Photo: Lewis Collard · Public domainPer resident, Watlington sees less crime than 74% of UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people
Violence recorded locally climbed 15% in a year. It has less violent crime than 66% of UK towns, and less burglary, vehicle crime and damage than 66%. The yearly rates were 18.1 violent and sexual offences and 7.6 incidents of burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 residents.
Crimes and reports per 1,000 residents (Census 2021) a year, September 2023 to August 2026.
What stands out about safety in Watlington
Less crime than many places its size
Of 856 UK towns of 2,000 to 4,000 people, Watlington has the 329th lowest rate of graded crime: lower than Upper Tean, Hardwick and Wing, higher than Great Leighs, Great Barford and Netherton (Wakefield). Towns its size ↓
Violent crime rose over the year
In the 12 months to August 2026 police recorded 15% more violent crime per resident in Watlington than in the year before; across UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people violent crime held steady. Trend ↓
Written from the police.uk and government data on this page. Figures are crimes police recorded, not convictions.
The B+ for Watlington, and how it is built
A fairly firm grade. Built on 198 graded crimes over three years. The grade adds violent and sexual offences and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident and ranks Watlington 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 Watlington’s neighbourhoods rank in England
100% of residents live in the lowest-crime 30% of England’s neighbourhoods, and 0% in the highest-crime 20%. The crime domain scores the risk of violence, burglary, theft and criminal damage where people live, so it can read differently from the town-wide rate, which counts crimes where they happened.
Watlington’s residents by the crime decile of their neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people) in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (crime domain), where 1 is the highest-crime 10% of England’s neighbourhoods and 10 the lowest.
How crime in Watlington has moved
“Towns its size” pools all UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 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 +15% (towns its size +1%).
Of 856 towns its size, Watlington is 329th from the least graded crime
| # | Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Shops & theft | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richhill Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | 2,738 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 3 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 26 | Mulbarton Norfolk | 3,807 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 4 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 39 | Marham Norfolk | 2,608 | 12 | 2.2 | 1.8 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 46 | Spixworth Norfolk | 3,418 | 11.1 | 3.6 | 2.8 | A |
| … | ||||||
| 53 | Snettisham Norfolk | 2,709 | 12.2 | 2.8 | 1.5 | A |
| … | ||||||
| 326 | Great Leighs Essex | 2,968 | 19.5 | 6.2 | 2 | B+ |
| 327 | Great Barford Bedfordshire | 2,254 | 15.5 | 10.2 | 3.4 | B+ |
| 328 | Netherton (Wakefield) West Yorkshire | 2,331 | 18.5 | 7.3 | 1.3 | B+ |
| 329 | Watlington Norfolk | 2,593 | 18.1 | 7.6 | 2.6 | B+ |
| 330 | Aston Clwyd | 2,847 | 18.2 | 7.6 | 3.3 | B+ |
| 331 | Stretham Cambridgeshire | 2,070 | 13.7 | 12.1 | 2.3 | B+ |
| 332 | Wolston Warwickshire | 2,693 | 15.4 | 10.5 | 3.1 | B+ |
| … | ||||||
| 856 | Eastchurch Kent | 3,381 | 132 | 13.9 | 3.5 | 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 Watlington, and others in Norfolk.
Crime in Watlington 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 8 burglaries, vehicle crimes or acts of criminal damage, plus 3 shoplifting and theft reports, in the 12 months to August 2026. Each dot is one resident; each coloured dot is one recorded crime.
What police recorded in the last 12 months
Show as a table
| Category | In the grade | Reports | Per 1,000 | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence & sexual offences | Violent | 52 | 20.1 | 22.4 |
| Criminal damage & arson | Home & vehicle | 13 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Anti-social behaviour | not graded | 8 | 3.1 | 8.8 |
| Other theft | not graded | 6 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| Public order | not graded | 5 | 1.9 | 3.6 |
| Other crime | not graded | 5 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| Burglary | Home & vehicle | 4 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Vehicle crime | Home & vehicle | 4 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Bicycle theft | not graded | 2 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Possession of weapons | Violent | 2 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Drugs | not graded | 1 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Shoplifting | not graded | 0 | 0 | 1.8 |
| Robbery | Violent | 0 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 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 2,500 to 10,000 people.
No one died in a collision on Watlington’s roads in 2021–2025
Police recorded 3 collisions with injuries inside Watlington in five years. 0 people were killed or seriously injured.
Most UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people (81%) had no road deaths in these five years, and Watlington is one of them.
Counting serious injuries too, a town of Watlington’s size at the median for UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people would see about 2 people killed or seriously injured in five years; Watlington had 0.
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 Watlington’s built-up area, 2021–2025. Described here; not part of the Safety Grade.
Crime in the places around Watlington
| Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watlington | 2,593 | 18.1 | 7.6 | B+ |
| West Winch | 2,828 | 14.6 | 4.8 | A− |
| Downham Market | 11,349 | 24.6 | 9.3 | B− |
| Tilney St Lawrence | 1,504 | 23.9 | 5.3 | B |
| Marshland St James | 1,025 | 20.5 | 3.9 | B+ |
| Clenchwarton | 2,020 | 12.9 | 4.8 | A |
| King's Lynn | 47,604 | 51.4 | 14.7 | D |
| Marham | 2,608 | 12 | 2.2 | A+ |
Watlington records more graded crime per resident than 4 of its 7 neighbours. West Winch, 3.1 miles away, records 14.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year (3-year average), against Watlington’s 18.1.
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 Watlington 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 Watlington
Is Watlington safe?
Police recorded 18.1 violent and sexual offences and 7.6 burglaries, vehicle crimes and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year over the three years to August 2026 (police.uk, inside Watlington’s built-up area). That earns a B+ for safety: less crime per resident than 67% of UK towns. Among 856 UK towns of 2,000 to 4,000 people, Watlington is 329th from the least crime.
Is crime going up in Watlington?
In the 12 months to August 2026, against the 12 months before, violent crime rose 15%, burglary, vehicle crime and damage rose 11%, shoplifting and theft rose 100% and anti-social behaviour fell 43%. Across UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, violent crime held steady.
What is the most common crime in Watlington?
Violence & sexual offences: 52 in the 12 months to August 2026, which in police.uk includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury. Next came criminal damage & arson (13) and other theft (6), with 8 reports of anti-social behaviour.
How does Watlington compare with King's Lynn?
King's Lynn records 51.4 violent and sexual offences and 14.7 crimes against homes and vehicles per 1,000 residents a year, against Watlington’s 18.1 and 7.6, 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.