Beccles Crime Rate September 2025 | Monthly Statistics

Beccles, a built-up area within East Suffolk, continues to demonstrate a crime profile significantly safer than the UK average. With a recorded crime rate of 3.9 per 1,000 residents in September 2025—47.3% below the national average of 7.4—this small town illustrates a pattern consistent with rural and semi-rural areas where community cohesion and lower population density contribute to reduced criminal activity. The most prevalent crime category was violence and sexual offences, accounting for 53.9% of total reported incidents, followed by other theft (15.4%) and shoplifting (10.3%). This distribution contrasts with UK averages, where violence and sexual offences are 19% higher than in Beccles, suggesting local factors such as community engagement or policing strategies may play a role. Seasonal context also appears relevant: as September transitions into autumn, the return of students to local educational institutions and the onset of shorter evenings may influence crime patterns. While violent crime remains the largest category, its rate of 2.1 per 1,000 is 19% below the UK average for this category, a discrepancy that could reflect the area’s demographic profile or effective local interventions. Property crimes, though lower in absolute numbers, show a mixed picture compared to national benchmarks, with shoplifting rates 34% below the UK average but other theft rates 20% above. This complexity underscores the need for targeted analysis rather than broad generalisations about the area’s safety.

September 2025 saw notable shifts in crime trends within Beccles, with some categories experiencing dramatic changes. Bicycle theft and vehicle crime both doubled from zero to one incident each, a 100% increase that may be linked to seasonal transitions—such as the return of cyclists to the area following summer holidays or the increased visibility of parked vehicles in residential zones. Conversely, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson both fell by 60%, from five to two incidents each, potentially reflecting the calming effect of shorter evenings or targeted enforcement during the month. The balance between violent and property crimes also shifted slightly, with violent crime accounting for 53.9% of total incidents compared to 46.1% for property crimes. This contrasts with the UK average, where violent crime typically constitutes around 35% of all reported crimes, suggesting a unique local dynamic. Other theft—though still relatively low at 0.6 per 1,000—was 20% above the UK average, a figure that could be attributed to the presence of retail outlets or community events that attract transient populations. These fluctuations highlight the importance of contextual factors, such as the timing of local festivals or the movement of seasonal workers, in shaping crime patterns.

Beccles’ crime rate in September 2025 (3.9 per 1,000) represents a 35.0% decrease from the previous month’s rate of 5.9 per 1,000, a decline that places it among the areas with the most significant monthly reductions in the UK. This drop is particularly notable when considering the daily crime context: with 39 crimes reported over 30 days, the area experienced an average of one crime per day, a figure that may seem high in isolation but is far below the UK average when scaled to Beccles’ population. Over the course of the month, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 259 residents, a monthly exposure rate that is exceptionally low compared to national figures. This statistic translates to a practical perspective for residents: the likelihood of encountering crime in Beccles is significantly lower than in most other parts of the country. The population-scaled perspective further reinforces this, as the town’s relatively small size and low population density likely contribute to both the manageable number of incidents and the community’s ability to monitor and respond to them. While the UK average crime rate is 7.4 per 1,000, Beccles’ rate remains nearly half that, a gap that suggests the area’s unique characteristics—such as strong local governance, community policing initiatives, or the absence of high-risk environments like major transport hubs—play a critical role in maintaining its safety profile.