Crime in Lewes
Recorded crime in Lewes is 1.5 times the Lewes council average and about the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 13%. 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 Lewes: about 13,563 residents in 14 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Living
- 7.6/10Good
- 5-year change
- −13%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.5×the Lewes council average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Lewes.
Crime over 5 years
Down 13% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Lewes, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.5× the Lewes council average (about the England and Wales average). 88 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 65% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Other crime: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 65% 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: 28 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Lewes (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Lewes council area, not only the town of Lewes. 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 | 62 | 0.61 | Down 53% |
| Cars broken into | 60 | 0.59 | Down 26% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 406 | 4.0 | Down 9% |
| Burglary of homes | 90 | 0.88 | Down 11% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in BN7
In BN7, the postcode district at the centre of Lewes, 7% 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) | 673 | 5% | 7% | 54% | 23% | 11% |
| Shoplifting | 183 | 19% | 7% | 14% | 57% | 4% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 169 | 2% | 10% | 21% | 60% | 7% |
| Public order | 141 | 3% | 4% | 33% | 48% | 13% |
| Other theft | 103 | 0% | 2% | 17% | 78% | 4% |
| Other crime | 88 | 7% | 9% | 35% | 40% | 9% |
| Drugs | 69 | 13% | 41% | 26% | 4% | 16% |
| Burglary | 51 | 4% | 0% | 6% | 84% | 6% |
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.
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 | 0.4 |
| Burglary | 4.1 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 33.1 |
| Drugs | 2.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.9 |
| Other crime | 6.2 |
| Other theft | 6.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.0 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 3.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 11.8 |
| Public order | 8.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.8 |
| Shoplifting | 7.7 |
Postcode districts in Lewes
Nearby towns
Council: Lewes
Questions about crime in Lewes
- Is Lewes a safe place to live?
- Lewes scores 4 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.5 times the Lewes council average.
- Is crime going up or down in Lewes?
- Down 13% over 5 years, from 1,332 recorded crimes a year to 1,156.
- What is the most common crime in Lewes?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 33 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Lewes compare with Lewes council?
- Crime severity in Lewes is 1.5 times the Lewes council average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Lewes?
- In BN7, the postcode district at the centre of Lewes, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 42% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Lewes?
- Of 51 burglaries reported in BN7, the postcode district at the centre of Lewes between September 2024 and August 2025, 4% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 84% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Lewes?
- In the Lewes council area, the police recorded 62 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, down 53% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Lewes?
- 406 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Lewes council area, 4.0 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Lewes last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Lewes council area, against 1 the year before.