Marske-by-the-Sea Crime Rate August 2025 | Monthly Statistics

The crime profile in Marske-by-the-Sea during August 2025 reveals a distinct balance between violent and property crimes, shaped by the area’s coastal character and seasonal rhythms. With a crime rate of 6.5 per 1,000 — 19.8% below the UK average — the area demonstrates a lower-than-average exposure to crime overall. This figure is consistent with the area’s relatively small population and limited urban density, which may contribute to lower opportunities for certain types of crime. The most prevalent category was violence and sexual offences, accounting for 42.6% of all reported crimes, a rate of 2.8 per 1,000 — 2% below the UK average. This suggests a focus on interpersonal crime, potentially linked to the area’s social dynamics during the summer months. Anti-social behaviour followed closely, making up 34.0% of total crimes at 2.2 per 1,000, a rate 51% above the UK average. This discrepancy may reflect local challenges in managing public spaces during peak tourist periods. The lower rates of property crime, such as shoplifting (0.1 per 1,000, 84% below UK average) and burglary (0.1 per 1,000, 63% below UK average), align with the area’s sparse retail infrastructure and seasonal patterns. August, as a peak holiday month, likely increases tourism and the presence of transient populations, which could explain the rise in anti-social behaviour and the persistent presence of violence-related offences. However, the absence of significant property crime suggests that the area’s limited commercial activity may reduce opportunities for such crimes. This combination of high interpersonal crime and low property crime illustrates a community where social interactions and local tensions play a more prominent role than commercial theft or burglary.

August 2025 saw notable shifts in Marske-by-the-Sea’s crime mix, with increases in criminal damage and arson (+200%) and burglary (+100%), while shoplifting and anti-social behaviour fell by 75% and 44.8% respectively. These changes reflect a combination of seasonal and situational factors. The 300% rise in criminal damage and arson, from one to three incidents, may be linked to the area’s coastal environment and the increased presence of holiday homes during August, which could create opportunities for vandalism. The emergence of burglary (1 incident) and drugs-related offences (1 incident) — both previously unrecorded — suggests new patterns of activity, though the small sample sizes make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. Conversely, the 75% drop in shoplifting, from four to one incident, aligns with the area’s limited retail footprint and the seasonal closure of some local businesses during the summer months. Anti-social behaviour, though still above the UK average, fell by nearly half, due to increased community engagement or the deployment of local resources during the peak holiday period. The violent crime category (2.8 per 1,000) remains 2% below the UK average, indicating that while interpersonal crime is present, it is not concentrated in this area. For residents, the sharp increase in criminal damage and arson may raise concerns about the security of holiday properties, a factor that could inform local initiatives or community alerts.

August 2025 marked a 19.0% decrease in Marske-by-the-Sea’s crime rate compared to July 2025, falling from 8.0 to 6.5 per 1,000 residents. This decline, while modest, places the area’s current rate firmly below the UK average of 8.1 per 1,000. On a daily basis, the area experienced roughly 2 crimes per day over the month — a figure that, while low, highlights the potential for rapid spikes in specific categories, such as the 300% rise in criminal damage and arson. When scaled to the population of 7,216, the monthly exposure translates to one reported crime for every 154 residents — a ratio that, while not alarmingly high, underscores the importance of maintaining vigilance during peak tourist months. This exposure rate is lower than the UK’s broader population context, which may reflect the area’s smaller size and more contained social networks. The contrast between Marske-by-the-Sea’s performance and the UK average is most striking in violent crime, where the rate of 2.8 per 1,000 is 2% below the UK figure, and in anti-social behaviour, which is 51% above the UK average. These divergences suggest that the area’s unique characteristics — a mix of coastal tourism and local community dynamics — shape its crime profile differently than the national trend. For residents, the relatively low crime rate offers reassurance, but the fluctuations in specific categories, such as the sudden rise in criminal damage and arson, serve as a reminder that local conditions can influence crime patterns in ways that may not be immediately apparent from aggregate figures.