Portsmouth Crime Rate September 2024 | Monthly Statistics

For every 1,000 residents in Portsmouth, 11.1 crimes were recorded in September 2024 — a rate 44.2% higher than the UK average of 7.7 per 1,000. This places the city in a distinct position compared to the national trend, where violent crime typically accounts for around 35% of total offences. In Portsmouth, violence and sexual offences dominated the crime profile, making up 40.8% of all reported incidents, followed by shoplifting (10.4%) and public order offences (9.5%). These figures suggest a pattern where interpersonal conflicts and commercial activity intersect, particularly in areas with high foot traffic or late-night services. The seasonal context of September — a time of back-to-school transitions, university freshers’ week, and the gradual onset of darker evenings — may contribute to the elevated levels of violence and public order issues. While violent crime rates are 72% above the UK average, other categories like anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime show more mixed comparisons, with anti-social behaviour actually 15% below the national average. This complexity hints at a city where certain factors, such as youth demographics or local policing strategies, may be influencing crime patterns in ways that diverge from broader UK trends. The per-capita perspective underscores that, for residents, the risk of encountering a violent incident is higher than in the average UK neighbourhood, though property crime remains a smaller portion of the overall burden.

September 2024 saw a 40.4% increase in bicycle theft compared to August, with reported cases rising from 52 to 73. This jump, while not matching the overall crime rate, suggests a vulnerability in local cycling infrastructure or enforcement during the transition to darker evenings. Concurrently, possession of weapons rose by 20%, moving from 45 to 54 incidents — a figure 186% above the UK average. This spike may reflect seasonal patterns tied to the end of the summer holidays or the return of students to campuses. On the other hand, theft from the person dropped by 42.3%, with cases falling from 26 to 15. This decline could be linked to increased police visibility in high-traffic areas or the reduced likelihood of open-air theft as evenings shorten. Meanwhile, anti-social behaviour fell by 37.3%, a notable decrease that may indicate the effectiveness of local initiatives targeting disruptive conduct during the early autumn months. The shift in crime mix is also striking: violent crime accounted for 40.8% of all incidents, compared to 35% nationally, while shoplifting — a category 76% above the UK average — highlights the pressures on retail environments in a city with significant commercial activity.

Portsmouth’s September crime rate of 11.1 per 1,000 residents marks a 4.6% decrease from the previous month’s rate of 11.6, suggesting a minor but measurable shift in local dynamics. Over the course of the month, this translates to roughly 82 crimes reported each day — a figure that, while context-dependent, underscores the density of incidents in a city of 222,504 residents. When scaled to individual risk, this means that over the course of September, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 90 residents. While this monthly aggregate does not capture daily fluctuations, it provides a snapshot of the frequency with which residents might encounter crime in their daily lives. The city’s population size also means that even relatively small percentage changes can have significant real-world impacts: for instance, the 40.4% increase in bicycle theft corresponds to 21 additional incidents in a single month. This daily and monthly context helps residents understand that, while the rate is higher than the UK average, the absolute number of crimes is also influenced by Portsmouth’s larger population. Comparing this to the UK average, the 44.2% gap highlights the need for targeted interventions in areas where the city’s crime profile diverges most sharply from national norms.