Crime and Safety in Lancing
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Lancing is the third most dangerous small town in West Sussex, and is the 29th most dangerous overall out of West Sussex's 161 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Lancing in 2026 is 56 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to West Sussex's overall crime rate, coming in 6% lower than the West Sussex rate of 60 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Lancing is the 329th most dangerous small town, and the 2,132nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In January 2022, Lancing had the worst crime rate in West Sussex for shoplifting, with 28 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.4 per 1,000 daytime population. June 2019 was also a bad month for Lancing residents, when it was West Sussex's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 3 crimes at a rate of 0.15 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Lancing are violence and sexual offences, with 460 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 22. This is 0.65% lower than 2025's figure of 463 offences and a difference of 0.16 from 2025's crime rate of 22. Lancing's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 3 offences recorded in 2026, the same as 2025's figure of 3 crimes.
Lancing 2026 Crime Scorecard
Third Most Dangerous
Small Towns, West Sussex
8% lower, regional crime rate
South East
22% lower, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Lancing is 8% lower than the South East and 22% lower than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Lancing Crime Rate Over Time
| Lancing | |
| South East | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Lancing Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Lancing represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
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 visualise the data you need.
See How Lancing Compares
You can compare Lancing's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Lancing's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Lancing up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Lancing's 866 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Lancing? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Lancing • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Lancing has a crime risk score of 406. This is based on analysis of 866 nearby areas within Lancing, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Lancing's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Lancing, crime risk scores are typically around 406, while in West Sussex they are average 431.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 488 (451 for West Sussex), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 551 (West Sussex 461).
Trends in Crime Risk
Lancing
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
The 10-year trend indicates a decrease of 12% in Lancing's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
The five-year trend may be static; no significant trend was identified in Lancing's crime risk scores during this timeframe.
Over the last year, Lancing's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 7%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Lancing
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Lancing • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Possession of Weapons offences have a crime rate of 1.07 reports per 1,000 people in Lancing, which is 1.53 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 22 crime reports logged by Sussex Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Sussex Police recorded 192 reports of Shoplifting in Lancing, resulting in a crime rate of 9.16 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.28.
The crime rate for Robbery is 1.20 times the national average at 0.95 reports per 1,000. This is from 20 crime reports reported to Sussex Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Lancing
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Possession of Weapons offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.43 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Possession of Weapons CrimeRate Index was 1.43 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 0% over this timeframe.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.90 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.06 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 15% over this timeframe.
Vehicle Crime offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.40 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Vehicle Crime CrimeRate Index was 0.34 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 18% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Lancing
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.55 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 1.02 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 46% over this timeframe.
Drugs offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.22 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Drugs CrimeRate Index was 1.14 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 81% over this timeframe.
Theft From the Person offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of - for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 0.38 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a near-complete decrease over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Lancing • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Lancing | West Sussex | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 323 | 15.40 | 1.09 | 14,461 | 14.47 | 1.02 | 115,500 | 10.87 | 0.77 |
| Bicycle Theft | 3 | 0.15 | 0.88 | 639 | 0.65 | 0.89 | 7,315 | 0.68 | 0.93 |
| Burglary | 26 | 1.25 | 0.48 | 2,154 | 2.16 | 0.69 | 23,535 | 2.23 | 0.71 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 104 | 4.93 | 0.79 | 5,634 | 5.64 | 0.90 | 58,501 | 5.50 | 0.88 |
| Drugs | 36 | 1.71 | 0.60 | 2,118 | 2.12 | 0.69 | 25,203 | 2.37 | 0.77 |
| Other Crime | 45 | 2.16 | 1.17 | 1,447 | 1.44 | 0.78 | 17,151 | 1.61 | 0.87 |
