Photo: Glyn Baker · CC BY-SA 2.0North Benfleet stands out for criminal damage & arson: 4.1 times the rate of a typical town its size
Violent crime here is higher than in 68% of UK towns; burglary, vehicle crime and damage, higher than in 89%. Violence recorded locally climbed 85% in a year. Across all the graded crimes, North Benfleet lands on C−: more crime per resident than 77% of UK towns, on crimes police recorded inside its built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Behind the grade sit 30.0 violent and sexual offences and 18.5 incidents of burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 people a year.
Crimes and reports per 1,000 residents (Census 2021) a year, September 2023 to August 2026.
What stands out about safety in North Benfleet
Violent crime rose over the year
In the 12 months to August 2026 police recorded 85% more violent crime per resident in North Benfleet than in the year before; across UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people violent crime held steady. Trend ↓
Neighbourhood ranks
81% of North Benfleet’s residents live in a neighbourhood ranked in the highest-crime 20% of England (Indices of Deprivation 2025, crime domain), and 0% in the lowest-crime 30%. Neighbourhood ranks ↓
Written from the police.uk and government data on this page. Figures are crimes police recorded, not convictions.
North Benfleet: C− for safety, and why
A fairly firm grade. Built on 257 graded crimes over three years. The grade adds violent and sexual offences and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident and ranks North Benfleet against every UK town of 1,000 or more.
Per resident, against all UK towns; beside it, how it compares with towns its size.
How crime in North Benfleet has moved
“Towns its size” pools all UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people that police.uk covers each month (Greater Manchester has no data).
Rolling twelve-month rate, per 1,000 residents a year (longer windows for smaller places, where a few crimes swing a month). In the 12 months to August 2026 against the 12 before: violent +85% (towns its size +3%), homes and vehicles -15% (towns its size +0%).
What police recorded in the last 12 months
Against the typical town its size, North Benfleet runs highest on criminal damage & arson (13 per 1,000 against 3.2), other theft (6.8 per 1,000 against 2.5) and violence & sexual offences (38 per 1,000 against 16.6).
Show as a table
| Category | In the grade | Reports | Per 1,000 | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence & sexual offences | Violent | 67 | 38 | 16.6 |
| Criminal damage & arson | Home & vehicle | 23 | 13 | 3.2 |
| Anti-social behaviour | not graded | 13 | 7.4 | 5.3 |
| Other theft | not graded | 12 | 6.8 | 2.5 |
| Vehicle crime | Home & vehicle | 9 | 5.1 | 1.5 |
| Public order | not graded | 8 | 4.5 | 2.4 |
| Other crime | not graded | 7 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Possession of weapons | Violent | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Drugs | not graded | 6 | 3.4 | 0.6 |
| Burglary | Home & vehicle | 3 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Shoplifting | not graded | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bicycle theft | not graded | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery | Violent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Theft from the person | not graded | 0 | 0 | 0 |
“Violent” is police.uk’s violence and sexual offences (which includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury), robbery and possession of weapons. Anti-social behaviour isn’t a crime category; shoplifting and other theft happen mostly in shops and town centres rather than to residents, so neither counts in the grade.
September 2025 to August 2026, per 1,000 residents. The tick on each bar is the typical (median) town among UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people.
How North Benfleet compares with UK towns of 1,000 to 2,000
| # | Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Shops & theft | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clipsham Rutland | 1,150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 30 | Tolleshunt Knights Essex | 1,059 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 0.3 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 67 | Bradfield Essex | 1,254 | 7.7 | 3.7 | 1.9 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 113 | Stebbing Essex | 1,061 | 7.9 | 5.3 | 1.9 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 121 | Thorrington Essex | 1,427 | 10.5 | 3 | 1.6 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 1094 | Richings Park Buckinghamshire | 1,787 | 24.7 | 23.7 | 7.6 | C− |
| 1095 | South Broomhill Northumberland | 1,520 | 46.8 | 1.6 | 1.2 | C− |
| 1096 | Llanybydder Dyfed | 1,182 | 34.9 | 13.6 | 3.2 | C− |
| 1097 | North Benfleet Essex | 1,765 | 30 | 18.5 | 4.9 | C− |
| 1098 | Ruishton Somerset | 1,476 | 27.4 | 21.2 | 7 | C− |
| 1099 | Cliffs End Kent | 1,284 | 28.8 | 20 | 9.4 | C− |
| 1100 | Presteigne Powys | 1,929 | 34.6 | 14.3 | 5.8 | C− |
| … | ||||||
| 1214 | Ingoldmells Lincolnshire | 1,928 | 259 | 64.7 | 57.2 | D− |
Safety letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only.
