How much crime is there in Braintree?
Less than five in six constituencies — and it has been falling for three years.
Braintree records 63 crimes per 1,000 residents a year. The England and Wales average is 99. Only 93 of 548 constituencies came in lower, which puts Braintree in the quietest sixth of the country.
Every single category is below the national average. Anti-social behaviour is the biggest gap: 6 per 1,000 here against nearly 16 nationally.
Chart: Crimes Weekly · GB-ES-01 · Source: police.uk street-level recorded crime, 12 months to July 2026 · Census 2021 population
Across Essex, Braintree sits 14th of 18 seats — the fifth quietest. Southend East and Rochford tops the county at 157, more than double Braintree's rate. Only Castle Point, Witham, Maldon and Rayleigh & Wickford come in lower, and none by much.
Three years of change
Comparing the 12 months to July 2024 with the 12 months to July 2026, recorded crime in the constituency fell 8.7%, from 6,890 offences a year to 6,289.
Chart: Crimes Weekly · GB-BT-01 · Source: police.uk street-level recorded crime, Braintree constituency, Aug 2023 – Jul 2026
The falls that look biggest in percentage terms sit on small numbers — bicycle theft went from 43 to 20, theft from the person from 50 to 26. The falls that matter most are the big categories: shoplifting 633 → 434, vehicle crime 433 → 299 and burglary 298 → 214.
The largest category, violence and sexual offences, barely moved (2,733 → 2,759), and anti-social behaviour rose slightly.
One number needs explaining
The largest single category is "violence and sexual offences" at 28 per 1,000, which is 44% of all recorded crime. That sounds far more alarming than it is: it's a broad police category that takes in common assault, harassment and threats, not only the serious offences the name suggests. Braintree's figure is still well below the national 35.
What these figures can't tell you
This is recorded crime — what was reported to police and logged. A rise can mean more crime or better reporting, and things people often don't report, like most fraud and most domestic abuse, barely show up at all.
police.uk keeps a rolling 36 months, so there is no street-level history to say how Braintree compares with ten years ago.
Look up your own area on the crime map.
Figures: police.uk street-level recorded crime, Braintree constituency (2024 boundaries), per 1,000 residents (Census 2021). Rankings: 12 months to July 2026. Three-year comparison: August 2023 – July 2024 against August 2025 – July 2026. Monthly counts: data.