| Other Theft | 115 | 5.47 | 0.96 | 4,493 | 4.49 | 0.79 | 51,336 | 4.84 | 0.85 |
| Possession of Weapons | 22 | 1.07 | 1.53 | 1,393 | 1.40 | 1.65 | 8,736 | 0.81 | 0.95 |
| Public Order | 103 | 4.92 | 0.85 | 5,790 | 5.80 | 1.00 | 54,745 | 5.15 | 0.89 |
| Robbery | 20 | 0.95 | 1.20 | 798 | 0.80 | 0.68 | 7,588 | 0.72 | 0.61 |
| Shoplifting | 192 | 9.16 | 1.28 | 8,432 | 8.45 | 1.19 | 72,983 | 6.88 | 0.96 |
| Theft From the Person | 4 | 0.20 | 0.51 | 330 | 0.32 | 0.21 | 4,668 | 0.45 | 0.29 |
| Vehicle Crime | 49 | 2.35 | 0.55 | 2,579 | 2.57 | 0.60 | 34,099 | 3.22 | 0.75 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 460 | 21.92 | 0.72 | 24,119 | 24.14 | 0.79 | 286,815 | 26.98 | 0.89 |
Download | |||||||||
Total Crime by Year
Lancing | West Sussex | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 1,179 | 56.24 | 0.82 | 59,926 | 59.98 | 0.83 | 652,675 | 61.44 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 1,380 | 66.22 | 0.96 | 61,382 | 61.79 | 0.83 | 670,274 | 63.35 | 0.86 |
| 2024 | 1,865 | 90.46 | 1.25 | 65,391 | 66.53 | 0.88 | 690,903 | 65.86 | 0.87 |
| 2023 | 1,325 | 64.86 | 0.87 | 61,050 | 62.51 | 0.79 | 713,547 | 68.83 | 0.87 |
| 2022 | 1,165 | 57.28 | 0.77 | 55,862 | 57.68 | 0.75 | 704,444 | 68.58 | 0.89 |
| 2021 | 1,140 | 56.10 | 0.83 | 50,485 | 52.57 | 0.77 | 625,484 | 61.36 | 0.89 |
| 2020 | 1,106 | 54.62 | 0.76 | 57,437 | 60.32 | 0.81 | 669,219 | 65.97 | 0.89 |
| 2019 | 952 | 47.32 | 0.66 | 53,654 | 56.81 | 0.75 | 666,505 | 65.82 | 0.86 |
| 2018 | 1,194 | 59.44 | 0.89 | 51,092 | 54.30 | 0.76 | 644,142 | 63.85 | 0.90 |
| 2017 | 1,005 | 49.83 | 0.83 | 47,080 | 50.51 | 0.79 | 552,696 | 55.04 | 0.86 |
| 2016 | 268 | 13.29 | 0.73 | 14,156 | 15.21 | 0.80 | 160,273 | 15.99 | 0.84 |
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Lancing Compared to Nearby Small Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bersted | 876 | 72.89 | 30% more dangerous |
| Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common | 576 | 64.95 | 15% more dangerous |
| Lancing | 1,179 | 56.24 | - |
| Shoreham-by-Sea | 1,284 | 55.89 | 0.62% safer |
| Southwick | 644 | 50.59 | 10% safer |
| Selsey | 543 | 48.51 | 14% safer |
| Felpham | 561 | 46.43 | 17% safer |
| Angmering | 449 | 44.90 | 20% safer |
| Rustington | 662 | 45.78 | 19% safer |
| Sompting | 365 | 40.43 | 28% safer |
| Billingshurst | 531 | 42.95 | 24% safer |
| Worth | 544 | 42.26 | 25% safer |
| Hassocks | 321 | 34.35 | 39% safer |
| Aldwick | 360 | 30.96 | 45% safer |
| Southwater | 343 | 26.26 | 53% safer |
| North Horsham | 675 | 28.48 | 49% safer |
Comparing Lancing to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Lancing | 56.24 | - |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 41% more dangerous |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 47% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 50% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 74% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 86% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 87% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 89% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 90% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 92% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 122% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
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You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Lancing's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Lancing that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancing and Sompting Cemetery | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Lancing Manor Leisure Centre | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
| Manor Park Gardens | 3 | - | - | - | 4 | 3 |
| Monks Recreation Ground | 14 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 34 | 117 |
| Croshaw Recreation Ground | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 3 |
| The Brooklands Pleasure Grounds | 4 | 1 | 2 | - | 9 | 7 |
| Headborough Gardens | 7 | - | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| Beach Green | 11 | - | 4 | - | 7 | 11 |
| Lancing Manor Allotment | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Adur Recreation Ground | 4 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 4 |
| East Lancing Recreation Ground | 2 | - | - | - | 8 | 6 |
Recent Crimes in Lancing
The 20 most recent crime reports in Lancing.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Lisher Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Roberts Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Shopsdam Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near The Terrace | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near The Terrace | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near The Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Lisher Road | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Derek Road | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Lisher Road | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Lisher Road | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near The Paddocks | |
| April 2026 | Possession of weapons | On or near Eighth Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near The Terrace | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Lisher Road | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Lisher Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Shopsdam Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Kimber Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Penstone Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Beachcroft Place | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Police Station |
Methodology & Data Sources
Lancing Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Lancing during July 2026 will typically become available in September 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Lancing Data Points
For Lancing, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E04009847.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Lancing's daytime - or "workday" - population of 16,805 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Lancing