Capel St Mary Crime Rate

Capel St Mary is one of the safest urban settlements in the region, featuring an overall crime rate of 24.9 per 1,000 residents. This is substantially lower than the UK average of 93.1, earning the area an impressive safety score of 94/100. The safety landscape is improving even further, with a significant 29.5% decrease in reported crime year-over-year. With a property crime rate of just 7.0 per 1,000 people, residents enjoy a high level of security. This report examines the specific crime breakdown for Capel St Mary, monthly trends, and temporal patterns to help residents and prospective homeowners understand the local safety environment and how it compares to the broader Babergh local authority area.

Crime Breakdown in Capel St Mary

The primary crime type in Capel St Mary is violence and sexual offences, representing 41.8% of all reports with 33 recorded incidents. This is followed by other theft at 15.2% and anti-social behaviour at 12.7%. These top categories highlight that while the area is very safe, personal safety and low-level disruption are the most frequently reported issues.

Property crime in Capel St Mary is remarkably low, with a rate of 7.0 per 1,000 people. This total includes 12 thefts, 4 vehicle crimes, and only 2 burglaries over the past year. Burglary itself accounts for just 2.5% of the area's total crime. For residents, these figures suggest a very low risk of home invasion, though the presence of theft and vehicle crime indicates that opportunistic offenders still operate in the area. Maintaining basic security measures remains advisable to keep these figures low.

Crime Trends in Capel St Mary

Capel St Mary is experiencing a very positive safety trend, with an overall crime reduction of 29.5% year-over-year. The monthly data shows that for much of the year, crime rates remained extremely low, often dipping to 0.6 per 1,000 residents in months such as February and July 2025. There was a notable but brief spike in March 2025, reaching 4.7 per 1,000, but the rate quickly stabilised in the following months. The overall trajectory is clearly downward, indicating that the community is becoming even safer over time. This significant decrease in reported incidents suggests that local safety initiatives and resident awareness are effectively deterring crime, making Capel St Mary one of the most improved areas in the Babergh authority in terms of security.

How To Keep Safe in Capel St Mary

The most common crime in Capel St Mary is violence and sexual offences. Although the total number of incidents is low, staying proactive about personal and community safety is always beneficial.

1. Ensure that communal areas and private driveways are well-lit to discourage anti-social behaviour and opportunistic theft.
2. Be mindful of your personal safety when walking during the evening, and consider staying in well-populated, lit areas.
3. Secure your vehicles every night; as vehicle crime is the most common night-time offence, double-checking locks and removing valuables is essential.
4. Join the local Neighbourhood Watch to stay informed about any suspicious activity and to contribute to the village's declining crime trend.
5. If you notice any unusual behaviour or anti-social gatherings, report them to the local authorities to help maintain the area's high safety score.

In Capel St Mary, crime types vary significantly depending on the time of day. Morning and afternoon hours are dominated by theft, which accounts for 68% and 74% of incidents respectively. This suggests that the majority of crime in the village is opportunistic and occurs during normal business hours. As evening approaches, theft remains the top category but drops to 40%, while vehicle crime and burglary begin to rise. The most distinct shift occurs during the night (12am to 6am), where vehicle crime becomes the primary concern, making up 49% of all recorded incidents. Burglary also peaks proportionally at 16% during these early morning hours. These patterns highlight the need for robust property and vehicle security during the overnight period.

Capel St Mary is a highly secure enclave within the Babergh area. Its crime rate of 24.9 per 1,000 is significantly better than the nearby settlement of East Bergholt, which has a rate of 41.0 per 1,000. While Capel St Mary is remarkably safe, it does experience more activity than the extremely quiet villages of Bentley, Mace Green, and Copdock, all of which recorded zero crimes over the last year. This comparison shows that while Capel St Mary is a larger, more active community, it remains one of the safest choices for residents in the Suffolk region.

Home Security in Capel St Mary

Capel St Mary’s low property crime rate of 7.0 per 1,000 residents reflects a community where serious theft and burglary are rare. However, the 29.5% decrease in crime suggests that proactive measures and community vigilance are effective. Traditional security systems, such as standard CCTV, often act only as a witness to a crime, providing footage after the event has occurred. In contrast, scOS provides a proactive security layer designed to prevent crimes from happening in the first place. Using advanced AI, scOS monitors the perimeter of your property, identifying and responding to threats before an intruder can gain entry. This is particularly relevant for vehicle crime, which accounts for nearly half of all night-time incidents in the area. By deterring potential offenders at the boundary with autonomous responses, scOS ensures that your home remains a difficult target, maintaining the high safety standards that define Capel St Mary.