Westward Ho! Crime Rate October 2024 | Monthly Statistics

The crime profile of Westward Ho! in October 2024 reveals a distinct balance of crime types that reflects the area’s geographic and seasonal dynamics. With a crime rate of 2.8 per 1,000 residents, the built-up coastal area is 65.4% below the UK average of 8.1 per 1,000. The most prevalent category was violence and sexual offences, which accounted for 66.7% of all reported crimes (10 incidents). This was followed by anti-social behaviour (20.0%), which saw a 50% decrease from the previous month, and public order offences (6.7%), which rose sharply from zero to one incident. The low overall crime rate, particularly in property-related offences (only 1 incident), suggests a relatively safe environment, though the dominance of violent crime highlights the need for targeted interventions. Seasonal factors in October, such as the return of darker evenings after the clocks went back and the proximity of Halloween, may have influenced the increase in violent incidents, though this remains a plausible rather than definitive explanation. The area’s position as a coastal town with a seasonal tourism economy likely contributes to its unique crime mix, where violent crime and community-focused issues dominate over property crime. The absence of significant property-related offences, such as burglary or vehicle crime, further underscores the area’s character as a low-density, built-up zone with limited commercial activity outside of its coastal attractions.

October 2024 saw a notable shift in the crime mix, with violence and sexual offences surging by 100% to account for 66.7% of all reported crimes. This increase, from 5 to 10 incidents, contrasts with a 50% decline in anti-social behaviour, which fell from 6 to 3 cases. The category of public order offences also rose sharply, doubling from 0 to 1 incident, a 100% increase. These changes reflect a dynamic interplay between violent crime and community-focused incidents. The rate of violence and sexual offences in Westward Ho! (1.9 per 1,000) is 29% below the UK average of 2.7 per 1,000, a stark contrast to the 64% deficit seen in other categories like anti-social behaviour. For residents, the significant drop in anti-social behaviour offers a tangible indicator of local efforts to address community issues, though the rise in violent crime may warrant further attention. The data also reveals that other theft incidents fell by two-thirds, from 3 to 1, suggesting a possible reduction in opportunistic crimes.

Westward Ho! recorded a crime rate of 2.8 per 1,000 residents in October 2024, an 11.6% decrease from the previous month’s rate of 3.2 per 1,000. This decline aligns with a broader trend observed in the area’s monthly crime statistics, though the overall rate remains significantly lower than the UK average. On a daily basis, the area experienced approximately 0 crimes per day over the 31-day period, reflecting a low but consistent level of activity. When scaled to the population of 5,321 residents, the monthly exposure translates to one reported crime for roughly every 355 residents. This figure underscores the relatively low frequency of incidents in the built-up area, which is a coastal town with a seasonal tourism economy. The population-scaled perspective further highlights the area’s safety profile, particularly when compared to the UK’s average of 8.1 per 1,000. While the data does not provide a direct UK daily comparison, the monthly context suggests that Westward Ho! maintains a distinct pattern of crime that differs from the national average, likely influenced by its geographic and economic characteristics.