Postcode district · Chelmsford
Crime in CM3
How much crime is recorded in CM3, what kind, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
- Council
- Chelmsford
- Region
- East of England
- Population
- 79,220 (2024)
CM3Postcode district · Chelmsford
How safe is CM3
Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 21.9 offences per 1,000 people a year in CM3, well below the 31.1 average across England and Wales. That puts it in band 5 of 10 against all neighbourhoods.
Higher-harm crime band
5/ 10
Lowest crimeHighest crime
Around the middle of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.
Higher-harm
21.9
Per 1,000 a year · England & Wales 31.1
All crime
39
Per 1,000 a year · England & Wales 67
What crime is recorded
Recorded offences per 1,000 people a year (counting both residents and people who work locally, or per 1,000 households for burglary).
CM3National
Violence and sexual offences16.823.6
Burglary6.59.1
Shoplifting4.58.4
Anti-social behaviour4.310.7
Criminal damage and arson2.94.7
Other theft2.84.5
Vehicle crime2.73.5
Public order2.54.6
Drugs1.72.4
Other crime1.11.5
Robbery1.01.4
Theft from the person0.42.1
Possession of weapons0.40.9
Bicycle theft0.31.0
Higher-harm crime over time
It has fallen 16% since 2022.
Higher-harm crimes per 1,000
0
10
20
30
2022202320242025
Source: data.police.uk street-level crime, resolved to neighbourhoods. Rates cover September 2025 to August 2026, the latest twelve months published.