Hoo St Werburgh Crime Rate January 2024 | Monthly Statistics

Hoo St Werburgh's crime profile in January 2024 reflected a combination of local dynamics and seasonal factors. The area recorded 43 crimes, yielding a rate of 4.0 per 1,000 residents—45.9% below the UK average of 7.4 per 1,000. This significant disparity underscores the built-up area's distinct character, likely shaped by its compact size, proximity to Medway's urban core, and lower population density compared to major cities. Violence and sexual offences dominated the crime mix, accounting for 53.5% of all incidents (23 cases).1 per 1,000 remained 19% below the UK average for this category. Other theft (9.3%) and anti-social behaviour (7.0%) followed as the next most common crime types, with the latter's rate 70% below the national average. The post-holiday period in January likely contributed to the lower overall crime rate, with reduced retail footfall and shorter daylight hours curbing opportunities for property crimes. However, the seasonal context did not fully explain the sharp rise in shoplifting, which emerged as a new category in January. This may indicate temporary vulnerabilities in local businesses, possibly exacerbated by the area's smaller retail presence compared to larger urban centres. The low rates of vehicle crime (0.3 per 1,000) and criminal damage (0.2 per 1,000) further suggest that the built-up area's infrastructure and community policing efforts may be effectively mitigating certain risks. The relatively low levels of drug-related crime (0.3 per 1,000, 43% above the UK average) and bicycle theft (0.1 per 1,000, 67% above the UK average) hint at localized challenges, though these remain minor compared to the national picture. Overall, the data illustrates a crime environment that is both stable and significantly safer than the UK average, with the area's unique characteristics likely playing a key role in maintaining this profile.

The most striking shift in January 2024 was the 100% increase in shoplifting, which rose from zero to one reported incident. This sudden emergence of a crime type typically absent in previous months may reflect seasonal retail patterns or temporary vulnerabilities in local businesses. Concurrently, drug-related offences also jumped by 100%, moving from zero to three incidents—a stark contrast to the area's generally low drug crime profile. Public order offences followed the same trajectory, doubling from one to two cases. These increases, though small in absolute terms, warrant attention given their suddenness. In contrast, anti-social behaviour fell sharply by 72.7% (11 to 3), a decline consistent with the post-holiday lull in public disturbances. Vehicle crime dropped by 50% (6 to 3), possibly linked to reduced traffic during January's shorter days and post-Christmas retail closures. The area's violent crime rate of 2.1 per 1,000 remains 19% below the UK average for violence and sexual offences, suggesting a persistent trend of lower violent crime despite the month's fluctuations.

Hoo St Werburgh's crime rate remained stable at 4.0 per 1,000 residents in January 2024, matching the previous month's figure. This consistency suggests no immediate surge or decline in overall criminal activity. On a daily basis, the area recorded approximately one crime per day across 31 days, a figure that translates to a monthly exposure of one reported crime for roughly every 252 residents. When scaled to the area's population of 10,836, this suggests that the vast majority of residents (over 99%) were not directly affected by crime during the month. The daily context provides a tangible measure of risk, though it does not capture the distribution of crime types or their geographic concentration. The population-scaled perspective reinforces that Hoo St Werburgh remains significantly safer than the UK average, with crime rates 45.9% below national levels. This stability, combined with the area's lower overall crime profile, may reflect a combination of effective policing, community cohesion, and the built-up area's smaller scale compared to larger urban centres.