Lancing Crime Overview
Lancing is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in West Sussex, and is the 32nd most dangerous overall out of West Sussex's 161 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Lancing in 2020 was 60 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to West Sussex's overall crime rate, coming in 2.1% higher than the West Sussex rate of 59 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Lancing is the 315th most dangerous small town, and the 2,110th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In July 2017, Lancing had the worst crime rate in West Sussex for drugs, with 73 crimes reported and a crime rate of 3.8 per 1,000 inhabitants. June 2017 was also a bad month for Lancing residents, when it was West Sussex's most dangerous area for theft from the person, recording 23 crimes at a rate of 1.2 per 1,000 residents.
The most common crimes in Lancing are violence and sexual offences, with 500 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 26. This is 0.80% lower than 2019's figure of 504 offences and a difference of 0.21 from 2019's crime rate of 26. Lancing's least common crime is robbery, with 6 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 183% from 2019's figure of 17 crimes.
Compare Lancing to other towns and cities
See how Lancing shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Lancing and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Lancing Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Lancing This Year
| Lancing | West Sussex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 344 | 17.73 | 20,276 | 23.49 | 32% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 25 | 1.29 | 1,035 | 1.20 | 7% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 58 | 2.99 | 2,620 | 3.04 | 1.7% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 158 | 8.14 | 5,808 | 6.73 | 17% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 52 | 2.68 | 2,356 | 2.73 | 1.9% safer |
| Other Crime | 31 | 1.60 | 1,236 | 1.43 | 11% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 82 | 4.23 | 3,734 | 4.33 | 2.4% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 17 | 0.88 | 756 | 0.88 | 0% safer |
| Public Order | 121 | 6.24 | 5,392 | 6.25 | 0.16% safer |
| Robbery | 6 | 0.31 | 385 | 0.45 | 45% safer |
| Shoplifting | 57 | 2.94 | 3,351 | 3.88 | 32% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 6 | 0.31 | 352 | 0.41 | 32% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 47 | 2.42 | 3,137 | 3.63 | 50% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 500 | 25.77 | 20,384 | 23.61 | 8% more dangerous |
Crime in Lancing Compared To West Sussex
Lancing Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angmering | 375 | 44.94 | 33% safer |
| Rustington | 639 | 45.49 | 31% safer |
| Selsey | 545 | 50.65 | 18% safer |
| Billingshurst | 532 | 55.77 | 7% safer |
| Sompting | 501 | 56.52 | 6% safer |
| Lancing | 1,160 | 59.79 | - |
| Bersted | 641 | 62.91 | 5.0% more dangerous |
| Southwick | 790 | 65.68 | 9% more dangerous |
| Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common | 715 | 92.62 | 35% more dangerous |
Lancing Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 23 | 15 | 14 | 18 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.36 | 0.82 | 1.0 | 1.3 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 4.3 | 2.8 | 5 | 3.0 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 10 | 6 | 8 | 8 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.7 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 0.67 | 1.3 | 0.88 | 1.6 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5 | 4.2 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.72 | 0.57 | 1.1 | 0.88 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 4.7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.41 | 0.36 | 0.88 | 0.31 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 2.6 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 2.9 | Getting worse |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.4 | 0.15 | 0.26 | 0.31 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.2 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 2.4 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 19 | 20 | 26 | 26 | Getting worse |
Changes In Lancing's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Lancing to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Lancing | 59.79 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 12% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 23% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 28% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 30% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 31% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 39% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 42% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 44% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 55% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 56% more dangerous |
Crime in Lancing's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marsh Barn & Widewater | 412 | 72 | First |
| South Lancing | 441 | 56 | Second |
Crime in Lancing During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Lancing change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in December, when Lancing saw a 800% increase in shoplifting. Lancing saw a large fall in burglary during July, when it fell by 90% compared to July in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +7% | +83% | +140% | +95% | +3% | - | -7% | +35% | -33% | -47% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | -80% | +200% | +300% | - | +100% | - | - | +200% | -33% |
| Burglary | - | -50% | -64% | -38% | -90% | - | -71% | +150% | -64% | -44% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -29% | -14% | - | +33% | +50% | +64% | -25% | -14% | -17% | -42% |
| Drugs | +33% | -50% | +75% | -56% | +200% | - | +100% | - | +100% | +400% |
| Other Crime | +300% | - | +200% | +200% | +200% | -33% | - | +200% | +100% | +67% |
| Other Theft | -10% | -25% | +180% | -54% | -73% | - | -14% | - | -55% | -55% |
| Possession of Weapons | -50% | - | -75% | +100% | - | - | +300% | -50% | +50% | - |
| Public Order | - | -20% | +71% | +71% | +56% | +27% | +117% | -67% | +17% | +167% |
| Robbery | -80% | - | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | +300% | - | +100% | - | +300% | +300% | +200% | - | -89% | +800% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -67% | -50% | -40% | +200% | -83% | -25% | -75% | +50% | +100% | +20% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -23% | -31% | +44% | - | +55% | +21% | -11% | -17% | +7% | -24% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Lancing
What police force serves Lancing?
Lancing's local territorial police force is the Sussex Police.How dangerous is Lancing?
Lancing is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in West Sussex.What is Lancing's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Lancing are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Lancing?
Lancing's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021