Crime in Brighton and Hove
Recorded crime in Brighton and Hove is 1.1 times the England and Wales average. It is about the same as 5 years ago. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
283,870 residents in 165 neighbourhoods. 3% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.9/10Good
- 5-year change
- 0%about the same
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes in Brighton and Hove, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the England and Wales average. 97 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 61% of the harm here
- Burglary: 11% of the harm here
- Robbery: 8% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 61% 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: 27 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 | 1.3 |
| Burglary | 4.1 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 35.0 |
| Drugs | 3.8 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.4 |
| Other crime | 2.1 |
| Other theft | 10.0 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.2 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 9.0 |
| Public order | 10.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 3.0 |
| Shoplifting | 10.1 |
What crimes are recorded in Brighton and Hove
100.4 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Brighton and Hove in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 28,311. Home Office recorded crime: 28,510 (1% 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 | 395 | 1.4 | Down 35% |
| Cars broken into | 359 | 1.3 | Down 38% |
| Vehicle tampering | 86 | 0.30 | Down 22% |
| Vandalism to homes | 542 | 1.9 | Down 14% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 456 | 1.6 | Down 20% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 588 | 2.1 | Down 11% |
| Arson | 119 | 0.42 | Up 16% |
| Burglary of homes | 389 | 1.4 | Down 27% |
| Burglary of businesses | 376 | 1.3 | Down 18% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 209 | 0.74 | Down 4% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 225 | 0.79 | Down 12% |
| Robbery of people | 281 | 0.99 | About the same |
| Robbery of businesses | 257 | 0.91 | Up 367% |
| Violence with injury | 2,885 | 10.2 | Down 3% |
| Violence without injury | 4,360 | 15.4 | Down 7% |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,034 | 7.2 | Up 2% |
| Sexual offences | 1,231 | 4.3 | Down 4% |
| Shoplifting | 4,721 | 16.6 | Down 4% |
| Bicycle theft | 379 | 1.3 | Down 38% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 461 | 1.6 | Down 8% |
| Drug dealing | 384 | 1.4 | Down 15% |
| Drug possession | 1,106 | 3.9 | Up 14% |
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.
Sussex Police area: 892 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,043 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Brighton and Hove.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Brighton and Hove, 10% 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) | 10,569 | 8% | 6% | 50% | 27% | 10% |
| Shoplifting | 5,161 | 16% | 2% | 21% | 56% | 6% |
| Public order | 3,185 | 11% | 2% | 33% | 46% | 8% |
| Other theft | 2,589 | 2% | 1% | 11% | 80% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 2,240 | 5% | 5% | 22% | 61% | 7% |
| Drugs | 1,408 | 26% | 34% | 14% | 14% | 13% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1,093 | 2% | 0% | 6% | 85% | 6% |
| Burglary | 995 | 10% | 1% | 17% | 63% | 9% |
| Other crime | 754 | 10% | 31% | 29% | 18% | 13% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 468 | 1% | 1% | 11% | 78% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 460 | 2% | 0% | 3% | 87% | 7% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 434 | 32% | 5% | 35% | 16% | 12% |
| Robbery | 375 | 10% | 1% | 31% | 51% | 7% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Brighton and Hove
Postcode districts in Brighton and Hove
Monthly report: Brighton and Hove crime figures for August 2026
Questions about crime in Brighton and Hove
- Is Brighton and Hove a safe place to live?
- Brighton and Hove scores 3 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Brighton and Hove?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 28,014 recorded crimes a year then, 28,120 now.
- What is the most common crime in Brighton and Hove?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 35 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Brighton and Hove?
- In Brighton and Hove, 10% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 46% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Brighton and Hove?
- Of 995 burglaries reported in Brighton and Hove between September 2024 and August 2025, 10% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 63% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Brighton and Hove?
- In Brighton and Hove, the police recorded 395 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.4 per 1,000 residents, down 35% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Brighton and Hove?
- 1,586 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Brighton and Hove in 2025/26, 5.6 per 1,000 residents, 1.2 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Brighton and Hove last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in Brighton and Hove in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.