Crime in South Cambridgeshire
Recorded crime in South Cambridgeshire is 0.6 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 7%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
172,544 residents in 99 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Safety in the world
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 4.4/10Weak
- 5-year change
- +7%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 7% in 5 years Recorded crimes in South Cambridgeshire, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.6× the England and Wales average. 43 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 55% of the harm here
- Burglary: 25% of the harm here
- Other theft: 6% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 9.6 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 | 0.2 |
| Burglary | 4.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 15.7 |
| Drugs | 0.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.3 |
| Other crime | 1.1 |
| Other theft | 4.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.3 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.1 |
| Public order | 3.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.2 |
| Shoplifting | 1.7 |
What crimes are recorded in South Cambridgeshire
46.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in South Cambridgeshire in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 7,841. Home Office recorded crime: 8,085 (3% 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 | 227 | 1.3 | Up 30% |
| Cars broken into | 308 | 1.8 | Down 3% |
| Vehicle tampering | 86 | 0.50 | Down 2% |
| Vandalism to homes | 173 | 1.0 | Up 5% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 79 | 0.46 | About the same |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 237 | 1.4 | Down 6% |
| Arson | 44 | 0.26 | Up 10% |
| Burglary of homes | 253 | 1.5 | Up 28% |
| Burglary of businesses | 197 | 1.1 | Down 12% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 46 | 0.27 | Up 70% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 73 | 0.42 | Up 78% |
| Robbery of people | 51 | 0.30 | Up 46% |
| Robbery of businesses | 8 | - | - |
| Violence with injury | 642 | 3.7 | Up 18% |
| Violence without injury | 1,357 | 7.9 | Up 8% |
| Stalking and harassment | 897 | 5.2 | Up 5% |
| Sexual offences | 315 | 1.8 | Down 5% |
| Shoplifting | 676 | 3.9 | Down 12% |
| Bicycle theft | 129 | 0.75 | Up 57% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 26 | 0.15 | Down 7% |
| Drug dealing | 199 | 1.2 | Up 665% |
| Drug possession | 120 | 0.70 | Up 9% |
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.
Cambridgeshire Police area: 609 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (606 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only South Cambridgeshire.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In South Cambridgeshire, 6% 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) | 3,189 | 6% | 7% | 69% | 12% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 781 | 2% | 5% | 30% | 62% | 1% |
| Other theft | 613 | 1% | 1% | 25% | 69% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 594 | 3% | 0% | 10% | 85% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 526 | 22% | 3% | 8% | 66% | 1% |
| Burglary | 505 | 4% | 1% | 10% | 83% | 3% |
| Public order | 477 | 9% | 8% | 50% | 26% | 7% |
| Other crime | 227 | 8% | 10% | 54% | 15% | 12% |
| Drugs | 155 | 15% | 41% | 16% | 15% | 13% |
| Bicycle theft | 115 | 0% | 0% | 7% | 86% | 7% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 104 | 16% | 12% | 41% | 20% | 11% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 5% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Postcode districts in South Cambridgeshire
Questions about crime in South Cambridgeshire
- Is South Cambridgeshire a safe place to live?
- South Cambridgeshire scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in South Cambridgeshire?
- Up 7% over 5 years, from 7,683 recorded crimes a year to 8,207.
- What is the most common crime in South Cambridgeshire?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 16 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in South Cambridgeshire?
- In South Cambridgeshire, 6% 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 South Cambridgeshire?
- Of 505 burglaries reported in South Cambridgeshire between September 2024 and August 2025, 4% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 83% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in South Cambridgeshire?
- In South Cambridgeshire, the police recorded 227 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.3 per 1,000 residents, up 30% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in South Cambridgeshire?
- 489 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in South Cambridgeshire in 2025/26, 2.8 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in South Cambridgeshire last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in South Cambridgeshire in 2025/26, against 0 the year before.