Sheerness Crime Overview

Sheerness is the most dangerous small town in Kent, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of Kent's 335 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Sheerness in 2020 was 187 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Kent's overall crime rate, coming in 55% higher than the Kent rate of 85 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Sheerness is the second most dangerous small town, and the 80th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In August 2020, Sheerness was the worst small town in Kent for criminal damage and arson, with 38 crimes reported and a crime rate of 2.8 per 1,000 inhabitants. April 2020 was also a bad month for Sheerness residents, when it was Kent's most dangerous small town for drugs, recording 6 crimes at a rate of 0.45 per 1,000 residents. Sheerness recorded 12 reports of other crime during October 2020, making its crime rate of 0.89 the worst small town for other crime in Kent that month.

The most common crimes in Sheerness are violence and sexual offences, with 1,349 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 101. This is 9% higher than 2019's figure of 1,227 offences and a difference of 9.10 from 2019's crime rate of 91. Sheerness's least common crime is theft from the person, with 8 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 100% from 2019's figure of 16 crimes.

Compare Sheerness to other towns and cities

See how Sheerness shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Sheerness and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.

Sheerness Crime Map

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Crime in Sheerness Compared To Kent

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Summary of Crimes in Sheerness This Year

 SheernessKent 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour50837.8648,31625.9731% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft191.421,1650.6356% more dangerous
Burglary886.567,0893.8142% more dangerous
Criminal Damage and Arson28221.0218,62210.0152% more dangerous
Drugs533.954,2172.2743% more dangerous
Other Crime846.265,1152.7556% more dangerous
Other Theft1088.0510,9545.8927% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons201.491,3510.7351% more dangerous
Public Order17513.0413,1587.0746% more dangerous
Robbery201.491,3090.7053% more dangerous
Shoplifting23217.299,2254.9671% more dangerous
Theft From the Person80.608340.4525% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime775.749,0874.8815% more dangerous
Violence and Sexual Offences1,349100.5476,37441.0559% more dangerous

Sheerness Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Faversham1,77888.44112% safer
Snodland1,06389.53109% safer
Swanscombe and Greenhithe1,70095.2097% safer
Swanley1,73899.7588% safer
Stone2,382178.694.9% safer
Sheerness2,515187.43-

Crime Over Time in Sheerness

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Sheerness

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
August 2021Other theftOn or near Victory StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Victory StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Victory StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near Seager RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near Almond Tree CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Meyrick RoadFurther investigation is not in the public interest
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Linden DriveInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Linden DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Linden DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Linden DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Linden DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Unity CourtUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Unity CourtUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near Fonblanque RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Public orderOn or near Fonblanque RoadFurther investigation is not in the public interest
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Fonblanque RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Fonblanque RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Fonblanque RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Other crimeOn or near Fonblanque RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Other theftOn or near Rose StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified

Sheerness Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour42353238Getting worse
Bicycle Theft2.32.21.51.4Safer
Burglary10767Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson22252121Safer
Drugs2.32.83.14.0Getting worse
Other Crime4.65.076Getting worse
Other Theft1111118Safer
Possession of Weapons0.521.81.61.5Getting worse
Public Order16241413Safer
Robbery (inc. mugging)1.32.12.21.5Safer
Shoplifting13112317Getting worse
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.670.971.20.60Safer
Vehicle Crime61196Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences808891101Getting worse

Changes In Sheerness's Crime Rates Over Time

Offences in Sheerness's Green Spaces

We only display green spaces in Sheerness that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll OthersCrimes per Hectare
Festival Playing Field-----10.35

Comparing Sheerness to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Barnet67.71177% safer
Coventry77.41142% safer
Croydon83.22125% safer
Sheffield85.81118% safer
Bristol86.21117% safer
Leicester97.4492% safer
Birmingham102.8782% safer
Liverpool107.2875% safer
Bradford133.0241% safer
Leeds137.1037% safer
Sheerness187.43-

Crime in Sheerness's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Sheerness East1,369205First
Sheerness West1,171174Second

Crime in Sheerness During Coronavirus Lockdowns

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.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Sheerness

What police force serves Sheerness?
Sheerness's local territorial police force is the Kent Police.
How dangerous is Sheerness?
Sheerness is the most dangerous small town in Kent.
What is Sheerness's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Sheerness are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Sheerness?
Sheerness's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).

Last updated: 05 Oct 2021