Sheerness is the second most dangerous small town in Kent, and is among the top 10 most dangerous overall out of Kent's 333 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Sheerness in 2021 was 184 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Kent's overall crime rate, coming in 52% higher than the Kent rate of 87 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Sheerness is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns, and the 92nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2021, Sheerness was the worst SmallTown.ToInlineText() in Kent for criminal damage and arson, with 33 crimes reported and a crime rate of 2.5 per 1,000 inhabitants. September 2021 was also a bad month for Sheerness residents, when it was Kent's most dangerous SmallTown.ToInlineText() for other crime, recording 12 crimes at a rate of 0.89 per 1,000 residents. Sheerness recorded 2 reports of bicycle theft during May 2021, making its crime rate of 0.15 the worst SmallTown.ToInlineText() for bicycle theft in Kent that month.
The most common crimes in Sheerness are violence and sexual offences, with 1,324 offences during 2021, giving a crime rate of 99. This is 1.9% lower than 2020's figure of 1,349 offences and a difference of 1.87 from 2020's crime rate of 101. Sheerness's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 12 offences recorded in 2021, a decrease of 58% from 2020's figure of 19 crimes.
Second Most Dangerous
Small Towns, Kent
61% higher, regional crime rate
South East
60% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
As of 2022, the crime rate in Sheerness is 61% higher than the South East and 60% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
| Sheerness | |
| South East | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Incidents mapped in Sheerness represent the time frame between April 2019 and March 2022. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Last updated: 11 May, 2022
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 visualize the data you need.
Last updated: 11 May, 2022
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| Year | Crime Rate per 1,000 people | Total Crimes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 184 | 2,467 |
| 2020 | 187 | 2,515 |
| 2019 | 192 | 2,574 |
| 2018 | 193 | 2,584 |
| 2017 | 168 | 2,251 |
| 2016 | 119 | 1,593 |
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| Sheerness | Kent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 449 | 33.46 | 37,004 | 19.89 | 41% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 12 | 0.89 | 964 | 0.52 | 42% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 97 | 7.23 | 5,970 | 3.21 | 56% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 303 | 22.58 | 19,281 | 10.36 | 54% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 42 | 3.13 | 4,015 | 2.16 | 31% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 90 | 6.71 | 5,390 | 2.90 | 57% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 113 | 8.42 | 11,037 | 5.93 | 30% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 18 | 1.34 | 1,220 | 0.66 | 51% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 197 | 14.68 | 13,744 | 7.39 | 50% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 26 | 1.94 | 1,064 | 0.57 | 71% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 171 | 12.74 | 8,849 | 4.76 | 63% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 12 | 0.89 | 794 | 0.43 | 52% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 62 | 4.62 | 7,923 | 4.26 | 8% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,324 | 98.67 | 82,368 | 44.27 | 55% more dangerous |
View crime percentage over time for
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2022 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Barnsley Close | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Public order | On or near Chilham Close | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| March 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Royal Road | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Vincent Gardens | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Burglary | On or near Alma Street | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Other theft | On or near Supermarket | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| March 2022 | Public order | On or near Jefferson Road | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Granville Road | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near West Lane | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| March 2022 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Royal Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| March 2022 | Shoplifting | On or near Supermarket | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| March 2022 | Public order | On or near Police Station | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Rose Street | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Invicta Road | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Broadway | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Other crime | On or near Barnsley Close | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Other theft | On or near Bonetta Court | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| March 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Trinity Road | Unable to prosecute suspect |
| March 2022 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Fonblanque Road | Investigation complete; no suspect identified |
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 35 | 32 | 38 | 33 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.89 | Safer |
| Burglary | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 25 | 21 | 21 | 23 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.8 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.1 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 5.0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 24 | 14 | 13 | 15 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 2.1 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.9 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 11 | 23 | 17 | 13 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.97 | 1.2 | 0.60 | 0.89 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 11 | 9 | 6 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 88 | 91 | 101 | 99 | Getting worse |
We only display green spaces in Sheerness that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2021.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others | Crimes per Hectare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Festival Playing Field | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.35 |
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheerness East | 1,326 | 199 | First |
| Sheerness West | 1,167 | 173 | Second |
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Sheerness change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in September, when Sheerness saw a 500% increase in drugs. Sheerness saw a large fall in vehicle crime during September, when it fell by 88% compared to September in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +3% | +140% | +36% | -19% | -21% | -6% | +12% | +22% | +4% | - |
| Bicycle Theft | - | -80% | - | - | +150% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | +88% | +150% | +67% | +100% | +100% | -50% | -80% | - | -36% | +60% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +20% | -16% | -53% | +5% | +38% | +73% | -20% | -25% | - | -18% |
| Drugs | +300% | +200% | +67% | - | -25% | -88% | +500% | -63% | +67% | +20% |
| Other Crime | +63% | +80% | -29% | +80% | -25% | -53% | -55% | +50% | +17% | -60% |
| Other Theft | -63% | +18% | -42% | -45% | -29% | -44% | -46% | -60% | +17% | -25% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | +100% | +100% | +300% | - | -50% | -33% | -75% | - | +100% |
| Public Order | -18% | +59% | -7% | +120% | -5% | -25% | -38% | +17% | -14% | -17% |
| Robbery | - | -75% | - | +200% | - | - | -50% | - | -60% | -50% |
| Shoplifting | +80% | -25% | -29% | +10% | -73% | -79% | -73% | -33% | -80% | -67% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -57% | -70% | -78% | +40% | +80% | -14% | -88% | +80% | -54% | -20% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +26% | -26% | +6% | +34% | +52% | -2% | +27% | +26% | - | -19% |
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