Ashford Crime Overview
Ashford is the third safest major town in Kent, and is the 43rd most dangerous overall out of Kent's 335 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Ashford in 2020 was 90 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Kent's overall crime rate, coming in 5% higher than the Kent rate of 85 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Ashford is the 46th most dangerous major town, and the 709th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In October 2020, Ashford had the worst crime rate in Kent for bicycle theft, with 9 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.12 per 1,000 inhabitants. October 2020 was also a bad month for Ashford residents, when it was Kent's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 39 crimes at a rate of 0.52 per 1,000 residents. Ashford recorded 82 reports of shoplifting during February 2020, making its crime rate of 1.1 the worst for shoplifting in Kent that month.
The most common crimes in Ashford are violence and sexual offences, with 3,205 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 43. This is 2.6% lower than 2019's figure of 3,288 offences and a difference of 1.11 from 2019's crime rate of 44. Ashford's least common crime is theft from the person, with 42 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 69% from 2019's figure of 71 crimes.
Compare Ashford to other towns and cities
See how Ashford shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Ashford and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Ashford Crime Map
Crime in Ashford Compared To Kent
Summary of Crimes in Ashford This Year
| Ashford | Kent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 2,096 | 27.85 | 48,316 | 25.97 | 7% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 89 | 1.18 | 1,165 | 0.63 | 47% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 266 | 3.53 | 7,089 | 3.81 | 8% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 764 | 10.15 | 18,622 | 10.01 | 1.4% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 225 | 2.99 | 4,217 | 2.27 | 24% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 200 | 2.66 | 5,115 | 2.75 | 3.4% safer |
| Other Theft | 413 | 5.49 | 10,954 | 5.89 | 7% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 68 | 0.90 | 1,351 | 0.73 | 19% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 591 | 7.85 | 13,158 | 7.07 | 10% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 61 | 0.81 | 1,309 | 0.70 | 14% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 523 | 6.95 | 9,225 | 4.96 | 29% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 42 | 0.56 | 834 | 0.45 | 20% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 303 | 4.03 | 9,087 | 4.88 | 21% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 3,205 | 42.58 | 76,374 | 41.05 | 3.6% more dangerous |
Ashford Compared to Nearby Major Towns
| Major Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | 4,108 | 67.50 | 33% safer |
| Maidstone | 10,449 | 87.14 | 2.9% safer |
| Ashford | 6,750 | 89.69 | - |
| Gillingham | 11,203 | 103.17 | 13% more dangerous |
| Rochester | 6,935 | 104.28 | 14% more dangerous |
| Chatham | 8,964 | 110.91 | 19% more dangerous |
| Margate | 8,491 | 129.24 | 31% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in Ashford
View crime percentage over time forRecent Crimes in Ashford
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Pedestrian Subway | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Drugs | On or near Victoria Crescent | Offender given a drugs possession warning |
| August 2021 | Other theft | On or near Cedar Close | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Cedar Close | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Crofton Close | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Public order | On or near Aylesford Place | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| August 2021 | Other theft | On or near Sherwood Close | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Yeoman Gardens | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Yeoman Gardens | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Yeoman Gardens | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Riverview | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Cleves Way | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| August 2021 | Other theft | On or near St Anne'S Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Hillcrest | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Public order | On or near The Limes | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near The Limes | Action to be taken by another organisation |
| August 2021 | Other theft | On or near Petrol Station | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Other theft | On or near Norman Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| August 2021 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Stanhope Road | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| August 2021 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Pemberton Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
Ashford Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 18 | 16 | 17 | 28 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | Safer |
| Burglary | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3.5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 3.0 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 2.6 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.7 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 8 | 9 | 9 | 5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.37 | 0.52 | 0.73 | 0.90 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 7 | 12 | 10 | 8 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.90 | 0.94 | 1.6 | 0.81 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.68 | 0.52 | 0.94 | 0.56 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 4.2 | 5 | 7 | 4.0 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 38 | 43 | 44 | 43 | Getting worse |
Changes In Ashford's Crime Rates Over Time
Offences in Ashford's Green Spaces
We only display green spaces in Ashford that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others | Crimes per Hectare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Ashford Baptist Church | 3 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 41 |
Comparing Ashford to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 32% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 16% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 8% safer |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 4.5% safer |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 4.0% safer |
| Ashford | 89.69 | - |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 8% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 13% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 16% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 33% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 35% more dangerous |
Crime in Ashford's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashford Central | 2,285 | 193 | First |
| Highfield & Willesborough | 847 | 94 | Second |
| Kennington & Little Burton Farm | 343 | 51 | Third |
Crime in Ashford During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Ashford change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Ashford saw a 300% increase in possession of weapons. Ashford saw a large fall in robbery during November, when it fell by 87% compared to November in 2019. Ashford saw consistent falls in the crime rate of several types of crime during every month of its Coronavirus lockdown, including bicycle theft, robbery, shoplifting, and vehicle crime.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +43% | +230% | +156% | +96% | +98% | +33% | +18% | +1% | +56% | +38% |
| Bicycle Theft | -74% | -77% | -30% | -60% | -63% | -58% | -40% | +29% | -36% | -75% |
| Burglary | -61% | +40% | -52% | -26% | -38% | -45% | -72% | +8% | -37% | -23% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -43% | -25% | -49% | -27% | +23% | +33% | -10% | +33% | +13% | -54% |
| Drugs | +100% | +58% | +73% | +157% | +30% | +40% | -27% | +125% | +222% | +43% |
| Other Crime | -31% | -57% | -60% | -44% | -43% | - | -21% | +69% | +69% | -43% |
| Other Theft | -32% | -49% | -43% | -44% | -49% | -30% | -47% | -11% | -51% | -38% |
| Possession of Weapons | -17% | +300% | +200% | +133% | -33% | +67% | +33% | - | -25% | -70% |
| Public Order | -44% | -23% | -39% | -24% | -47% | +7% | -8% | +3% | -8% | -13% |
| Robbery | -42% | -50% | -65% | +25% | -20% | -60% | -33% | -73% | -87% | -58% |
| Shoplifting | -24% | -71% | -55% | -33% | -2% | +13% | -34% | -34% | -56% | -72% |
| Theft From the Person | -78% | -86% | -50% | -75% | - | - | -33% | -60% | -50% | -57% |
| Vehicle Crime | -75% | -68% | -51% | -49% | -65% | -38% | -69% | -8% | -53% | +8% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +7% | -32% | -20% | -18% | -1% | +31% | +25% | -14% | +21% | -8% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Ashford
What police force serves Ashford?
Ashford's local territorial police force is the Kent Police.How dangerous is Ashford?
Ashford is the third safest major town in Kent.What is Ashford's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Ashford are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Ashford?
Ashford's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 05 Oct 2021