Crime in Bury St Edmunds
Recorded crime in Bury St Edmunds is 1.8 times the West Suffolk average and 1.4 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 30%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Bury St Edmunds: about 17,671 residents in 22 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 7.5/10Good
- 5-year change
- −30%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.8×the West Suffolk average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Bury St Edmunds.
Crime over 5 years
Down 30% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Bury St Edmunds, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.8× the West Suffolk average (1.4× the England and Wales average). 127 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 70% of the harm here
- Burglary: 8% of the harm here
- Drugs: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 70% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 20 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in West Suffolk (the whole partnership area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole West Suffolk partnership area, not only Bury St Edmunds. Figures for the Western Suffolk community safety partnership, which covers Babergh, Mid Suffolk and West Suffolk. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 257 | 0.65 | Up 7% |
| Cars broken into | 394 | 0.99 | Up 20% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,234 | 3.1 | Down 3% |
| Burglary of homes | 304 | 0.77 | Down 6% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 4 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in IP33
In IP33, the postcode district at the centre of Bury St Edmunds, 21% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 1,042 | 19% | 12% | 58% | 9% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 298 | 32% | 10% | 11% | 47% | 0% |
| Public order | 233 | 26% | 10% | 45% | 17% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 200 | 21% | 6% | 25% | 47% | 2% |
| Other theft | 180 | 1% | 4% | 22% | 71% | 2% |
| Drugs | 144 | 46% | 35% | 17% | 1% | 1% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 52 | 4% | 4% | 10% | 81% | 2% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 2% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
West Suffolk, 2023 to 2025: 255 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 78 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 18 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.4 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 31% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 51.0 |
| Drugs | 5.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.8 |
| Other crime | 2.3 |
| Other theft | 8.8 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2.1 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 3.5 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 13.9 |
| Public order | 15.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.8 |
| Shoplifting | 14.3 |
Postcode districts in Bury St Edmunds
Nearby towns
Council: West Suffolk
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Bury St Edmunds.
Questions about crime in Bury St Edmunds
- Is Bury St Edmunds a safe place to live?
- Bury St Edmunds scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.8 times the West Suffolk average.
- Is crime going up or down in Bury St Edmunds?
- Down 30% over 5 years, from 2,666 recorded crimes a year to 1,855.
- What is the most common crime in Bury St Edmunds?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 51 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Bury St Edmunds compare with West Suffolk?
- Crime severity in Bury St Edmunds is 1.8 times the West Suffolk average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Bury St Edmunds?
- In IP33, the postcode district at the centre of Bury St Edmunds, 21% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 26% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Bury St Edmunds?
- In 2025/26, in the Western Suffolk partnership area, which includes Bury St Edmunds, the police recorded 257 cars stolen (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, up 7% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Bury St Edmunds?
- 1,234 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Western Suffolk partnership area, which includes Bury St Edmunds, 3.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Bury St Edmunds last year?
- 4 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Western Suffolk partnership area, which includes Bury St Edmunds, against 2 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.