Crime and Safety in Southampton
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Southampton is the most dangerous city in Hampshire, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of Hampshire's 268 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Southampton in 2026 is 106 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Hampshire's overall crime rate, coming in 69% higher than the Hampshire rate of 63 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Southampton is among the top 20 most dangerous cities, and the 455th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In January 2026, Southampton had the worst crime rate in Hampshire for robbery, with 48 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.17 per 1,000 daytime population. February 2025 was also a bad month for Southampton residents, when it was again Hampshire's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 27 crimes at a rate of 0.10 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Southampton are violence and sexual offences, with 13,948 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 49. This is 2.5% lower than 2025's figure of 14,310 offences and a difference of 1.31 from 2025's crime rate of 51. Southampton's least common crime is theft from the person, with 228 offences recorded in 2026, a decrease of 10% from 2025's figure of 254 crimes.
Southampton 2026 Crime Scorecard
Most Dangerous
Cities, Hampshire
73% higher, regional crime rate
South East
48% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Southampton is 73% higher than the South East and 48% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Southampton Crime Rate Over Time
| Southampton | |
| South East | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Southampton Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Southampton 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 Southampton Compares
You can compare Southampton'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 Southampton's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Southampton up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Southampton's 5,810 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 Southampton? 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
Southampton • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Southampton has a crime risk score of 699. This is based on analysis of 5,810 nearby areas within Southampton, 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 Southampton's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Southampton, crime risk scores are typically around 699, while in Hampshire they are average 467.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 767 (470 for Hampshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 817 (Hampshire 472).
Trends in Crime Risk
Southampton
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.
No trend could be found in Southampton's crime risk scores over the last 10 years, and the trend may well be static.
Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Southampton's crime risk score is down by 10%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
Over the last year, Southampton's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 2.9%, 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
Southampton
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
Southampton • 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 2.07 reports per 1,000 people in Southampton, which is 2.44 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 587 crime reports logged by Hampshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Hampshire Police recorded 3,486 reports of Shoplifting in Southampton, resulting in a crime rate of 12 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.88.
The crime rate for Violence and Sexual Offences is 1.62 times the national average at 49 reports per 1,000. This is from 13,948 crime reports reported to Hampshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Southampton
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.
Burglary offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.29 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 0.80 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 61% over this timeframe.
Robbery offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.90 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 1.11 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 71% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Southampton
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Public Order offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.75 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.69 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 3.6% over this timeframe.
