Pool and Illogan Crime Rate December 2024 | Monthly Statistics

The crime profile of Pool and Illogan in December 2024 reveals a striking imbalance between violent and property crimes, with violence and sexual offences accounting for 56% of all recorded incidents. This contrasts sharply with the UK average, where such crimes make up just 36% of the total. The area’s crime rate of 7.7 per 1,000 residents places it 8.5% above the national average, highlighting a persistent challenge in maintaining public safety. The dominance of violent crime in the local mix may reflect the area’s seasonal rhythms, with the Christmas shopping period, extended dark evenings, and increased social gatherings likely contributing to the spike in assaults and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, at 13.3% of all crimes, also remains elevated, though only marginally above the UK average. This suggests a combination of local factors—such as the built-up nature of the area and its proximity to coastal tourism hubs—interacting with broader national trends. Property crimes like shoplifting and vehicle crime are significantly lower than the UK average, with shoplifting in particular dropping to 0.5 per 1,000 residents compared to the national rate of 0.6. This could indicate effective local policing in retail areas or the influence of the area’s smaller population and less dense commercial centres. However, the sharp rise in criminal damage and arson, which now stands at 0.7 per 1,000 (32% above the UK average), may point to targeted issues such as vandalism in public spaces or seasonal property neglect during the holiday period. The overall picture illustrates a community grappling with the dual pressures of seasonal crime spikes and the need for sustained efforts to address persistent violent crime trends.

December 2024 saw significant shifts in crime patterns, with theft from the person jumping 100% from zero to one incident—a rare but notable increase. Concurrently, criminal damage and arson rose by 75%, climbing from four to seven incidents, suggesting targeted vandalism or property-related disputes during the festive season. These increases contrast sharply with steep declines in shoplifting (-68.8%) and vehicle crime (-66.7%), which may reflect reduced foot traffic in retail areas and fewer vehicles on the road due to holiday travel patterns. The violent crime category remains far above the UK average, with 4.3 per 1,000 residents compared to the national rate of 2.6 per 1,000. This disparity could be linked to the area’s built-up character and the concentration of social activity in its core residential and commercial zones during the Christmas period. Meanwhile, property crimes like other theft and public order offences remain below the UK average, with other theft at 0.3 per 1,000 (44% below) and public order offences at 0.3 per 1,000 (33% below). These figures may indicate that local initiatives targeting petty theft or community policing efforts in public spaces have had some effect, though the elevated violent crime rates suggest more work is needed in that domain. A resident might find the sharp drop in shoplifting particularly useful, as it suggests that increased security measures in retail outlets or seasonal shopper behaviour changes could be contributing factors.

The crime rate in Pool and Illogan dropped by 22.7% from 10.0 per 1,000 in November 2024 to 7.7 per 1,000 in December, marking a notable improvement in the local crime picture. This decline aligns with the seasonal context of December, when extended dark evenings and reduced foot traffic in some areas may have deterred certain types of crime. On a daily basis, the area recorded approximately two crimes per day in December—a figure that, while modest, still represents a significant portion of the population’s daily experience. Over the course of the month, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 129 residents, a monthly exposure rate that underscores the need for continued vigilance. When viewed through the lens of the area’s population of 9,686, this means that nearly 1% of the population experienced a crime in December, a figure that, while lower than the previous month, remains higher than the UK average. The comparison to the UK average also highlights the area’s unique challenges, particularly in violent crime, which is 68% above the national rate. This suggests that local factors—such as the built-up nature of the area, its proximity to tourist hubs, and the seasonal pressures of December—are playing a role in sustaining higher rates of violent incidents. While the decline from November is encouraging, the persistent gap between local and national rates indicates that targeted interventions may still be necessary to address the root causes of violence in the community.