Crime in Clacton-on-Sea
Recorded crime in Clacton-on-Sea is 1.9 times the Tendring average and 2.2 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 12%. 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 Clacton-on-Sea: about 22,089 residents in 18 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Living
- 7.5/10Good
- 5-year change
- −12%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.9×the Tendring average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Clacton-on-Sea.
Crime over 5 years
Down 12% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Clacton-on-Sea, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.9× the Tendring average (2.2× the England and Wales average). 166 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 71% of the harm here
- Burglary: 9% of the harm here
- Robbery: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 71% 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: 34 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Tendring (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Tendring council area, not only Clacton-on-Sea. 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 | 300 | 1.9 | Up 3% |
| Cars broken into | 257 | 1.6 | Up 12% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 718 | 4.6 | Down 12% |
| Burglary of homes | 239 | 1.5 | Up 14% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in CO15
In CO15, the postcode district at the centre of Clacton-on-Sea, 8% 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) | 3,020 | 7% | 7% | 68% | 14% | 4% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 598 | 6% | 4% | 36% | 51% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 539 | 13% | 2% | 14% | 70% | 1% |
| Public order | 496 | 8% | 2% | 62% | 24% | 3% |
| Other theft | 359 | 3% | 3% | 27% | 63% | 5% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 208 | 2% | 1% | 19% | 73% | 4% |
| Drugs | 180 | 18% | 33% | 21% | 19% | 8% |
| Burglary | 179 | 13% | 1% | 22% | 59% | 5% |
| Other crime | 155 | 9% | 6% | 63% | 14% | 8% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 87 | 34% | 13% | 39% | 9% | 5% |
| Robbery | 57 | 11% | 0% | 42% | 39% | 9% |
| Bicycle theft | 53 | 2% | 0% | 11% | 79% | 8% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
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 | 2.0 |
| Burglary | 6.1 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 79.7 |
| Drugs | 6.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 2.1 |
| Other crime | 3.8 |
| Other theft | 10.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.5 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 7.5 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 15.9 |
| Public order | 15.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.4 |
| Shoplifting | 12.0 |
Postcode districts in Clacton-on-Sea
Nearby towns
Council: Tendring
Questions about crime in Clacton-on-Sea
- Is Clacton-on-Sea a safe place to live?
- Clacton-on-Sea scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.9 times the Tendring average.
- Is crime going up or down in Clacton-on-Sea?
- Down 12% over 5 years, from 3,870 recorded crimes a year to 3,398.
- What is the most common crime in Clacton-on-Sea?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 80 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Clacton-on-Sea compare with Tendring?
- Crime severity in Clacton-on-Sea is 1.9 times the Tendring average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Clacton-on-Sea?
- In CO15, the postcode district at the centre of Clacton-on-Sea, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 31% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Clacton-on-Sea?
- Of 179 burglaries reported in CO15, the postcode district at the centre of Clacton-on-Sea between September 2024 and August 2025, 13% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 59% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Clacton-on-Sea?
- In Tendring, the council area Clacton-on-Sea is in, the police recorded 300 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.9 per 1,000 residents, up 3% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Clacton-on-Sea?
- 718 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Tendring, the council area Clacton-on-Sea is in, 4.6 per 1,000 residents, about the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Clacton-on-Sea last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Tendring, the council area Clacton-on-Sea is in, against 2 the year before.