Car theft and vehicle crime in Portsmouth
319 vehicle crimes were reported to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary within about a mile of Portsmouth from October 2025 to September 2026. The most recent quarter brought 83 offences, 11% fewer than the 93 in the quarter before it.
Portsmouth month by month
Counts ranged from 17 in February 2026 up to 41 in April 2026. Offences rose 23% from the first half of the period to the second. Average: 26.6 a month.
| Month | Offences | vs 12-month average |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 19 | -8 |
| Nov 2025 | 30 | +3 |
| Dec 2025 | 28 | +1 |
| Jan 2026 | 20 | -7 |
| Feb 2026 | 17 | -10 |
| Mar 2026 | 29 | +2 |
| Apr 2026 | 41 | +14 |
| May 2026 | 32 | +5 |
| Jun 2026 | 20 | -7 |
| Jul 2026 | 22 | -5 |
| Aug 2026 | 30 | +3 |
| Sep 2026 | 31 | +4 |
How Portsmouth compares
Ranked against 83 other towns, Portsmouth comes 37. Its 27 offences a month are close to the typical town in our set, next to 116 for Cardiff.
Over the latest three months the one-mile circle around Portsmouth averaged 28 vehicle offences a month. That is more than 86% of the sampled British postcodes, but well short of the worst. The comparison uses 400 randomly chosen British postcodes, each measured over Jul 2026, Aug 2026, Sep 2026 exactly as Portsmouth is here. Test your own street with the free theft risk checker.
Within the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary area, Portsmouth ranks 2 of the 2 centres we track at 27 offences a month. The others: Southampton (50).
Towns nearest to Portsmouth
- Southampton (15 miles away): 50 a month, 88% more than Portsmouth
- Bournemouth (35 miles away): 27 a month, about the same than Portsmouth
- Guildford (37 miles away): 8 a month, 69% fewer than Portsmouth
Where in Portsmouth offences were recorded
Just five locations make up 20% of the 319 offences recorded around Portsmouth.
- On or near Parking Area: 23
- On or near Kingston Crescent: 18
- On or near Seymour Close: 8
- On or near A3: 7
- On or near Supermarket: 7
What happened to Portsmouth cases
The most common recorded outcome near Portsmouth was "investigation complete; no suspect identified" (266 cases).
| Outcome | Offences | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 266 | 83% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 25 | 8% |
| Under investigation | 14 | 4% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 7 | 2% |
| Status update unavailable | 5 | 2% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 1 | 0% |
What this means if you park near Portsmouth
Portsmouth sees around 27 vehicle offences a month: low by city standards, yet thieves target the most valuable cars first. Expect pressure to build again around April, the worst month in this data.
Against the 319 offences logged here in a year, an aftermarket immobiliser slows thieves who clone or relay keys, and an S5 or S7 tracker covers you if they still get away. See installation options.
Portsmouth car theft questions
How much car crime is there in Portsmouth?
Police recorded 319 vehicle offences within about a mile of central Portsmouth in the 12 months to September 2026, an average of 27 a month. That ranks 37 of 84 towns on our list, in the middle end.
When was vehicle crime worst in Portsmouth?
April 2026 was the peak with 41 offences, against 17 in February 2026. The latest month, September 2026, recorded 31.
Are car thieves caught in Portsmouth?
Police.uk shows 266 of 319 Portsmouth cases (83%) closed without a suspect and 7 with a court-stage outcome, so an owner is far better served by an immobiliser and tracker than by the odds of a conviction.
Does this cover stolen cars only in Portsmouth?
Not only. The 319 Portsmouth offences combine cars stolen outright, items taken from vehicles and tampering, because police.uk publishes them as one vehicle crime category.
Source: police.uk, centred on 50.8198, -1.088, retrieved 2026-11-06. Method and limits.