Total Crime Rate

294.6 per 1,000 10/10 · Very High

All offences · May 2025 - Apr 2026

Violent Crime Rate

77.5 per 1,000 9/10 · Very High

May 2025 - Apr 2026
Latest update: 06.06.2026 Crime figures are sourced from data.police.uk and are typically published with a 3-month delay.
Crime rate per 1000 residents
  • All crimes 294.6 10/10
  • Shoplifting 137.0 9/10
  • Violent crimes 77.5 9/10
  • Violence and sexual offences 62.0 9/10
  • Anti-social behaviour 31.0 9/10
  • Other theft 20.7 10/10
  • Other crime 12.9 10/10
  • Public order 10.3 7/10
  • Criminal damage and arson 7.8 6/10
  • Bicycle theft 2.6 2/10
  • Burglary 2.6 1/10
  • Drugs 2.6 1/10
  • Possession of weapons 2.6 2/10
  • Robbery 2.6 2/10
  • Theft from the person 0.0 1/10
  • Vehicle crime 0.0 1/10
Values shown per 1,000 residents · May 2025 - Apr 2026 · Rating compares this oa to UK peers of the same type.
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Crime overview

Otter Place area has the 2nd highest crime rate of 94 local areas in Lexden and Braiswick , and the 32nd highest crime rate of 619 local areas in Colchester .

This postcode sits in a local crime hotspot. Overall crime levels here are significantly higher than in the surrounding streets and the wider area.

The overall crime rate in the area around Otter Place (CO3 8AU) in the last 12 months was 294.6 per 1,000 residents and was 510.1% higher than the Lexden and Braiswick average (48.3 per 1,000 residents). In the last 12 months, this area’s most reported crimes were Shoplifting with 53 offences recorded. The least common crime was Bicycle theft with 1 case , unchanged from 2025. The fastest-growing crime category was Drugs ( 100.0% YoY). The sharpest decline was Violence and sexual offences ( -25.0% YoY).

Violent crimes totalled 30 (≈ 77.5 per 1,000 residents). Year-over-year these were falling ( -14.3% ). Over the last decade, overall crime has falling ( -45.9% comparing early vs recent averages) .

In the area around Otter Place (CO3 8AU), the main crime hotspot is near Lemur Lane. Police recorded 79 crimes here, including 20 violent or public-order offences. All these locations are within roughly 0.3 miles.

View Crime In Colchester

Crime Over Time in Otter Place area

Showing crimes within 0.3 miles (16/16)
Month:
MonthCrimeLocation*Last Outcome
Apr 2026Violence and sexual offences Rhino Drive Awaiting court outcome
Apr 2026Violence and sexual offences Lemur Lane Under investigation
Apr 2026Criminal damage and arson Otter Place Under investigation
Apr 2026Anti-social behaviour Otter Place —
Apr 2026Anti-social behaviour Otter Place —
Apr 2026Violence and sexual offences Meerkat Mews Unable to prosecute suspect
Apr 2026Anti-social behaviour Meerkat Mews —
Apr 2026Shoplifting Hyena Drive Investigation complete; no suspect identified
Apr 2026Shoplifting B1408 Awaiting court outcome
Apr 2026Shoplifting Lemur Lane Unable to prosecute suspect
Apr 2026Shoplifting Lemur Lane Under investigation
Apr 2026Shoplifting Lemur Lane Investigation complete; no suspect identified
Apr 2026Drugs Lemur Lane Awaiting court outcome
Apr 2026Criminal damage and arson Lemur Lane Investigation complete; no suspect identified
Apr 2026Other crime Rhino Drive Under investigation
Apr 2026Shoplifting Lemur Lane Investigation complete; no suspect identified
* on or near this location Page 1 • Showing 16 of 16

Data Sources

StreetScan crime figures are based on official UK open data:

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.

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