Crime in Chelmsford
Recorded crime in Chelmsford is about the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 12%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
188,803 residents in 113 neighbourhoods.
- Safety
- 4/10Above average crime
- Living
- 7.1/10Good
- 5-year change
- −12%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 12% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Chelmsford, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the England and Wales average. 77 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 65% of the harm here
- Burglary: 14% of the harm here
- Robbery: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 65% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 16 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.7 |
| Burglary | 4.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 32.7 |
| Drugs | 2.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.7 |
| Other crime | 2.0 |
| Other theft | 6.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.8 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.5 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.7 |
| Public order | 6.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.7 |
| Shoplifting | 6.1 |
What crimes are recorded in Chelmsford
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 259 | 1.4 | Down 47% |
| Cars broken into | 253 | 1.3 | Down 28% |
| Vehicle tampering | 92 | 0.49 | Down 10% |
| Vandalism to homes | 167 | 0.88 | Down 15% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 150 | 0.79 | Up 7% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 273 | 1.4 | Down 9% |
| Arson | 60 | 0.32 | Up 28% |
| Burglary of homes | 316 | 1.7 | Up 30% |
| Burglary of businesses | 115 | 0.61 | Down 21% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 49 | 0.26 | Down 23% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 77 | 0.41 | Down 15% |
| Robbery of people | 85 | 0.45 | Down 16% |
| Robbery of businesses | 35 | 0.19 | Up 218% |
| Violence with injury | 1,366 | 7.2 | Down 2% |
| Violence without injury | 2,484 | 13.2 | Down 3% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,671 | 8.9 | Up 9% |
| Sexual offences | 597 | 3.2 | Down 6% |
| Shoplifting | 1,595 | 8.4 | Up 11% |
| Bicycle theft | 117 | 0.62 | Down 43% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 119 | 0.63 | Down 20% |
| Drug dealing | 268 | 1.4 | Up 40% |
| Drug possession | 516 | 2.7 | Up 20% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Essex Police area: 1,373 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,499 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Chelmsford.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
Towns and cities in Chelmsford
Postcode districts in Chelmsford
Questions about crime in Chelmsford
- Is Chelmsford a safe place to live?
- Chelmsford scores 4 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Chelmsford?
- Down 12% over 5 years, from 16,120 recorded crimes a year to 14,180.
- What is the most common crime in Chelmsford?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 33 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How many cars are stolen in Chelmsford?
- In Chelmsford, the police recorded 259 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.4 per 1,000 residents, down 47% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Chelmsford?
- 590 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Chelmsford in 2025/26, 3.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Chelmsford last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Chelmsford in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.