Godalming Crime Rate January 2024 | Monthly Statistics

The crime profile in Godalming during January 2024 reveals a distinct balance between violent and property crimes, with violence and sexual offences accounting for 35.3% of all reported incidents. This contrasts with the UK average, where such offences make up 35% of the total crime mix, indicating a near-parity in violent crime prevalence but significantly lower rates overall in Godalming. The area's crime rate of 2.9 per 1,000 residents—60.8% below the UK average of 7.4 per 1,000—suggests a generally safer environment, likely influenced by its suburban character and lower population density. Property crimes, which constitute 41.2% of all recorded incidents (14 out of 34), are dominated by vehicle crime (17.7%) and criminal damage (14.7%), reflecting patterns often seen in areas with mixed residential and commercial zones. Seasonal factors may play a role in these figures: January, a post-holiday period with reduced retail footfall and shorter daylight hours, likely contributes to lower outdoor crime rates. However, the persistence of vehicle crime despite these conditions suggests ongoing vulnerabilities in parking areas or unsecured vehicles. The relatively low levels of shoplifting (2.9%) compared to the UK average (82% below) may indicate effective local security measures or lower retail turnover during the winter months. This crime mix highlights a community where violent incidents remain a concern but are not high, and property crimes are more prevalent than in many UK regions.

January 2024 saw significant fluctuations in specific crime categories, with criminal damage and arson increasing by 66.7% compared to December, rising from three to five incidents. This uptick may be linked to seasonal factors such as cold weather exacerbating tensions or increased property maintenance activities. Conversely, shoplifting fell sharply by 80% (from five to one incident), potentially reflecting reduced retail activity during the post-holiday period or effective local policing efforts. Anti-social behaviour and public order offences both dropped by 62.5%, from eight to three incidents each, suggesting a possible reduction in social gatherings or events during the month. Godalming's rate for violence and sexual offences (1.0 per 1,000) is 62% below the UK average (2.6 per 1,000), a significant deviation that may be attributed to the area's suburban nature and community-focused policing strategies. Vehicle crime, at 0.5 per 1,000, matches the UK average exactly, indicating no particular over- or underrepresentation in this category. The only crime type exceeding the UK average was possession of weapons (0.1 per 1,000 vs. 0.1 per 1,000 UK), though the marginal difference is not statistically significant given the small numbers involved. These shifts underscore a month where targeted interventions may have had a measurable impact on certain crime types while others remained stable relative to national trends.

Godalming's crime rate in January 2024 (2.9 per 1,000) marked a 53.4% decrease from the previous month's rate of 6.3 per 1,000, indicating a substantial improvement in local safety metrics. This reduction, when contextualised against the UK average of 7.4 per 1,000, positions Godalming as one of the safer areas in the country, with its crime rate remaining consistently below the national benchmark. On a daily basis, the area recorded approximately one crime per day over the 31-day period, a figure that may appear modest but reflects the cumulative impact of ongoing local efforts to mitigate crime. When scaled to the population of 11,597 residents, this translates to one reported crime occurring for roughly every 341 residents over the course of the month—a monthly exposure rate that is lower than the UK average, which would be around one crime per 137 residents. This comparative advantage is particularly evident in categories such as anti-social behaviour and public order offences, where Godalming's rates are 70% and 38% below the UK average respectively. The population-scaled perspective reveals that residents in Godalming are significantly less likely to be directly affected by crime compared to the national average, though the area is not immune to specific issues such as vehicle crime and criminal damage. These figures, when considered alongside the month-on-month declines, suggest a trajectory of sustained improvement in local crime prevention initiatives, even as certain categories like criminal damage show temporary increases.