Rural Crime

This page was produced as part of the 2015 JSNA and no updates are planned at present

Overall crime levels

Rural insurance specialists, the NFU estimate the cost of rural crime to the UK to be £42.5 million a year. In 2015, the cost contributed by the South West region rose 3% to more than £6 million.

Although around 70% of recorded crime in Somerset takes place in urban areas, the largely rural nature of the county means offending can be widespread, with offenders potentially able to travel widely to commit offences.

Crime is falling in rural Somerset, mirroring falls in urban areas, although rates in the most rural areas have been static in the last two years.

Table 1: Crime rates (per 1,000 population) by Rural-Urban Classification

Source: police.uk / ONS

Crime by Type

Crime rates in rural Somerset are notably lower than urban areas for most major crime types. The main exceptions are burglary offences and ‘other theft’, where there is little differentiation between urban and rural rates. ‘Other theft’ includes thefts from public places, theft from a person, and making off without payment.

Table 2: Crime rates (per 1,000 population) by Rural-Urban Classification, 2013/14

Source: police.uk

A key feature of rural Somerset is its older population and the figures suggest that the county's most isolated communities - largely made up of older couples and singles - are particularly susceptible and vulnerable to burglary and theft offences.

Domestic  Violence

Overall rates of domestic violence in urban areas are more than double those seen in the most rural areas of the county. However, rates in rural areas increased in 2013/14, while those in urban areas fell.

Table 3: Domestic Violence crime rates (per  1,000 population) by Rural-Urban Classification

Source: Avon & Somerset Constabulary/SCC

Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is less prevalent in rural areas. Overall rates are around three times higher in urban areas than in the most rural areas of Somerset.

In the last three years the biggest fall in ASB incidents has been seen in rural towns, while overall levels in rural villages have been broadly static.

Table 4: ASB rates (per 1,000 population) by Rural-Urban Classification, 2013/14

Source: police.uk

Further information

Street-level crime and anti-social behaviour data, updated on a monthly basis, is available from the Home Office's police.uk website.

For more information about the classification of rural and urban areas see our Rural-Urban Classification page.

This page was produced as part of the 2015 JSNA and no updates are planned at present