Marston Moretaine Crime Rate February 2024 | Monthly Statistics

Marston Moretaine’s crime rate in February 2024 stood at 5.3 per 1,000 residents, placing it 25.4% below the UK average of 7.1 per 1,000. This performance highlights the area’s relative safety compared to the national context, a trend that may be attributed to its character as a smaller built-up area within Central Bedfordshire. The most common crimes were shoplifting (37.9% of all incidents) and violence and sexual offences (37.9%), with the former significantly exceeding the UK average by 270%. The latter, however, was 20% below the UK average, indicating a lower incidence of violent crime in the area. This contrast may be influenced by local factors such as the community’s size and the presence of retail hubs, which could drive shoplifting while reducing opportunities for more serious offences. Seasonal context also plays a role: February, a winter month with low outdoor activity, may contribute to the pre-spring lull in overall crime, though the sharp increase in vehicle crime and burglary suggests other dynamics at play. The low overall rate, combined with the specific patterns observed, illustrates an area where crime is infrequent but not absent, with distinct trends that warrant closer attention to local conditions.

February saw a sharp 38.9% decrease in shoplifting, with reported cases falling from 18 to 11. This decline, however, contrasts with a 100% rise in vehicle crime, burglary, and other theft, which each doubled compared to the previous month. Shoplifting, the most common crime type at 37.9% of the total, remains an outlier with a rate of 2.0 per 1,000 — 270% above the UK average of 0.5 per 1,000. This discrepancy may be linked to the area’s retail presence, though the drop in shoplifting could reflect seasonal factors such as reduced foot traffic during winter. Violence and sexual offences, at 37.9% of total crimes, were 20% below the UK average, suggesting a lower prevalence of violent incidents compared to the national picture. Residents might find the 100% increase in vehicle crime particularly noteworthy, as it indicates a potential shift in criminal activity patterns during the month.

Marston Moretaine's crime rate in February 2024 fell to 5.3 per 1,000 residents, a 6.4% drop from the previous month’s rate of 5.6 per 1,000. This decline, though modest, aligns with the area’s consistent performance relative to the UK average, which remains 25.4% higher at 7.1 per 1,000. On a daily basis, the area recorded approximately one crime per day over the 29-day period, a figure that reflects the low overall rate and the relatively small population of 5,504 residents. When scaled to the monthly exposure, this translates to one reported crime occurring for roughly every 190 residents, a statistic that underscores the rarity of crime in this built-up area. While the UK average suggests a higher frequency of incidents per capita, Marston Moretaine’s data illustrates a community where crime is infrequent enough to be a notable outlier in the national context. This pattern may be influenced by local factors such as the area’s character as a smaller, possibly more tightly knit community compared to larger urban centres, though further analysis would be needed to confirm this hypothesis.