Theft From the Person offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.42 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 0.15 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 180% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.43 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 13% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Southampton • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Southampton | Hampshire | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 3,312 | 11.70 | 0.92 | 16,767 | 7.84 | 0.55 | 115,500 | 10.87 | 0.77 |
| Bicycle Theft | 403 | 1.42 | 1.95 | 1,434 | 0.69 | 0.95 | 7,315 | 0.68 | 0.93 |
| Burglary | 1,193 | 4.21 | 1.47 | 5,009 | 2.35 | 0.75 | 23,535 | 2.23 | 0.71 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 2,121 | 7.49 | 1.19 | 10,172 | 4.75 | 0.76 | 58,501 | 5.50 | 0.88 |
| Drugs | 1,220 | 4.30 | 1.52 | 4,679 | 2.18 | 0.71 | 25,203 | 2.37 | 0.77 |
| Other Crime | 512 | 1.81 | 1.06 | 2,789 | 1.30 | 0.70 | 17,151 | 1.61 | 0.87 |
| Other Theft | 1,778 | 6.26 | 1.10 | 8,871 | 4.14 | 0.73 | 51,336 | 4.84 | 0.85 |
| Possession of Weapons | 587 | 2.07 | 2.44 | 2,421 | 1.12 | 1.32 | 8,736 | 0.81 | 0.95 |
| Public Order | 2,521 | 8.90 | 1.53 | 11,772 | 5.49 | 0.95 | 54,745 | 5.15 | 0.89 |
| Robbery | 483 | 1.71 | 1.58 | 1,491 | 0.70 | 0.59 | 7,588 | 0.72 | 0.61 |
| Shoplifting | 3,486 | 12.31 | 1.88 | 12,856 | 5.99 | 0.84 | 72,983 | 6.88 | 0.96 |
| Theft From the Person | 228 | 0.80 | 0.56 | 766 | 0.36 | 0.23 | 4,668 | 0.45 | 0.29 |
| Vehicle Crime | 1,673 | 5.93 | 1.51 | 6,424 | 3.00 | 0.70 | 34,099 | 3.22 | 0.75 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 13,948 | 49.29 | 1.62 | 66,157 | 30.90 | 1.02 | 286,815 | 26.98 | 0.89 |
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Total Crime by Year
Southampton | Hampshire | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 30,153 | 106.50 | 1.52 | 134,841 | 62.97 | 0.87 | 652,675 | 61.44 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 31,222 | 110.46 | 1.49 | 142,154 | 66.71 | 0.90 | 670,274 | 63.35 | 0.86 |
| 2024 | 31,697 | 112.83 | 1.50 | 143,206 | 67.71 | 0.90 | 690,903 | 65.86 | 0.87 |
| 2023 | 35,174 | 127.09 | 1.61 | 159,627 | 76.11 | 0.96 | 713,547 | 68.83 | 0.87 |
| 2022 | 34,932 | 128.53 | 1.67 | 159,505 | 76.75 | 1.00 | 704,444 | 68.58 | 0.89 |
| 2021 | 29,099 | 106.98 | 1.56 | 132,111 | 63.97 | 0.93 | 625,484 | 61.36 | 0.89 |
| 2020 | 30,640 | 111.87 | 1.51 | 141,723 | 68.79 | 0.93 | 669,219 | 65.97 | 0.89 |
| 2019 | 30,455 | 110.34 | 1.45 | 142,619 | 69.41 | 0.91 | 666,505 | 65.82 | 0.86 |
| 2018 | 30,474 | 109.83 | 1.54 | 146,264 | 71.07 | 1.00 | 644,142 | 63.85 | 0.90 |
| 2017 | 26,274 | 95.07 | 1.49 | 120,200 | 58.55 | 0.92 | 552,696 | 55.04 | 0.86 |
| 2016 | 7,588 | 27.53 | 1.44 | 33,278 | 16.23 | 0.85 | 160,273 | 15.99 | 0.84 |
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Southampton Compared to Nearby Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 30,153 | 106.50 | - |
| Portsmouth | 23,340 | 98.85 | 7% safer |
Comparing Southampton to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 25% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 22% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 21% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 8% safer |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 1.7% safer |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 1.4% safer |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 0.02% safer |
| Southampton | 106.50 | - |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 0.56% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 1.2% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 17% 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 Southampton's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Southampton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitterne West Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 7 | 2 |
| Solent Sports Complex | 1 | 2 | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Oaklands Community Pool | 5 | - | - | - | 7 | 2 |
| Sholing Common | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | 20 | 2 |
| Freemantle Common | 5 | 1 | 3 | - | 18 | 11 |
| Asylum Green | 11 | 7 | 18 | 1 | 63 | 49 |
| Test Park | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 37 |
| Southampton Common | 38 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 79 | 55 |
| The Vokes Memorial Gardens | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | 0 |
| Mayfield Park | 20 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 61 | 23 |
| Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre | 55 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 39 | 52 |
| Shirley Ponds Allotments | 3 | - | 3 | 1 | 21 | 15 |
| Hollybrook Cemetery | 2 | - | 4 | - | 34 | 21 |
| Cedar Lodge Park | 7 | - | 5 | - | 18 | 14 |
