Crime in CO1: Colchester
data.police.uk recorded 512 street-level crimes at the representative point for CO1 (Colchester) in Apr 2026. The most common category was violence and sexual offences (210 reports, 41% of the total). The monthly total fell versus the month before. That is about 14% busier than the recent 6-month average for this area.
Colchester, an Essex town-centre district.
Crime by category in CO1
Every street-level crime recorded near the CO1 representative point in Apr 2026, by Home Office category, most common first:
| Category | Crimes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 210 | 41% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 72 | 14.1% |
| Shoplifting | 72 | 14.1% |
| Public order | 33 | 6.4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 29 | 5.7% |
| Other theft | 24 | 4.7% |
| Vehicle crime | 20 | 3.9% |
| Drugs | 16 | 3.1% |
| Bicycle theft | 10 | 2% |
| Burglary | 8 | 1.6% |
| Theft from the person | 7 | 1.4% |
| Other crime | 6 | 1.2% |
| Possession of weapons | 3 | 0.6% |
| Robbery | 2 | 0.4% |
512 crimes recorded in Apr 2026. data.police.uk snaps each crime to one of a fixed set of anonymised map points, so counts describe the area around the CO1 centroid, not a single street or property.
CO1 crime trend: last 6 months
The monthly recorded-crime total at the CO1 representative point. The recent monthly average is 448 crimes. A single outcode is a small sample, so read the direction rather than any single month.
Source: data.police.uk crimes-street API. The dataset publishes monthly with a ~1–2 month lag; the latest month shown is the newest the API had on the last refresh.
How safe is CO1?
In Apr 2026, CO1 was about 14% busier than the recent 6-month average for this area. Recorded crime is not the same as risk: city-centre and high-footfall outcodes record more crime simply because more people pass through them, and recorded figures reflect reporting and policing as well as offending. Use this as area context alongside the price, flood and ground-stability picture — not in isolation.
512 recorded crimes · Apr 2026 · violence and sexual offences most common
See the crime mapped to one CO1 address
This page is the area picture. To see the crimes mapped closest to one exact property — alongside its sold-price history, EPC, flood and ground risk, and a current valuation — search the address. The full breakdown is in the £24.99 Complete report.
Frequently asked questions
How much crime is there in CO1?
data.police.uk recorded 512 street-level crimes in CO1 (Colchester) in Apr 2026, against a recent monthly average of 448 over the last 6 months. The largest single category was violence and sexual offences, at 41% of reports. These are reports snapped to anonymised map points near the outcode centroid, not a per-property figure.
What are the most common crimes in CO1?
In Apr 2026 the most common recorded categories in CO1 were violence and sexual offences (210), anti-social behaviour (72), shoplifting (72). The full category breakdown is in the table above, taken straight from the Home Office crime categories on data.police.uk.
Is CO1 getting safer or more dangerous?
Over the last 6 months of data.police.uk data, the monthly recorded-crime total for CO1 fell most recently and averaged 448 crimes a month. A single outcode is a small sample and recorded crime reflects reporting and policing as well as underlying offending, so read the trend, not one month in isolation.
How accurate is the crime data for CO1?
It is official Home Office data published on data.police.uk under the Open Government Licence. Each crime is snapped to one of a fixed set of anonymised map points near where it happened — never the exact address — so figures describe the area around the outcode centroid, not a single property. Search an exact address on HouseCheckup to see the crimes mapped closest to it in the full report.
Crime in nearby areas
Prime central London around Westminster and St James's, a dense government and tourism district.
Prime central Chelsea, a low-density affluent residential district.
Battersea and Clapham Junction, a busy riverside district around one of the UK's busiest stations.
Wandsworth and Earlsfield, a residential commuter district inside Zone 2/3.
Wimbledon, a busy town-centre and residential family district.
South-bank Southwark and Bermondsey, a high-footfall riverside and nightlife district.
Sources
- Street-level crime data — data.police.uk (Home Office)
- Outcode geocoding — postcodes.io
Contains public sector information from data.police.uk licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Street-level crimes are snapped to anonymised map points, not exact addresses.