Is Colchester a nice place to live?
Britain's oldest recorded town and garrison city.
Police.uk data for 2026-06
567 crimes recorded
Within roughly a mile of Colchester centre. Most common: Violence & sexual offences.
Category breakdown
Violence & sexual offences
237 (42%)
Shoplifting
90 (16%)
Anti-social behaviour
67 (12%)
Public order
45 (8%)
Criminal damage & arson
38 (7%)
Other theft
26 (5%)
Vehicle crime
21 (4%)
Drugs
9 (2%)
Burglary
8 (1%)
Robbery
6 (1%)
Bicycle theft
6 (1%)
Possession of weapons
6 (1%)
Theft from the person
5 (1%)
Other crime
3 (1%)
What this data does and doesn't tell you
This is a count of crimes reported to police and recorded within roughly a mile of Colchester's centre — it isn't a "safety score" and it doesn't capture things like community, schools, transport links or how an area actually feels to live in. Areas with more footfall (town centres, retail parks) often show higher raw counts simply because more people pass through them, not because they're more dangerous to live in. Use this alongside a proper visit, not instead of one.