| Freemantle Lake Park | 15 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 33 | 26 |
| Southampton Old Cemetery | 3 | - | - | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| Itchen Valley Country Park | 1 | - | 1 | - | 3 | 9 |
| Deep Dene Recreation Ground | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | 17 | 14 |
| Watts Park | 12 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 54 | 30 |
| East Park | 19 | 64 | 31 | 2 | 199 | 87 |
| Palmerston Park | 31 | 30 | 18 | 11 | 76 | 119 |
| Houndwell Park | 41 | 43 | 23 | 19 | 129 | 149 |
| Mayflower Park | 15 | 3 | 3 | - | 19 | 16 |
| Hoglands Park | 13 | 24 | 8 | 5 | 57 | 24 |
| Queen's Park | 25 | 7 | 14 | 2 | 122 | 43 |
| Sholing Wild Park | - | - | - | - | 6 | 8 |
| St Mary Extra Cemetery | 5 | - | 2 | - | 13 | 11 |
| Fountains Park | 3 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Aldermoor Allotments | - | - | 1 | - | 8 | 9 |
| Jacks Corner Playarea | 8 | - | 1 | - | 4 | 2 |
| Cantell Community Campus | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | 11 | 11 |
| Daisy Dip | 13 | 2 | 8 | - | 58 | 17 |
| Mansel Park | 39 | 7 | 20 | 3 | 97 | 53 |
| Borrowdale Road Allotments | 3 | 1 | 8 | - | 36 | 19 |
| Hollybrook Allotments | 1 | - | 1 | - | 17 | 6 |
| Shirley Pond Park | 20 | 1 | 16 | - | 48 | 38 |
| St James Park | 9 | - | 6 | 1 | 23 | 3 |
| Green Park | 12 | 4 | 6 | - | 41 | 30 |
| Peak Close Allotment | - | - | 1 | - | 6 | 2 |
| Southwells Farm Allotments | 18 | - | 11 | 4 | 36 | 52 |
| Freshfield Green | - | - | - | 1 | 11 | 10 |
| Bangor Road Allotments | 2 | - | 4 | - | 9 | 18 |
| Atherley Bowling Club | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | 5 |
| County Bowling Club | - | - | - | 1 | 8 | 14 |
| South Stoneham Cemetery | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 9 |
| Riverside Park | 39 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 49 | 51 |
| Witts Hill Allotment | 3 | - | 4 | - | 13 | 34 |
| Bacon Hill Woodland Park | 2 | - | 6 | - | 46 | 11 |
| Bitterne East Allotments | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | 12 | 3 |
| The Quays Swimming and Diving Complex | 10 | 4 | 6 | - | 56 | 37 |
| Sydney House Allotments | 4 | - | 2 | - | 28 | 12 |
| Veracity Recreation Ground | 2 | - | 4 | - | 25 | 37 |
| Muddy Bottom West Allotment | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | 8 |
| Chamberlayne Leisure Centre | 11 | - | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Weston Shore City Park | 67 | 11 | 22 | 1 | 151 | 66 |
| Weston Allotment | 5 | - | - | - | 7 | 12 |
| St Marys Leisure Centre | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 18 |
| Redbridge Wharf Park | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | 5 |
| Town Quay Park | 3 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 31 | 71 |
| Stoneham Lane Football Complex | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Keynsham Feild | 5 | 1 | 2 | - | 15 | 4 |
Recent Crimes in Southampton
The 20 most recent crime reports in Southampton.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Seaward Gardens | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Parking Area | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Landseer Road | |
| April 2026 | Burglary | On or near Seagarth Lane | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Ivy Dene | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Lodge Road | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Further/Higher Educational Building | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Evelyn Crescent | |
| April 2026 | Robbery | On or near Lodge Road | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Deacon Close | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near John Mill Close | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near South East Road | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near South East Road | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near John Mill Close | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Lodge Road | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Bevois Valley Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Handel Terrace | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Lodge Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Handel Terrace | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Ivy Dene |
Methodology & Data Sources
Southampton 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 Southampton 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.
Southampton Data Points
For Southampton, 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 E43000036.
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 Southampton's daytime - or "workday" - population of 237,133 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 Southampton