Lower Willingdon Crime Rate April 2023 | Monthly Statistics

April 2023 marked a continuation of Lower Willingdon’s historically low crime profile, with a recorded rate of 1.2 crimes per 1,000 residents—84% below the UK average of 7.5 per 1,000. This figure, while modest in absolute terms, reflects a sustained trend of reduced criminal activity in this built-up area within Wealden. The most common offences were violence and sexual offences (55.6% of total crimes), followed by shoplifting (22.2%) and anti-social behaviour (11.1%). Violence and sexual offences in Lower Willingdon are 73% below the UK average for this category, suggesting a particularly strong local focus on addressing violent crime. Seasonal factors may have played a role in shaping these patterns, as April’s Easter period and milder spring weather typically correlate with increased outdoor activity and community engagement. The low crime rate aligns with the area’s likely character as a relatively quiet, semi-rural built-up area with limited commercial density compared to major urban centres. While property crimes such as shoplifting and burglary accounted for 33.3% of reported incidents, their numbers remain significantly below UK averages—shoplifting is 38% below the national rate, and burglary is 67% below. This contrast highlights the area’s potential resilience to certain types of crime, possibly influenced by local demographics or infrastructure. The absence of significant spikes in crime during April, despite the Easter holiday period, further underscores the stability of the area’s crime profile. These figures will be contextualised further in the highlights and comparison sections below.

The month-on-month data reveals a marked shift in crime dynamics, with several categories showing notable changes. Violence and sexual offences, which accounted for 12 incidents in March, dropped by 58.3% to 5 in April—a decrease that likely reflects seasonal factors such as reduced alcohol-related incidents during the Easter period. Concurrently, anti-social behaviour fell by 75%, from 4 to 1, suggesting a possible correlation with community-focused initiatives or increased police presence during the Easter holidays. However, not all categories saw declines: burglary and shoplifting each doubled from March to April, with both rising by 100%. This uptick in property-related crimes may be linked to increased foot traffic in retail areas during the Easter period or the timing of local events. The breakdown of crime types also highlights a significant shift in the balance between violent and property crimes. In March, property crimes accounted for 33.3% of total incidents, but in April, this proportion rose slightly to 33.3% (unchanged), though the absolute numbers for shoplifting and burglary increased. This contrast with the UK average—where shoplifting is 38% below the national rate and burglary is 67% below—suggests that while Lower Willingdon remains a low-risk area for property crimes, localised factors may occasionally drive temporary increases. For residents, the most concrete takeaway is the 58.3% reduction in violent crime, which may indicate the effectiveness of local policing strategies or community engagement efforts during the Easter period.

When compared to March 2023, April 2023 saw a 66.8% decrease in the overall crime rate, from 3.6 to 1.2 per 1,000 residents. This drop aligns with the broader UK trend of seasonal reductions in crime during the spring, though Lower Willingdon’s rate remains exceptionally low. On a daily basis, the area recorded approximately 0 crimes per day in April—a figure that, while statistically precise, illustrates the rarity of criminal incidents in this built-up area. Over the course of the month, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 846 residents, a monthly exposure rate that is significantly lower than the UK average. With a population of 7,611, this translates to a highly diluted risk profile for residents, where the likelihood of being directly affected by crime is minimal. The comparison to the UK average also reveals that Lower Willingdon’s crime rate is not just quantitatively lower but proportionally more distant from the national figure. For example, while the UK average for violence and sexual offences stands at 2.6 per 1,000, Lower Willingdon’s rate is 0.7 per 1,000—over 70% below. This disparity may be attributed to the area’s limited urban density, which reduces opportunities for certain types of crime, or to the presence of community structures that deter violent incidents. The population-scaled perspective further reinforces the idea that Lower Willingdon is not merely a low-crime area but one that consistently outperforms national benchmarks, offering residents a sense of security that is uncommon in many parts of the UK.