.31 | 7,920 | 4.28 | 19% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 9 | 0.58 | 791 | 0.43 | 26% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 62 | 4.01 | 7,460 | 4.03 | 0.50% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 342 | 22.14 | 55,481 | 29.99 | 35% safer |
Crime in Petersfield Compared To Hampshire
Petersfield Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishopstoke | 505 | 48.64 | 21% safer |
| Hythe and Dibden | 1,103 | 53.19 | 10% safer |
| Alton | 1,076 | 55.92 | 4.9% safer |
| Romsey | 828 | 56.63 | 3.5% safer |
| Whitehill | 758 | 58.60 | 0.07% safer |
| Petersfield | 906 | 58.64 | - |
| Fawley | 860 | 61.22 | 4.2% more dangerous |
| Ringwood | 927 | 63.45 | 8% more dangerous |
| Lymington and Pennington | 1,044 | 63.76 | 8% more dangerous |
| Hound | 534 | 70.57 | 17% more dangerous |
Petersfield Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 17 | 7 | 15 | 14 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | Safer |
| Burglary | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.2 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.8 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.71 | 0.84 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.26 | 0.32 | 0.45 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | - | 0.45 | 0.26 | 0.19 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 10 | 13 | 9 | 5 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.2 | 0.78 | 1.2 | 0.58 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.8 | 6 | 6 | 4.0 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 18 | 21 | 21 | 22 | Getting worse |
Changes In Petersfield's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Petersfield to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Petersfield | 58.64 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 13% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 24% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 30% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 32% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 32% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 40% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 43% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 45% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 56% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 57% more dangerous |
Crime in Petersfield's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersfield South | 609 | 66 | First |
Crime in Petersfield During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Petersfield change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in December, when Petersfield saw a 250% increase in burglary. Petersfield saw a large fall in bicycle theft during March, when it fell by 83% compared to March in 2019. Rates of other theft and shoplifting both fell year-on-year for every month during Petersfield's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +217% | -63% | -58% | -21% | +18% | +87% | -31% | +9% | +67% | -57% |
| Bicycle Theft | -83% | +100% | - | +100% | +50% | +200% | +200% | - | - | - |
| Burglary | -62% | -58% | -50% | -33% | -50% | +100% | - | - | +25% | +250% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +43% | - | -50% | +38% | - | +14% | -50% | - | +29% | -50% |
| Drugs | -50% | - | +50% | +100% | +50% | +100% | - | - | +250% | +200% |
| Other Crime | - | - | - | -67% | +100% | - | - | - | +100% | - |
| Other Theft | -50% | -67% | -30% | -50% | -20% | - | -54% | -40% | -17% | -50% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | - |
| Public Order | +11% | -70% | +14% | +9% | -33% | +25% | -20% | +175% | -83% | +14% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | -50% | -73% | - | -38% | -50% | -65% | -20% | -57% | -20% | -50% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | -50% | -50% | - |
| Vehicle Crime | +67% | +14% | +33% | - | -67% | -67% | -70% | -80% | -22% | -67% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -37% | -58% | -13% | +41% | +39% | +18% | -10% | -4% | +9% | +5% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Petersfield
What police force serves Petersfield?
Petersfield's local territorial police force is the Hampshire Constabulary.How dangerous is Petersfield?
Petersfield is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in Hampshire.What is Petersfield's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Petersfield are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Petersfield?
Petersfield's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021