Southwick Crime Overview
Southwick is the second most dangerous small town in West Sussex, and is the 23rd most dangerous overall out of West Sussex's 161 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Southwick in 2020 was 66 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to West Sussex's overall crime rate, coming in 11% higher than the West Sussex rate of 59 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Southwick is the 246th most dangerous small town, and the 1,698th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, Southwick was the worst small town in West Sussex for criminal damage and arson, with 34 crimes reported and a crime rate of 2.8 per 1,000 inhabitants. April 2020 was also a bad month for Southwick residents, when it was West Sussex's most dangerous small town for other crime, recording 3 crimes at a rate of 0.25 per 1,000 residents. Southwick recorded 2 reports of possession of weapons during October 2020, making its crime rate of 0.17 the worst small town for possession of weapons in West Sussex that month.
The most common crimes in Southwick are violence and sexual offences, with 337 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 28. This is 5% lower than 2019's figure of 354 offences and a difference of 1.41 from 2019's crime rate of 29. Southwick's least common crime is robbery, with 5 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 80% from 2019's figure of 9 crimes.
Compare Southwick to other towns and cities
See how Southwick shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Southwick and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Southwick Crime Map
Crime in Southwick Compared To West Sussex
Summary of Crimes in Southwick This Year
| Southwick | West Sussex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 276 | 22.95 | 20,276 | 23.49 | 2.4% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 12 | 1.00 | 1,035 | 1.20 | 20% safer |
| Burglary | 24 | 2.00 | 2,620 | 3.04 | 52% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 122 | 10.14 | 5,808 | 6.73 | 34% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 30 | 2.49 | 2,356 | 2.73 | 10% safer |
| Other Crime | 21 | 1.75 | 1,236 | 1.43 | 18% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 45 | 3.74 | 3,734 | 4.33 | 16% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 14 | 1.16 | 756 | 0.88 | 24% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 78 | 6.48 | 5,392 | 6.25 | 3.5% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 5 | 0.42 | 385 | 0.45 | 7% safer |
| Shoplifting | 42 | 3.49 | 3,351 | 3.88 | 11% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 6 | 0.50 | 352 | 0.41 | 18% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 54 | 4.49 | 3,137 | 3.63 | 19% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 337 | 28.02 | 20,384 | 23.61 | 16% more dangerous |
Southwick Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selsey | 545 | 50.65 | 30% safer |
| Billingshurst | 532 | 55.77 | 18% safer |
| Sompting | 501 | 56.52 | 16% safer |
| Lancing | 1,160 | 59.79 | 10% safer |
| Bersted | 641 | 62.91 | 4.4% safer |
| Southwick | 790 | 65.68 | - |
| Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common | 715 | 92.62 | 29% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in Southwick
View crime percentage over time forSouthwick Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 20 | 14 | 16 | 23 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.1 | 0.67 | 0.83 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.0 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 1.3 | 0.91 | 1.2 | 2.5 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.4 | 0.91 | 1.6 | 1.8 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 5 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.58 | 0.50 | 1.2 | 1.2 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 4.7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.17 | 0.42 | 0.75 | 0.42 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 2.6 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 3.5 | Getting worse |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.50 | 0.67 | 0.67 | 0.50 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.7 | 3.7 | 6 | 4.5 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 22 | 23 | 29 | 28 | Getting worse |
Changes In Southwick's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Southwick to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Southwick | 65.68 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 3.0% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 15% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 21% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 23% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 24% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 33% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 36% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 39% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 51% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 52% more dangerous |
Crime in Southwick During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Southwick change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in November, when Southwick saw a 580% increase in criminal damage and arson. Southwick saw a large fall in burglary during May, when it fell by 80% compared to May in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +64% | +131% | +192% | +35% | -5% | +28% | +114% | -8% | +113% | -56% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | -33% | - | - | +100% | +100% | - | - | - |
| Burglary | +200% | -67% | -80% | - | -33% | +200% | -50% | +100% | - | - |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +75% | -56% | -57% | -43% | -8% | +400% | +40% | +71% | +580% | -22% |
| Drugs | - | +100% | - | +100% | +200% | +50% | - | - | +200% | -75% |
| Other Crime | +100% | +200% | - | - | -50% | - | - | +200% | -50% | - |
| Other Theft | -17% | -29% | +100% | -25% | -50% | -60% | +100% | +150% | -20% | -50% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | +100% | +100% | +200% | - | - | -50% | +100% | -67% | - |
| Public Order | - | -43% | -43% | +67% | +17% | +67% | - | +14% | - | -58% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | +50% | -33% | -80% | +100% | - | -63% | +50% | +100% | -25% | -40% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | +100% | +50% | -71% | -33% | -50% | -30% | -63% | +500% | +33% | -33% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +15% | -31% | +12% | -17% | -8% | -6% | +18% | -30% | -16% | -59% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Southwick
What police force serves Southwick?
Southwick's local territorial police force is the Sussex Police.How dangerous is Southwick?
Southwick is the second most dangerous small town in West Sussex.What is Southwick's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Southwick are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Southwick?
Southwick's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 07 May 2021