A new crime severity map has shed light on the areas in Somerset most impacted by serious criminal activity. Unlike traditional crime rates that simply count the number of offenses, crime severity scores take into account both the volume and the seriousness of crimes committed. This means violent crimes such as murder and sexual offenses weigh far more heavily than minor offenses like theft.
Within the Avon and Somerset police jurisdiction, Bristol stands out with one of the highest crime severity scores nationwide. Scoring 24.9, it ranks as the 13th highest among over 300 community safety partnership areas across England and Wales. This elevated score is largely due to the prevalence of violent and sexual crimes.
Somerset follows Bristol with a crime severity score of 16.0, heavily influenced by high-impact violent and sexual offenses. On the other end of the spectrum, Bath emerges as the safest area in the region, boasting a lower score of 14.1.
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The average crime severity score across the entire Avon and Somerset police force area is 18.4, which surpasses the England and Wales average. This metric offers a more nuanced understanding of local crime, as it reflects the harm caused by each offense rather than just their frequency.
Introduced in 2003, crime severity scores initially stood at 15.9 for England and Wales. They steadily declined to a low of 9.3 in 2013 but have since trended upward, peaking at 16.4 in 2023 before stabilizing slightly at 16.3.
Explore how your community fares by using the interactive map to see detailed crime severity scores across Somerset and beyond.