Crime in West Sussex
West Sussex is among the top 20 safest counties in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The overall crime rate in West Sussex in 2020 was 59 crimes per 1,000 people, and the most common crimes were violence and sexual offences, which happened to roughly every 24 out of 1,000 residents.
Out of all of West Sussex's larger towns and cities, Bognor Regis is the most dangerous. The next most dangerous is Chichester, and Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common comes in as third most dangerous. There are safer parts of West Sussex, starting with Southwater which ranks as the safest area in West Sussex, followed up by Worth in second place, and Hassocks in third place.
Crime Map of West Sussex
Click to use map
West Sussex Crime Summary
| Crime | Count | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 20,276 | 23.49 |
| Bicycle Theft | 1,035 | 1.20 |
| Burglary | 2,620 | 3.04 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 5,808 | 6.73 |
| Drugs | 2,356 | 2.73 |
| Other Crime | 1,236 | 1.43 |
| Other Theft | 3,734 | 4.33 |
| Possession of Weapons | 756 | 0.88 |
| Public Order | 5,392 | 6.25 |
| Robbery | 385 | 0.45 |
| Shoplifting | 3,351 | 3.88 |
| Theft From the Person | 352 | 0.41 |
| Vehicle Crime | 3,137 | 3.63 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 20,384 | 23.61 |
West Sussex's Population Centres
| Name | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference from West Sussex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldwick | 442 | 38 | 54% safer |
| Angmering | 375 | 45 | 30% safer |
| Bersted | 641 | 63 | 7% more dangerous |
| Billingshurst | 532 | 56 | 5.0% safer |
| Bognor Regis | 3,097 | 116 | 50% more dangerous |
| Burgess Hill | 1,478 | 47 | 26% safer |
| Chichester | 2,786 | 96 | 39% more dangerous |
| Crawley | 9,762 | 87 | 33% more dangerous |
| East Grinstead | 1,230 | 44 | 32% safer |
| Felpham | 476 | 41 | 42% safer |
| Hassocks | 312 | 37 | 57% safer |
| Haywards Heath | 1,383 | 45 | 30% safer |
| Horsham | 1,834 | 63 | 7% more dangerous |
| Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common | 715 | 93 | 37% more dangerous |
| Lancing | 1,160 | 60 | 2.1% more dangerous |
| Littlehampton | 2,739 | 90 | 35% more dangerous |
| North Horsham | 889 | 40 | 47% safer |
| Rustington | 639 | 45 | 29% safer |
| Selsey | 545 | 51 | 16% safer |
| Sompting | 501 | 57 | 3.6% safer |
| Southwater | 361 | 32 | 83% safer |
| Southwick | 790 | 66 | 11% more dangerous |
| Worth | 383 | 35 | 68% safer |
| Worthing | 8,199 | 71 | 18% more dangerous |
Crime Trends in West Sussex
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 19 | 16 | 15 | 23 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.2 | Safer |
| Burglary | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.7 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4.3 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.60 | 0.78 | 0.96 | 0.88 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 4.7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.40 | 0.48 | 0.56 | 0.45 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.9 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.63 | 0.62 | 0.62 | 0.41 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5 | 3.6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 18 | 21 | 24 | 24 | Getting worse |
Last updated: 09 Apr 2021