Crime in Crawley
Recorded crime in Crawley is 1.2 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 9%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
124,008 residents in 67 neighbourhoods. 4% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.4/10Good
- 5-year change
- +9%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 9% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Crawley, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.2× the England and Wales average. 102 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 63% of the harm here
- Burglary: 9% of the harm here
- Other theft: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 63% 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: 23 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 | 1.0 |
| Burglary | 3.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 38.6 |
| Drugs | 4.3 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 3.7 |
| Other crime | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 10.6 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.5 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.4 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 8.6 |
| Public order | 10.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.6 |
| Shoplifting | 10.6 |
What crimes are recorded in Crawley
109.1 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Crawley in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 13,697. Home Office recorded crime: 13,526 (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 | 201 | 1.6 | Up 16% |
| Cars broken into | 252 | 2.0 | Down 30% |
| Vehicle tampering | 58 | 0.47 | Down 27% |
| Vandalism to homes | 238 | 1.9 | Down 11% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 147 | 1.2 | Up 2% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 324 | 2.6 | Up 3% |
| Arson | 34 | 0.27 | Down 21% |
| Burglary of homes | 121 | 0.98 | Down 10% |
| Burglary of businesses | 169 | 1.4 | Up 7% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 443 | 3.6 | About the same |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 234 | 1.9 | Down 22% |
| Robbery of people | 116 | 0.94 | Down 15% |
| Robbery of businesses | 86 | 0.69 | Up 310% |
| Violence with injury | 1,429 | 11.5 | Down 9% |
| Violence without injury | 2,275 | 18.3 | Down 8% |
| Stalking and harassment | 969 | 7.8 | Up 3% |
| Sexual offences | 496 | 4.0 | Down 11% |
| Shoplifting | 1,960 | 15.8 | Up 3% |
| Bicycle theft | 103 | 0.83 | Down 17% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 133 | 1.1 | Down 16% |
| Drug dealing | 308 | 2.5 | Up 86% |
| Drug possession | 419 | 3.4 | Up 6% |
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 Crawley.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Crawley, 9% 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) | 5,318 | 7% | 7% | 54% | 21% | 10% |
| Shoplifting | 1,716 | 20% | 8% | 20% | 47% | 5% |
| Public order | 1,411 | 8% | 4% | 36% | 43% | 8% |
| Other theft | 1,279 | 1% | 2% | 12% | 77% | 8% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 919 | 5% | 6% | 25% | 59% | 5% |
| Drugs | 680 | 21% | 30% | 12% | 23% | 15% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 608 | 12% | 52% | 21% | 6% | 9% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 577 | 2% | 1% | 9% | 80% | 8% |
| Burglary | 394 | 7% | 1% | 10% | 72% | 10% |
| Other crime | 348 | 18% | 7% | 36% | 24% | 16% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 165 | 0% | 3% | 11% | 70% | 16% |
| Robbery | 155 | 10% | 1% | 34% | 47% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 130 | 4% | 2% | 5% | 79% | 9% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 9% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Crawley
Postcode districts in Crawley
Questions about crime in Crawley
- Is Crawley a safe place to live?
- Crawley 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 Crawley?
- Up 9% over 5 years, from 12,186 recorded crimes a year to 13,232.
- What is the most common crime in Crawley?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 39 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Crawley?
- In Crawley, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 39% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Crawley?
- Of 394 burglaries reported in Crawley between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 72% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Crawley?
- In Crawley, the police recorded 201 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.6 per 1,000 residents, up 16% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Crawley?
- 709 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Crawley in 2025/26, 5.7 per 1,000 residents, 1.2 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Crawley last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Crawley in 2025/26, against 0 the year before.