Crime in Needham Market
Recorded crime in Needham Market is about the Mid Suffolk average and 0.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 28%. 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 Needham Market: about 4,782 residents in 6 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.0/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +28%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.0×the Mid Suffolk average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Needham Market.
Crime over 5 years
Up 28% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Needham Market, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the Mid Suffolk average (0.5× the England and Wales average). 37 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 67% of the harm here
- Burglary: 18% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 67% 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: 6.7 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Mid Suffolk (the whole partnership area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Mid Suffolk partnership area, not only Needham Market. Figures for the Western Suffolk community safety partnership, which covers Babergh, Mid Suffolk and West 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 | 257 | 0.65 | Up 7% |
| Cars broken into | 394 | 0.99 | Up 20% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,234 | 3.1 | Down 3% |
| Burglary of homes | 304 | 0.77 | Down 6% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 4 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in IP6
In IP6, the postcode district at the centre of Needham Market, 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) | 305 | 6% | 21% | 61% | 7% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 72 | 4% | 6% | 31% | 58% | 1% |
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 | 0.1 |
| Burglary | 2.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 16.6 |
| Drugs | 1.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.3 |
| Other crime | 0.9 |
| Other theft | 3.2 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.1 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 4.4 |
| Public order | 3.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 1.7 |
Postcode districts in Needham Market
Nearby towns
Council: Mid Suffolk
Questions about crime in Needham Market
- Is Needham Market a safe place to live?
- Needham Market scores 8 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is about the Mid Suffolk average.
- Is crime going up or down in Needham Market?
- Up 28% over 5 years, from 174 recorded crimes a year to 223.
- What is the most common crime in Needham Market?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 17 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Needham Market compare with Mid Suffolk?
- Crime severity in Needham Market is about the Mid Suffolk average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Needham Market?
- In IP6, the postcode district at the centre of Needham Market, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 31% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Needham Market?
- In 2025/26, in the Western Suffolk partnership area, which includes Needham Market, the police recorded 257 cars stolen (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, up 7% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Needham Market?
- 1,234 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Western Suffolk partnership area, which includes Needham Market, 3.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Needham Market last year?
- 4 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Western Suffolk partnership area, which includes Needham Market, against 2 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.