Crime in Southampton
Recorded crime in Southampton is 1.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 14%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
259,424 residents in 152 neighbourhoods. 2% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 8.5/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- −14%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 14% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Southampton, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.5× the England and Wales average. 122 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 63% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
- Robbery: 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: 22 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 | 1.5 |
| Burglary | 7.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 49.7 |
| Drugs | 4.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.7 |
| Other crime | 1.9 |
| Other theft | 8.2 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.1 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 8.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 11.5 |
| Public order | 13.0 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.8 |
| Shoplifting | 10.2 |
What crimes are recorded in Southampton
120.0 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Southampton in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 30,120. Home Office recorded crime: 31,120 (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 | 701 | 2.7 | Up 4% |
| Cars broken into | 863 | 3.3 | Down 8% |
| Vehicle tampering | 294 | 1.1 | Down 2% |
| Vandalism to homes | 603 | 2.3 | About the same |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 390 | 1.5 | Down 16% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 773 | 3.0 | Up 2% |
| Arson | 113 | 0.44 | Up 51% |
| Burglary of homes | 613 | 2.4 | Up 8% |
| Burglary of businesses | 402 | 1.5 | Down 14% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 7 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 233 | 0.90 | Up 5% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 255 | 0.98 | Up 5% |
| Robbery of people | 275 | 1.1 | Down 6% |
| Robbery of businesses | 256 | 0.99 | Up 631% |
| Violence with injury | 3,374 | 13.0 | Down 6% |
| Violence without injury | 4,803 | 18.5 | Down 6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 3,493 | 13.5 | Down 2% |
| Sexual offences | 1,281 | 4.9 | Down 7% |
| Shoplifting | 3,949 | 15.2 | Up 9% |
| Bicycle theft | 441 | 1.7 | Up 3% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 257 | 0.99 | Down 21% |
| Drug dealing | 265 | 1.0 | Down 35% |
| Drug possession | 1,301 | 5.0 | Up 18% |
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.
Hampshire Police area: 988 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (945 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Southampton.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Southampton, 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) | 14,858 | 6% | 8% | 59% | 19% | 8% |
| Shoplifting | 3,359 | 30% | 5% | 23% | 39% | 2% |
| Public order | 2,704 | 7% | 6% | 44% | 36% | 7% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 2,199 | 6% | 7% | 28% | 54% | 4% |
| Other theft | 1,843 | 1% | 2% | 22% | 69% | 6% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1,630 | 3% | 1% | 11% | 83% | 3% |
| Drugs | 1,186 | 9% | 48% | 24% | 12% | 7% |
| Burglary | 1,183 | 8% | 1% | 23% | 62% | 7% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 590 | 14% | 9% | 45% | 21% | 11% |
| Other crime | 537 | 16% | 5% | 52% | 13% | 14% |
| Bicycle theft | 377 | 1% | 0% | 7% | 88% | 4% |
| Robbery | 319 | 12% | 3% | 40% | 39% | 6% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 296 | 3% | 1% | 20% | 71% | 6% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 7% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Southampton
Postcode districts in Southampton
Questions about crime in Southampton
- Is Southampton a safe place to live?
- Southampton scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Southampton?
- Down 14% over 5 years, from 35,633 recorded crimes a year to 30,814.
- What is the most common crime in Southampton?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 50 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Southampton?
- In Southampton, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 34% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Southampton?
- Of 1,183 burglaries reported in Southampton between September 2024 and August 2025, 8% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 62% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Southampton?
- In Southampton, the police recorded 701 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.7 per 1,000 residents, up 4% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Southampton?
- 1,766 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Southampton in 2025/26, 6.8 per 1,000 residents, 1.4 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Southampton last year?
- 7 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Southampton in 2025/26, against 3 the year before.