Southwell (Newark and Sherwood) Crime Rate April 2024 | Monthly Statistics

For every 1,000 residents in Southwell (Newark and Sherwood), 7.9 crimes were recorded in April 2024, placing the area 2.6% above the UK average of 7.7 per 1,000. This rate translates to a monthly exposure of one reported crime for roughly every 126 residents, a figure that contextualises risk in everyday terms. The most prevalent crimes were shoplifting (21.7% of total incidents), anti-social behaviour (19.6%), and criminal damage and arson (19.6%), with all three categories significantly exceeding national averages. The seasonal shift into spring may have influenced these patterns, as Easter-related activity and increased foot traffic in local retail areas could contribute to higher shoplifting rates. Meanwhile, the relatively low rate of violence and sexual offences (6.5% of total crimes) contrasts with the UK average, suggesting that the area's character—a quieter, more residential built-up area—may temper incidents of violent crime. Property crimes, which accounted for 65% of all reported incidents, dominated the landscape, with burglary and vehicle crime also showing marked deviations from national figures. The combination of these factors illustrates an area where property-related offences and disorderly conduct are more prominent than violent crime, a dynamic that may reflect the socio-economic and geographic profile of Southwell as a commuter-focused or semi-rural built-up area within Newark and Sherwood.

April 2024 saw sharp increases in several crime categories, with vehicle crime surging by 200% (from 1 to 3 incidents) and shoplifting rising by 150% (from 4 to 10). These jumps, coupled with a 125% rise in criminal damage and arson (from 4 to 9), highlight a shift in the crime mix toward property-related and disorderly conduct offences. While violent crime fell by 62.5% (from 8 to 3), this decrease placed Southwell's rate of violence and sexual offences 80% below the UK average, a contrast that may reflect the area's lower population density or community dynamics compared to more densely populated urban centres. Shoplifting in Southwell was 154% above the UK average, a figure that could be linked to the Easter period's impact on retail environments, where increased foot traffic and temporary price fluctuations might incentivise theft. Conversely, other theft remained 11% below the national average, suggesting that while targeted theft incidents were relatively low, broader property crime trends remained elevated. These fluctuations underscore the importance of seasonal and temporal factors in shaping local crime profiles, with the Easter period and spring weather likely influencing both the frequency and nature of reported incidents.

Compared to March 2024, Southwell's crime rate in April 2024 rose by 31.3%, from 6.0 to 7.9 per 1,000 residents. This increase, though modest in absolute terms, translates to a local daily crime context of roughly 2 incidents per day over the 30-day period. For residents, this means that the likelihood of encountering a crime in the area is approximately 1 in 126 over the course of a month—a figure that, while not alarmingly high, indicates a notable uptick from the previous month. The population-scaled perspective reveals that Southwell's crime rate, though slightly above the UK average, remains within a range typical of similar-sized built-up areas. However, the disproportionate rise in property-related offences—particularly shoplifting and criminal damage—suggests that specific local factors, such as the timing of Easter or the characteristics of Southwell's retail and public spaces, may have played a role. When viewed through the lens of daily life, the 2 crimes per day average implies that while most residents are unlikely to experience direct victimisation, the cumulative effect of these incidents on community safety and local business operations could be significant. This contrast with the UK-wide average underscores the importance of localised analysis in understanding crime trends, as national figures may mask variations that are critical to individual communities.