Burghfield Common Crime Rate November 2023 | Monthly Statistics

Burghfield Common’s November 2023 crime rate of 6.5 per 1,000 residents marked a 13.3% reduction compared to the UK average, underscoring the area’s relatively low crime profile. The breakdown of incidents reveals a stark contrast between property-related and violent crime: shoplifting accounted for 39.5% of all crimes, far exceeding the UK average of 0.6 per 1,000 (373% above). This dominance of property crime may be linked to the area’s retail environment and the impact of Black Friday shopping, though the lack of a seasonal spike in theft from the person suggests a different dynamic at play. Anti-social behaviour, while contributing 14% of total crimes, was 14% below the UK average, a trend consistent with the built-up area’s quieter character compared to larger urban centres. Violence and sexual offences, which constituted 11.6% of all crimes, fell sharply by 80% compared to the previous month—a drop that may be attributed to the transition into darker evenings and the absence of university term patterns. The seasonal context of November, with its Bonfire Night events and post-Black Friday activity, likely influenced the spike in criminal damage and arson, which rose by 150% to five incidents. This suggests that localised factors, such as community events and retail activity, may have temporarily amplified certain types of crime. The overall picture illustrates a built-up area with a crime profile shaped by its size, retail presence, and seasonal rhythms, though its performance against the UK average highlights a consistent trend of lower-than-expected violence and property crime rates.

November saw a dramatic 150% increase in criminal damage and arson, rising from two to five incidents—a sharp contrast to the previous month’s figures. This spike, coupled with a 100% rise in possession of weapons and burglary, indicates a shift in the nature of crime, with property-related offences becoming more prominent. Meanwhile, violent crime plummeted by 80%, with violence and sexual offences dropping from 25 to five, likely reflecting seasonal changes such as shorter evenings and the absence of university term patterns. The breakdown of crime types reveals stark disparities: shoplifting accounts for 39.5% of all incidents, far exceeding the UK average of 0.6 per 1,000. This figure, 373% above the national benchmark, highlights a localised issue that may be driven by the area’s retail presence and the impact of Black Friday shopping. Public order offences also fell by two-thirds, though anti-social behaviour remained at 14% of total crimes, slightly below the UK average. These shifts suggest a combination of seasonal factors and the built-up area’s specific characteristics.

Burghfield Common's crime rate in November 2023 fell by 17.2% compared to the previous month, reflecting a marked shift in local crime dynamics. The monthly exposure figure reveals that one reported crime occurred for roughly every 154 residents, a statistic that contextualises the scale of incidents within the built-up area’s population of 6,629. Daily crime data shows an average of one reported crime per day across the 30-day period, a figure that aligns with the area’s relatively low overall crime rate of 6.5 per 1,000 residents. This rate is 13.3% below the UK average, underscoring the area’s comparative safety. When viewed through a population-scaled lens, the monthly exposure metric illustrates that the likelihood of encountering a crime is significantly lower than in many other parts of the country. This contrast is particularly striking when considering the UK’s average of 7.5 per 1,000, which highlights Burghfield Common’s distinct position in the national crime profile. The shift in crime patterns—particularly the sharp rise in criminal damage and arson—suggests a need to examine seasonal factors such as Bonfire Night, which may have influenced local activity levels.