Crime in Cowes
Recorded crime in Cowes is 0.7 times the Isle of Wight average and 0.7 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.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Cowes: about 14,598 residents in 14 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 6.2/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −1%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 0.7×the Isle of Wight average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Cowes.
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Cowes, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the Isle of Wight average (0.7× the England and Wales average). 53 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 77% of the harm here
- Burglary: 7% of the harm here
- Drugs: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 77% 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: 9.6 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Isle of Wight (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Isle of Wight council area, not only Cowes. 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 | 86 | 0.61 | Up 15% |
| Cars broken into | 65 | 0.46 | Down 8% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 606 | 4.3 | Down 8% |
| Burglary of homes | 127 | 0.90 | Up 4% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in PO31
In PO31, the postcode district at the centre of Cowes, 4% 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) | 398 | 4% | 8% | 70% | 12% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 62 | 3% | 5% | 19% | 73% | 0% |
| Public order | 62 | 0% | 10% | 42% | 44% | 5% |
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.
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 | 1.6 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 27.7 |
| Drugs | 1.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 1.0 |
| Other theft | 3.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.3 |
| Public order | 6.0 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 2.6 |
Postcode districts in Cowes
Nearby towns
Council: Isle of Wight
Questions about crime in Cowes
- Is Cowes a safe place to live?
- Cowes scores 6 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.7 times the Isle of Wight average.
- Is crime going up or down in Cowes?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 846 recorded crimes a year then, 837 now.
- What is the most common crime in Cowes?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 28 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Cowes compare with Isle of Wight?
- Crime severity in Cowes is 0.7 times the Isle of Wight average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Cowes?
- In PO31, the postcode district at the centre of Cowes, 4% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 28% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Cowes?
- In Isle of Wight, the council area Cowes is in, the police recorded 86 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, up 15% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Cowes?
- 606 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Isle of Wight, the council area Cowes is in, 4.3 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Cowes last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in 2025/26, in Isle of Wight, the council area Cowes is in, against 0 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.