Oakham Crime Rate January 2024 | Monthly Statistics

The balance between property and violent crime in Oakham shifted sharply in January 2024, with violent crimes (26 incidents) outnumbering property crimes (16 incidents) for the first time in over a year. This reversal from previous patterns may partly explain the 43.2% deficit against the UK average crime rate of 7.4 per 1,000 residents. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 41.9% of all crimes, significantly outpacing the UK average of 2.6 per 1,000 (31% below). Anti-social behaviour followed at 16.1%, also below the UK average, while public order offences showed a rare 4% surplus against national figures. Seasonal factors likely influenced these trends, with post-holiday retail footfall reductions aligning with lower shoplifting rates (1.6% of total crimes) but potentially contributing to increased public order incidents. The area's compact built-up nature, combined with Rutland's rural surroundings, may create unique dynamics where violent incidents concentrate in limited public spaces while property crimes remain constrained by lower population density. This contrast with broader UK patterns highlights the need for localized analysis rather than broad generalizations about regional crime profiles.

January 2024 saw a 200% surge in drug-related crimes, rising from 1 to 3 incidents—a sharp contrast to the previous month's levels. Public order offences also tripled (13 → 7), suggesting potential shifts in community dynamics or policing focus during the post-holiday period. Conversely, shoplifting plummeted by 75% (4 → 1), possibly reflecting reduced retail activity during January's shorter days and post-Christmas spending patterns. Anti-social behaviour decreased by 23.1% (13 → 10), though this remains 29% below the UK average. The property crime category, while lower than violent crime for the first time in over a year, still showed resilience with 16 incidents across categories like vehicle crime (0.3 per 1,000) and criminal damage (0.4 per 1,000), both below UK averages. Bicycle theft jumped 100% (0 → 1), an anomaly that may reflect seasonal changes in cycling patterns or temporary vulnerabilities in local infrastructure. These fluctuations underscore the importance of tracking month-on-month variations rather than relying solely on annual trends when assessing local crime dynamics.

Oakham's crime rate remained stable at 4.2 per 1,000 residents in January 2024, matching the previous month's figure exactly. This consistency contrasts with the UK average of 7.4 per 1,000, highlighting Oakham's persistent position as a relatively safe area. On a daily basis, 2 crimes were reported across Rutland's built-up area, a figure that translates to a monthly exposure of 1 crime per 237 residents. When compared to Rutland's overall population of 14,664, this suggests that the built-up area's 1,466 residents account for 10% of all reported crimes in the district, despite comprising only 10% of the population. This proportional alignment indicates no disproportionate concentration of crime within the built-up area relative to Rutland's broader demographics. The 4.2 per 1,000 rate also means that a resident has a 0.42% chance of being directly affected by crime in any given year, significantly lower than the UK average of 0.74%. This statistical context reinforces Oakham's status as a low-crime environment within a predominantly rural county, where the built-up area's characteristics—such as its compact size and limited commercial density—may contribute to its comparatively low crime rates.