Crime in Braintree
Recorded crime in Braintree is 0.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 23%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
164,304 residents in 88 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.1/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −23%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 23% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Braintree, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.8× the England and Wales average. 61 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 67% of the harm here
- Burglary: 14% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 67% 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: 13 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
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 | 0.4 |
| Burglary | 3.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 27.2 |
| Drugs | 2.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 1.5 |
| Other theft | 5.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.3 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.8 |
| Public order | 5.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 |
| Shoplifting | 3.8 |
What crimes are recorded in Braintree
53.3 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Braintree in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 8,962. Home Office recorded crime: 8,752 (2% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. 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 | 185 | 1.1 | Down 23% |
| Cars broken into | 197 | 1.2 | Down 24% |
| Vehicle tampering | 69 | 0.42 | Down 24% |
| Vandalism to homes | 147 | 0.89 | Down 18% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 68 | 0.41 | Down 27% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 215 | 1.3 | Down 11% |
| Arson | 45 | 0.27 | Down 17% |
| Burglary of homes | 177 | 1.1 | Up 32% |
| Burglary of businesses | 87 | 0.53 | Down 36% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 45 | 0.27 | Up 29% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 59 | 0.36 | Up 23% |
| Robbery of people | 57 | 0.35 | Up 30% |
| Robbery of businesses | 19 | 0.12 | Up 46% |
| Violence with injury | 918 | 5.6 | Down 5% |
| Violence without injury | 1,599 | 9.7 | About the same |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,375 | 8.4 | Up 16% |
| Sexual offences | 440 | 2.7 | Down 6% |
| Shoplifting | 609 | 3.7 | Down 30% |
| Bicycle theft | 29 | 0.18 | Down 34% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 39 | 0.24 | Down 33% |
| Drug dealing | 151 | 0.92 | Up 6% |
| Drug possession | 261 | 1.6 | About the same |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Essex Police area: 1,373 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,500 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Braintree.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Braintree, 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) | 4,577 | 7% | 14% | 58% | 16% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 801 | 5% | 9% | 27% | 57% | 2% |
| Other theft | 780 | 2% | 3% | 23% | 67% | 5% |
| Public order | 715 | 8% | 10% | 44% | 33% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 698 | 13% | 4% | 16% | 66% | 1% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 512 | 1% | 0% | 10% | 86% | 3% |
| Drugs | 415 | 21% | 49% | 7% | 21% | 2% |
| Burglary | 339 | 6% | 1% | 11% | 81% | 1% |
| Other crime | 294 | 16% | 9% | 46% | 22% | 7% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 103 | 31% | 18% | 32% | 10% | 9% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 51 | 6% | 0% | 33% | 57% | 4% |
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.
Towns and cities in Braintree
Postcode districts in Braintree
Questions about crime in Braintree
- Is Braintree a safe place to live?
- Braintree scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Braintree?
- Down 23% over 5 years, from 11,732 recorded crimes a year to 9,001.
- What is the most common crime in Braintree?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 27 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Braintree?
- In Braintree, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 36% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Braintree?
- Of 339 burglaries reported in Braintree between September 2024 and August 2025, 6% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 81% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Braintree?
- In Braintree, the police recorded 185 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.1 per 1,000 residents, down 23% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Braintree?
- 430 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Braintree in 2025/26, 2.6 per 1,000 residents, 0.5 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Braintree last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Braintree in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.