Haywards Heath Crime Overview
Haywards Heath is the second safest medium-sized town in West Sussex, and is the 65th most dangerous overall out of West Sussex's 161 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Haywards Heath in 2020 was 45 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to West Sussex's overall crime rate, coming in 30% lower than the West Sussex rate of 59 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Haywards Heath is the 26th safest medium-sized town, and the 3,631st most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In May 2020, Haywards Heath was the worst medium-sized town in West Sussex for public order, with 26 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.85 per 1,000 inhabitants. February 2019 was also a bad month for Haywards Heath residents, when it was West Sussex's most dangerous medium-sized town for robbery, recording 3 crimes at a rate of 0.10 per 1,000 residents. Haywards Heath recorded 11 reports of bicycle theft during November 2019, making its crime rate of 0.36 the worst medium-sized town for bicycle theft in West Sussex that month.
The most common crimes in Haywards Heath are violence and sexual offences, with 587 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 19. This is 2.6% higher than 2019's figure of 572 offences and a difference of 0.49 from 2019's crime rate of 19. Haywards Heath'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 Haywards Heath to other towns and cities
See how Haywards Heath shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Haywards Heath and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Haywards Heath Crime Map
Crime in Haywards Heath Compared To West Sussex
Summary of Crimes in Haywards Heath This Year
| Haywards Heath | West Sussex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 716 | 23.32 | 20,276 | 23.49 | 0.73% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 29 | 0.94 | 1,035 | 1.20 | 28% safer |
| Burglary | 47 | 1.53 | 2,620 | 3.04 | 99% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 156 | 5.08 | 5,808 | 6.73 | 32% safer |
| Drugs | 69 | 2.25 | 2,356 | 2.73 | 21% safer |
| Other Crime | 24 | 0.78 | 1,236 | 1.43 | 83% safer |
| Other Theft | 100 | 3.26 | 3,734 | 4.33 | 33% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 17 | 0.55 | 756 | 0.88 | 60% safer |
| Public Order | 200 | 6.52 | 5,392 | 6.25 | 4.1% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 18 | 0.59 | 385 | 0.45 | 24% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 81 | 2.64 | 3,351 | 3.88 | 47% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 8 | 0.26 | 352 | 0.41 | 58% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 47 | 1.53 | 3,137 | 3.63 | 137% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 587 | 19.12 | 20,384 | 23.61 | 23% safer |
Haywards Heath Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Grinstead | 1,230 | 44.22 | 1.9% safer |
| Haywards Heath | 1,383 | 45.05 | - |
| Burgess Hill | 1,478 | 46.58 | 3.3% more dangerous |
| Horsham | 1,834 | 62.93 | 28% more dangerous |
| Littlehampton | 2,739 | 90.39 | 50% more dangerous |
| Chichester | 2,786 | 95.92 | 53% more dangerous |
| Bognor Regis | 3,097 | 116.25 | 61% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in Haywards Heath
View crime percentage over time forHaywards Heath Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 16 | 11 | 15 | 23 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.59 | 0.75 | 1.7 | 0.94 | Safer |
| Burglary | 3.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 6 | 4.9 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Drugs | 0.72 | 0.98 | 1.0 | 2.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.46 | 0.85 | 1.1 | 0.78 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 6 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.3 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.39 | 0.42 | 0.85 | 0.55 | Safer |
| Public Order | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.49 | 0.46 | 0.55 | 0.59 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.62 | 0.78 | 0.52 | 0.26 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.5 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 15 | 19 | 19 | 19 | Getting worse |
Changes In Haywards Heath's Crime Rates Over Time
Offences in Haywards Heath's Green Spaces
We only display green spaces in Haywards Heath 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beech Hurst Recreation Ground | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.46 |
| The Heath | 6 | 2 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 1.4 |
| Victoria Park | 20 | 1 | 1 | - | 10 | 1 | 5 |
Comparing Haywards Heath to the UK's Major Cities
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Haywards Heath | 45.05 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 33% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 42% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 46% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 48% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 48% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 54% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 56% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 58% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 66% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 67% more dangerous |
Crime in Haywards Heath's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haywards Heath East | 341 | 43 | Second |
| Haywards Heath West | 757 | 63 | First |
Crime in Haywards Heath During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Haywards Heath change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in July, when Haywards Heath saw a 1,100% increase in drugs. Haywards Heath saw a large fall in bicycle theft during November, when it fell by 91% compared to November in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +70% | +129% | +57% | +55% | +52% | +12% | +4% | +56% | +59% | +245% |
| Bicycle Theft | +133% | - | - | +33% | -85% | -60% | - | -67% | -91% | - |
| Burglary | -40% | +67% | +300% | - | -50% | -55% | -20% | -56% | -43% | - |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -67% | +75% | -29% | +38% | -7% | -31% | -19% | -69% | -57% | +14% |
| Drugs | +150% | -67% | +200% | +150% | +1,100% | +400% | +100% | +300% | +29% | +20% |
| Other Crime | - | +200% | +50% | -50% | - | +100% | -67% | -33% | - | -67% |
| Other Theft | -31% | +14% | -68% | -46% | -56% | -69% | -38% | - | -25% | -17% |
| Possession of Weapons | +100% | +200% | -88% | -50% | - | -20% | - | -67% | -50% | - |
| Public Order | +125% | -21% | +189% | +14% | +15% | -11% | +64% | +12% | +50% | - |
| Robbery | +100% | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | - | -45% | -56% | -33% | -30% | -14% | +11% | -29% | -75% | -17% |
| Theft From the Person | -50% | - | - | -50% | - | - | -50% | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -20% | +100% | -33% | -25% | +140% | -25% | - | -86% | +25% | - |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +4% | +7% | -17% | -9% | +29% | +26% | -4% | -33% | -12% | -37% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Haywards Heath
What police force serves Haywards Heath?
Haywards Heath's local territorial police force is the Sussex Police.How dangerous is Haywards Heath?
Haywards Heath is the second safest medium-sized town in West Sussex.What is Haywards Heath's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Haywards Heath are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Haywards Heath?
Haywards Heath's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 07 May 2021