Graded crime per 1,000 residents a year, September 2023 to August 2026, counting from the least: towns ranked near North Benfleet, and others in Essex.
Crime in North Benfleet per 1,000 residents
A crime isn’t a victim: one person can report several, and crimes in a town centre often involve visitors rather than residents.
And about 20 burglaries, vehicle crimes or acts of criminal damage, plus 7 shoplifting and theft reports, in the 12 months to August 2026. Each dot is one resident; each coloured dot is one recorded crime.
One person died in collisions on North Benfleet’s roads in 2021–2025
Police recorded 10 collisions with injuries inside North Benfleet in five years, in which one person died. 4 people were killed or seriously injured: 0 on foot and 0 on a bicycle.
Most UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people (94%) had no road deaths in these five years, so with numbers this small a single collision changes the picture; North Benfleet’s one death is context, not a ranking.
Counting serious injuries too, a town of North Benfleet’s size at the median for UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people would see about 1 people killed or seriously injured in five years; North Benfleet had 4.
Casualties are counted where the collision happened, not where people lived: a main road through town adds through-traffic, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Seriously injured uses the Department for Transport’s adjusted figures, which even out the police forces’ different ways of recording injuries. There’s no national rate here: more than half of road deaths in England and Wales (58%) happen outside every town’s built-up area. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), 2021–2025.
Collisions police recorded inside North Benfleet’s built-up area, 2021–2025. Described here; not part of the Safety Grade.
Crime in the places around North Benfleet
| Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Benfleet | 1,765 | 30 | 18.5 | C− |
| Thundersley and South Benfleet | 49,886 | 20.9 | 10.6 | B− |
| Wickford | 27,533 | 19.8 | 13 | B− |
| Basildon | 115,935 | 54.2 | 24.2 | D− |
| Rayleigh | 32,383 | 23.4 | 9.8 | B− |
| Crays Hill | 1,218 | 23.3 | 17 | C+ |
| Runwell | 8,086 | 36.4 | 20 | C− |
| Canvey Island | 38,004 | 33.6 | 12.6 | C |
North Benfleet records more graded crime per resident than 5 of its 7 neighbours; only Basildon and Runwell record more. Thundersley and South Benfleet, 1.9 miles away, records 20.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year (3-year average), against North Benfleet’s 30.
Per 1,000 residents a year, the same three years. Tap a town for its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Where crimes happen, not where victims live. police.uk places each crime at a point near where it happened. Town centres with shops, stations, a hospital and nightlife record more crime per resident, and residents of nearby villages who come in to shop or go out are part of that count.
- Bigger towns record more per resident. Across UK towns, recorded crime per resident rises steeply with size, more than in the U.S., so a city’s grade sits low against the whole UK. The “towns its size” figures show where North Benfleet sits among towns like it; they are context and don’t change the grade.
- Points are approximate. police.uk moves each point to the nearest of a set of anonymous map points, so crimes near the edge of the built-up area can fall either side of it.
Questions about safety in North Benfleet
Is North Benfleet safe?
Police recorded 30 violent and sexual offences and 18.5 burglaries, vehicle crimes and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year over the three years to August 2026 (police.uk, inside North Benfleet’s built-up area). That earns a C− for safety: less crime per resident than 23% of UK towns. Among UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, North Benfleet has less crime per resident than 10%.
Is crime going up in North Benfleet?
In the 12 months to August 2026, against the 12 months before, violent crime rose 85%, burglary, vehicle crime and damage fell 15%, shoplifting and theft rose 100% and anti-social behaviour fell 19%. Across UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, violent crime held steady.
What is the most common crime in North Benfleet?
Violence & sexual offences: 67 in the 12 months to August 2026, which in police.uk includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury. Next came criminal damage & arson (23) and other theft (12), with 13 reports of anti-social behaviour.
How does North Benfleet compare with Southend-on-Sea?
Southend-on-Sea records 48.3 violent and sexual offences and 17.4 crimes against homes and vehicles per 1,000 residents a year, against North Benfleet’s 30 and 18.5, over the same three years.
Sources: data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025, crime domain by LSOA (residents from ONS Census 2021) · Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions 2021–2025, points inside the built-up-area boundary · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.