East Suffolk Crime Rate October 2023 | Monthly Statistics

Violence and sexual offences dominated East Suffolk's crime profile in October 2023, accounting for 42.9% of all reported incidents. With a crime rate of 5.4 per 1,000 residents—32.5% below the UK average—the area's profile highlights a stark contrast to national trends. The dominance of violent crime, particularly sexual offences, may partly reflect the area's demographic composition and localised factors such as the timing of Halloween, which brings increased foot traffic to town centres. This category's rate of 2.3 per 1,000 residents is 15% below the UK average, suggesting effective policing or community initiatives in this domain. Anti-social behaviour, at 0.6 per 1,000, was 53% below the UK average, a pattern consistent with East Suffolk's generally lower levels of public disorder. The seasonal context of October—shorter evenings and the transition from autumn to winter—likely influences crime patterns, with increased darkness potentially contributing to higher rates of violence and sexual offences. Property crimes, while lower than violent incidents, showed mixed trends, with shoplifting and burglary rising but remaining below UK averages. This suggests that while local factors may drive certain categories, the overall crime picture remains significantly more favourable than the national average.

Violent crime remained the dominant category, with 577 incidents reported in October—2.3 per 1,000 residents, 15% below the UK average. Theft from the person saw a 100% increase, rising from 3 to 6 cases, a sharp contrast to robbery's 66.7% decline from 6 to 2 incidents. Property crime rates softened, with shoplifting up 28.3% and burglary rising 31.4%. Anti-social behaviour, at 0.6 per 1,000, was 53% below the UK rate, a trend consistent with East Suffolk's lower levels of public disorder. The sharp contrast between rising theft from the person and falling robbery rates suggests shifting patterns in criminal activity, possibly influenced by seasonal factors such as Halloween and shorter evenings.

East Suffolk's crime rate in October 2023 dropped 7.4% from 5.8 to 5.4 per 1,000 residents, marking the third consecutive month of decline. This reduction aligns with a broader trend observed since late summer, though the pace of decrease slowed compared to September's 10.2% drop. Daily crime figures show 43 crimes reported each day, a rate consistent with the area's historical seasonal patterns. Over the course of the month, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 186 residents, a figure that contextualises the monthly exposure for local residents. With a population of 249,664, East Suffolk's crime profile remains significantly below the UK average, particularly in violent crime categories. The localised nature of incidents—concentrated in town centres and rural roads—suggests that community-specific factors, such as policing presence and local events, may influence the crime rate more than broader national trends.