Crime in Lowestoft
Recorded crime in Lowestoft is 3.0 times the East Suffolk average and 2.2 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 25%. 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 Lowestoft: about 19,748 residents in 19 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Living
- 7.0/10Good
- 5-year change
- −25%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 3.0×the East Suffolk average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Lowestoft.
Crime over 5 years
Down 25% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Lowestoft, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 3.0× the East Suffolk average (2.2× the England and Wales average). 180 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 72% of the harm here
- Burglary: 9% of the harm here
- Robbery: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 72% 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: 30 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in East Suffolk (the whole partnership area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole East Suffolk partnership area, not only Lowestoft. Figures for the Suffolk Coastal and Waveney community safety partnerships, which together cover East Suffolk. 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 | 188 | 0.75 | Down 11% |
| Cars broken into | 258 | 1.0 | Up 9% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 961 | 3.8 | Down 5% |
| Burglary of homes | 178 | 0.71 | About the same |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in NR32
In NR32, the postcode district at the centre of Lowestoft, 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) | 1,649 | 7% | 23% | 55% | 11% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 371 | 8% | 9% | 25% | 54% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 307 | 19% | 4% | 9% | 68% | 1% |
| Other theft | 229 | 3% | 6% | 19% | 68% | 5% |
| Public order | 216 | 13% | 13% | 40% | 25% | 9% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 145 | 2% | 1% | 8% | 88% | 1% |
| Burglary | 135 | 7% | 1% | 12% | 79% | 2% |
| Other crime | 97 | 15% | 11% | 53% | 10% | 10% |
| Drugs | 96 | 33% | 38% | 16% | 5% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 59 | 0% | 0% | 8% | 92% | 0% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% 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 | 1.4 |
| Burglary | 6.3 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 81.5 |
| Drugs | 5.3 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 2.2 |
| Other crime | 3.4 |
| Other theft | 13.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.5 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 22.7 |
| Public order | 17.5 |
| Bicycle theft | 4.8 |
| Shoplifting | 14.4 |
Postcode districts in Lowestoft
Nearby towns
Council: East Suffolk
Questions about crime in Lowestoft
- Is Lowestoft a safe place to live?
- Lowestoft scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 3.0 times the East Suffolk average.
- Is crime going up or down in Lowestoft?
- Down 25% over 5 years, from 4,353 recorded crimes a year to 3,250.
- What is the most common crime in Lowestoft?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 81 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Lowestoft compare with East Suffolk?
- Crime severity in Lowestoft is 3.0 times the East Suffolk average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Lowestoft?
- In NR32, the postcode district at the centre of Lowestoft, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 33% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Lowestoft?
- Of 135 burglaries reported in NR32, the postcode district at the centre of Lowestoft between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 79% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Lowestoft?
- In 2025/26, in the Suffolk Coastal and Waveney partnership area, which includes Lowestoft, the police recorded 188 cars stolen (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.8 per 1,000 residents, down 11% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Lowestoft?
- 961 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Suffolk Coastal and Waveney partnership area, which includes Lowestoft, 3.8 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Lowestoft last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Suffolk Coastal and Waveney partnership area, which includes Lowestoft, against 2 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.