Crime in South Woodham Ferrers
Recorded crime in South Woodham Ferrers is 0.6 times the Chelmsford average and 0.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 17%. 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 South Woodham Ferrers: about 14,456 residents in 12 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.6/10Good
- 5-year change
- −17%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 0.6×the Chelmsford average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of South Woodham Ferrers.
Crime over 5 years
Down 17% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of South Woodham Ferrers, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.6× the Chelmsford average (0.5× the England and Wales average). 42 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 70% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Drugs: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 70% 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 Chelmsford (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Chelmsford council area, not only South Woodham Ferrers. 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 | 259 | 1.4 | Down 48% |
| Cars broken into | 253 | 1.3 | Down 28% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 593 | 3.1 | Down 7% |
| Burglary of homes | 316 | 1.7 | Up 30% |
| 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 CM3
In CM3, the postcode district at the centre of South Woodham Ferrers, 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) | 1,108 | 7% | 10% | 66% | 13% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 206 | 2% | 0% | 11% | 83% | 3% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 202 | 2% | 6% | 29% | 61% | 1% |
| Other theft | 186 | 2% | 2% | 26% | 67% | 3% |
| Public order | 158 | 5% | 6% | 50% | 35% | 3% |
| Burglary | 114 | 4% | 2% | 12% | 81% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 107 | 16% | 5% | 16% | 62% | 2% |
| Drugs | 99 | 23% | 43% | 8% | 21% | 4% |
| Other crime | 80 | 23% | 6% | 48% | 16% | 8% |
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.
Road collisions
Chelmsford, 2023 to 2025: 310 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 85 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 14 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.6 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 27% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
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 | 0.3 |
| Burglary | 2.3 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 19.8 |
| Drugs | 1.4 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.3 |
| Other crime | 1.0 |
| Other theft | 3.0 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 3.8 |
| Public order | 3.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.5 |
| Shoplifting | 3.1 |
Postcode districts in South Woodham Ferrers
Nearby towns
Council: Chelmsford
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for South Woodham Ferrers.
Questions about crime in South Woodham Ferrers
- Is South Woodham Ferrers a safe place to live?
- South Woodham Ferrers scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.6 times the Chelmsford average.
- Is crime going up or down in South Woodham Ferrers?
- Down 17% over 5 years, from 731 recorded crimes a year to 606.
- What is the most common crime in South Woodham Ferrers?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 20 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in South Woodham Ferrers compare with Chelmsford?
- Crime severity in South Woodham Ferrers is 0.6 times the Chelmsford average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in South Woodham Ferrers?
- In CM3, the postcode district at the centre of South Woodham Ferrers, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 36% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in South Woodham Ferrers?
- Of 114 burglaries reported in CM3, the postcode district at the centre of South Woodham Ferrers between September 2024 and August 2025, 4% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 81% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in South Woodham Ferrers?
- In Chelmsford, the council area South Woodham Ferrers is in, the police recorded 259 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.4 per 1,000 residents, down 48% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in South Woodham Ferrers?
- 593 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Chelmsford, the council area South Woodham Ferrers is in, 3.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in South Woodham Ferrers last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Chelmsford, the council area South Woodham Ferrers is in, against 1 the year before.