Ipswich violence and sexual offences rise 46% in decade

But, despite the sharp rise, the overall number of recorded incidents in the town fell by more than a quarter between 2015 and 2025.

Police in Ipswich town centre (Image: Newsquest)

The figures show 5,462 violence and sexual offences were recorded in 2025, compared with 3,749 in 2015. That is an increase of 1,713 offences, or almost 46 per cent.

Overall recorded incidents, however, fell from 18,084 in 2015 to 13,412 in 2025, a drop of 4,672, or around 26 per cent.

Some categories saw even steeper falls, with anti-social behaviour dropping from 4,983 incidents to 1,028, while burglary fell from 935 to 291.

Bicycle theft also decreased from 572 to 159, while criminal damage and arson fell from 1,871 to 1,099.

Changes in Ipswich in ten years revealed (Image: PA)

Possession of weapons almost doubled over the decade, rising from 107 recorded offences in 2015 to 210 in 2025, an increase of around 96 per cent.

Shoplifting also increased, rising from 1,503 offences to 1,831, meaning 328 more offences were recorded in 2025 than a decade earlier, an increase of around 22 per cent.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesperson said: “There are many factors that affect figures for crime and anti-social behaviour. Crime figures will always see rises and falls, affected by a number of factors, often reacting to national and economic drivers.”

The force said policing, population, societal and economic changes over the decade would have affected both the large overall reductions and rises in individual crime types.

Ipswich Cornhill (Image: Newsquest)

It also pointed to changes in legislation and crime recording practices, including the introduction of offences covering up-skirting and cyber-flashing.

Coercive and controlling behaviour also became a criminal offence on December 29, 2015.

The spokesperson added: “These changes of course mean additional crimes have been recorded each year since becoming law.”