Crime and Safety in Portsmouth
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Portsmouth is the safest city in Hampshire, and is among the top 10 most dangerous overall out of Hampshire's 268 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Portsmouth in 2026 is 99 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Hampshire's overall crime rate, coming in 57% higher than the Hampshire rate of 63 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Portsmouth is among the top 20 most dangerous cities, and the 618th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In January 2026, Portsmouth had the worst crime rate in Hampshire for shoplifting, with 283 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.2 per 1,000 daytime population. August 2025 was also a bad month for Portsmouth residents, when it was Hampshire's most dangerous area for drugs, recording 36 crimes at a rate of 0.15 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Portsmouth are violence and sexual offences, with 10,788 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 46. This is 1.5% lower than 2025's figure of 10,956 offences and a difference of 0.66 from 2025's crime rate of 46. Portsmouth's least common crime is theft from the person, with 183 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 5% from 2025's figure of 174 crimes.
Portsmouth 2026 Crime Scorecard
Safest
Cities, Hampshire
61% higher, regional crime rate
South East
37% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Portsmouth is 61% higher than the South East and 37% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Portsmouth Crime Rate Over Time
| Portsmouth | |
| South East | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Portsmouth Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Portsmouth represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
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 visualise the data you need.
See How Portsmouth Compares
You can compare Portsmouth's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Portsmouth's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Portsmouth up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Portsmouth's 4,420 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Portsmouth? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Portsmouth • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Portsmouth has a crime risk score of 636. This is based on analysis of 4,420 nearby areas within Portsmouth, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Portsmouth's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Portsmouth, crime risk scores are typically around 636, while in Hampshire they are average 467.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 675 (470 for Hampshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 727 (Hampshire 472).
Trends in Crime Risk
Portsmouth
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
The 10-year trend indicates a decrease of 9% in Portsmouth's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Portsmouth's crime risk score is down by 9%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.
Over the last year, Portsmouth's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 1.1%, indicating that the risk profile is going down. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Portsmouth
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Portsmouth • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Possession of Weapons offences have a crime rate of 1.76 reports per 1,000 people in Portsmouth, which is 2.07 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 416 crime reports logged by Hampshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Hampshire Police recorded 2,842 reports of Shoplifting in Portsmouth, resulting in a crime rate of 12 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.69.
The crime rate for Public Order is 1.54 times the national average at 8.91 reports per 1,000. This is from 2,102 crime reports reported to Hampshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Portsmouth
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Robbery offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.00 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 2.11 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 53% over this timeframe.
Shoplifting offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.61 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 2.12 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 24% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Portsmouth
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Criminal Damage and Arson offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.22 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Criminal Damage and Arson CrimeRate Index was 1.54 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 21% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.37 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 1.64 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 16% over this timeframe.
Public Order offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.56 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.94 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 20% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Portsmouth • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Portsmouth | Hampshire | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 2,774 | 11.74 | 0.83 | 16,767 | 7.84 | 0.55 | 115,500 | 10.87 | 0.77 |
| Bicycle Theft | 425 | 1.80 | 2.47 | 1,434 | 0.69 | 0.95 | 7,315 | 0.68 | 0.93 |
| Burglary | 595 | 2.52 | 0.81 | 5,009 | 2.35 | 0.75 | 23,535 | 2.23 | 0.71 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,596 | 6.77 | 1.08 | 10,172 | 4.75 | 0.76 | 58,501 | 5.50 | 0.88 |
| Drugs | 931 | 3.95 | 1.28 | 4,679 | 2.18 | 0.71 | 25,203 | 2.37 | 0.77 |
| Other Crime | 401 | 1.71 | 0.92 | 2,789 | 1.30 | 0.70 | 17,151 | 1.61 | 0.87 |
| Other Theft | 1,475 | 6.25 | 1.10 | 8,871 | 4.14 | 0.73 | 51,336 | 4.84 | 0.85 |
| Possession of Weapons | 416 | 1.76 | 2.07 | 2,421 | 1.12 | 1.32 | 8,736 | 0.81 | 0.95 |
| Public Order | 2,102 | 8.91 | 1.54 | 11,772 | 5.49 | 0.95 | 54,745 | 5.15 | 0.89 |
| Robbery | 359 | 1.52 | 1.29 | 1,491 | 0.70 | 0.59 | 7,588 | 0.72 | 0.61 |
| Shoplifting | 2,842 | 12.02 | 1.69 | 12,856 | 5.99 | 0.84 | 72,983 | 6.88 | 0.96 |
| Theft From the Person | 183 | 0.77 | 0.50 | 766 | 0.36 | 0.23 | 4,668 | 0.45 | 0.29 |
| Vehicle Crime | 1,227 | 5.20 | 1.21 | 6,424 | 3.00 | 0.70 | 34,099 | 3.22 | 0.75 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 10,788 | 45.67 | 1.50 | 66,157 | 30.90 | 1.02 | 286,815 | 26.98 | 0.89 |
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Total Crime by Year
Portsmouth | Hampshire | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 23,340 | 98.85 | 1.37 | 134,841 | 62.97 | 0.87 | 652,675 | 61.44 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 24,350 | 103.55 | 1.40 | 142,154 | 66.71 | 0.90 | 670,274 | 63.35 | 0.86 |
| 2024 | 24,647 | 105.22 | 1.39 | 143,206 | 67.71 | 0.90 | 690,903 | 65.86 | 0.87 |
| 2023 | 27,273 | 117.94 | 1.49 | 159,627 | 76.11 | 0.96 | 713,547 | 68.83 | 0.87 |
| 2022 | 28,495 | 124.90 | 1.63 | 159,505 | 76.75 | 1.00 | 704,444 | 68.58 | 0.89 |
| 2021 | 23,821 | 104.23 | 1.52 | 132,111 | 63.97 | 0.93 | 625,484 | 61.36 | 0.89 |
| 2020 | 24,047 | 104.62 | 1.41 | 141,723 | 68.79 | 0.93 | 669,219 | 65.97 | 0.89 |
| 2019 | 24,385 | 105.11 | 1.38 | 142,619 | 69.41 | 0.91 | 666,505 | 65.82 | 0.86 |
| 2018 | 27,334 | 117.50 | 1.65 | 146,264 | 71.07 | 1.00 | 644,142 | 63.85 | 0.90 |
| 2017 | 22,043 | 94.86 | 1.48 | 120,200 | 58.55 | 0.92 | 552,696 | 55.04 | 0.86 |
| 2016 | 5,938 | 25.57 | 1.34 | 33,278 | 16.23 | 0.85 | 160,273 | 15.99 | 0.84 |
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Portsmouth Compared to Nearby Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 30,153 | 106.50 | 8% more dangerous |
| Portsmouth | 23,340 | 98.85 | - |
Comparing Portsmouth to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 20% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 16% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 15% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 0.99% safer |
| Portsmouth | 98.85 | - |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 6% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 6% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 8% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 8% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 9% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 26% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
To download charts and tables, you must subscribed to CrimeRate Pro
You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Portsmouth's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Portsmouth that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Wesley Gardens | 2 | 1 | 5 | - | 34 | 15 |
| Landport Community Garden | 5 | 2 | 5 | - | 22 | 9 |
| Ravelin Park | 3 | - | - | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Cockleshell Community Sports Club | 4 | - | 2 | - | 18 | 17 |
| Bransbury Park | 24 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 41 | 68 |
| Landport Adventure Playground | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 12 |
| Buckingham Green | 16 | 10 | 15 | 8 | 101 | 76 |
| Milton Common | 5 | 1 | 1 | - | 30 | 60 |
| Governor's Green | 3 | - | 1 | - | 9 | 5 |
| Zetland Field | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | 4 |
| King George V Football Complex | 20 | 1 | 2 | - | 16 | 13 |
| Alexandra Park | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 15 |
| Clarence Ground | 1 | - | 2 | - | 3 | 3 |
| Britannia Gardens | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 8 |
| Clarendon Gardens | 7 | 2 | 5 | - | 15 | 39 |
| Wimbledon Park | 32 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 66 | 28 |
| Southsea Waverley Bowls and Social Club | 18 | 4 | - | - | 10 | 10 |
| Waverley Gardens | 47 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 63 | 33 |
| Wimbledon Park Sports Centre | 13 | - | 1 | - | 8 | 6 |
| The Pyramids Leisure Centre | 6 | 2 | 3 | - | 15 | 17 |
| Hope Cottage Allotments | - | 4 | 2 | - | 8 | 10 |
| Castle Shore Park | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | 0 |
| Cosham Park | 13 | 3 | 6 | - | 41 | 40 |
| St John's College Playing Fields | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Victoria Park | 15 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 67 | 80 |
| Buckland Park | 13 | 8 | 13 | - | 84 | 53 |
| College Park | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Longmeadow Allotments | 33 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 36 | 104 |
| Kingston Cemetery | 19 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 87 | 44 |
| Kingston Park | 17 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 52 | 37 |
| Falkland Gardens | 42 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 48 | 43 |
| HMS Temeraire | 2 | - | - | - | 4 | 16 |
| Pembroke Gardens | 9 | 1 | 5 | - | 18 | 19 |
| South Parade Gardens | 6 | 1 | 3 | - | 11 | 9 |
| The Rock Gardens | 11 | 2 | 4 | - | 24 | 23 |
| Milton Park | 10 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 41 | 32 |
| Milton Piece Allotment Gardens | - | 1 | - | - | 6 | 2 |
| Rose Garden | 27 | 6 | 5 | - | 30 | 28 |
| Paulsgrove Adventure Play Area | 14 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 33 | 12 |
| Mountbatten Centre | 8 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 52 | 35 |
| Alexandra Bowling and Social Club | - | - | 3 | - | 9 | 5 |
| Victory Indoor Bowls Club | 3 | - | 1 | - | 14 | 10 |
| Drayton Park | 2 | - | 3 | - | 4 | 7 |
| Gatcombe Gardens | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 3 |
| Stamshaw and Tipner Leisure Centre | 9 | 1 | 7 | - | 27 | 6 |
| United Services Sports Ground | 5 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 47 | 31 |
| Providence Place | 2 | 7 | 2 | - | 23 | 14 |
| Charles Dickens Activity Center | 4 | 5 | 7 | - | 39 | 25 |
| Connaught Drill Hall | 54 | 9 | 39 | 10 | 118 | 136 |
| Charter Community Sports Centre | 14 | 52 | 20 | 2 | 81 | 49 |
| Moneyfields Allotments | 1 | 1 | - | - | 5 | 6 |
| Great Salterns Recreation Ground | 4 | 1 | - | - | 14 | 2 |
| East Lodge Playing Field | 2 | - | - | - | 13 | 5 |
| Somerstown Adventure Playground | 40 | 6 | 21 | 2 | 116 | 46 |
| Eastney Lake Allotments | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 5 |
| Southsea Common | 57 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 92 | 97 |
| King George V Playing Field | 20 | 1 | 2 | - | 16 | 13 |
| St James Green | - | - | 2 | - | 3 | 3 |
Recent Crimes in Portsmouth
The 20 most recent crime reports in Portsmouth.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near South Parade | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near South Parade | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Lowestoft Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near King Street | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Southwood Road | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Nailsworth Road | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Guildhall Walk | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Chivers Close | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Bath Square | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Chivers Close | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Vectis Way | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Lowestoft Road | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Collins Road | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Yves Mews | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Union Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Ward Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Lowestoft Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Goodwood Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Southwood Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Camber Place |
Methodology & Data Sources
Portsmouth Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Portsmouth during August 2026 will typically become available in October 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Portsmouth Data Points
For Portsmouth, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E43000035.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Portsmouth's daytime - or "workday" - population of 217,890 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Portsmouth