Crime in Burnley district: statistics, rates and trends
14,031 crimes were recorded in Burnley district in the 12 months to August 2026, 141.4 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Burnley district at a glance
- Crime trends in Burnley district
- Types of crime in Burnley district
- Home Office recorded crime in Burnley district
- Burnley district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Burnley district
- Streets with the most crime in Burnley district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Burnley district
- Demographics of Burnley district
- Fly-tipping in Burnley
- Questions about crime in Burnley district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,924), anti-social behaviour (2,771) and shoplifting (1,321) made up 64% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 19th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | Burnley district | Lancashire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 14,031 | 119,662 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 141.4 | 92.4 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | 0% | -8% | -1% |
| Population | 99,233 | 1,294,914 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Burnley district peaked in the year to August 2021 (16,855 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (14,006). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 16%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 14,031 | 141.4 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 14,006 | 141.1 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 14,172 | 142.8 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 14,406 | 145.2 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 16,253 | 163.8 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 16,855 | 169.9 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 15,972 | 161.0 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 15,019 | 151.4 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 16,752 | 168.8 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,279 |
| July 2026 | 1,378 |
| June 2026 | 1,243 |
| May 2026 | 1,235 |
| April 2026 | 1,245 |
| March 2026 | 1,117 |
| February 2026 | 978 |
| January 2026 | 1,065 |
| December 2025 | 1,119 |
| November 2025 | 1,012 |
| October 2025 | 1,237 |
| September 2025 | 1,123 |
Compared with England and Wales, Burnley district recorded notably more burglary (2.1 times the national rate), anti-social behaviour (82% above the national rate) and other crime (74% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (62% below). On the year before, shoplifting rose from 949 to 1,321 and public order rose from 599 to 821, while anti-social behaviour fell from 3,967 to 2,771.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,924 | 49.6 | 34.2 | +11% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,771 | 27.9 | 15.4 | -30% |
| Shoplifting | 1,321 | 13.3 | 8.5 | +39% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,066 | 10.7 | 6.7 | -5% |
| Public order | 821 | 8.3 | 6.7 | +37% |
| Burglary | 748 | 7.5 | 3.6 | +18% |
| Other theft | 694 | 7.0 | 6.4 | -1% |
| Vehicle crime | 601 | 6.1 | 5.0 | +5% |
| Other crime | 364 | 3.7 | 2.1 | +1% |
| Drugs | 326 | 3.3 | 3.3 | -3% |
| Robbery | 131 | 1.3 | 1.4 | +28% |
| Possession of weapons | 121 | 1.2 | 1.0 | -10% |
| Bicycle theft | 79 | 0.8 | 0.8 | +11% |
| Theft from the person | 64 | 0.6 | 1.7 | +31% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
10,660 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Burnley district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 107.4 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 6% on the year ending March 2025 (10,032), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Burnley district had the 34th highest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Of the crimes recorded in the Lancashire Police area in the year ending March 2026, 2.0% were not assigned to a district. Those crimes are counted in the force and England and Wales totals but in no district, so the figure for Burnley district is an undercount.
Offences recorded in Burnley district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 1,653 offences (16% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for non-residential burglary (2.2 times the national rate), residential burglary (2.0 times the national rate) and miscellaneous crimes against society (1.8 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.32 times), trafficking of drugs (0.55 times) and robbery of personal property (0.74 times).
The largest rises on the year were in bicycle theft (+38%) and miscellaneous crimes against society (+31%). The largest falls were in trafficking of drugs (−34%) and arson (−32%). Robbery of business property and shoplifting are not compared with the year ending March 2025: from April 2025 the Home Office Counting Rules were clarified so that a theft from a shop in which violence is used or threatened against staff or anyone else is recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting (ONS).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 1,653 | 16.7 | 13.2 | 1.26 | +12% |
| Violence with injury | 1,320 | 13.3 | 8.1 | 1.63 | +11% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,223 | 12.3 | 10.1 | 1.22 | +6% |
| Shoplifting | 1,162 | 11.7 | 8.1 | 1.44 | – |
| Criminal damage | 1,041 | 10.5 | 6.8 | 1.54 | −5% |
| Other theft offences | 695 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 1.07 | −11% |
| Public order offences | 690 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 1.00 | +18% |
| Vehicle offences | 542 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 1.09 | −8% |
| Residential burglary | 506 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 2.05 | +20% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 380 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 1.83 | +31% |
| Other sexual offences | 313 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.39 | +5% |
| Possession of drugs | 273 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 1.10 | +24% |
| Non-residential burglary | 244 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.20 | −14% |
| Possession of weapons | 132 | 1.3 | 1.00 | 1.34 | −3% |
| Rape | 127 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.06 | +5% |
| Bicycle theft | 87 | 0.88 | 0.85 | 1.03 | +38% |
| Robbery of personal property | 67 | 0.68 | 0.91 | 0.74 | −16% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 65 | 0.66 | 1.2 | 0.55 | −34% |
| Theft from the person | 56 | 0.56 | 1.8 | 0.32 | +10% |
| Arson | 42 | 0.42 | 0.38 | 1.11 | −32% |
| Robbery of business property | 42 | 0.42 | 0.47 | 0.89 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 0 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | −100% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | −100% |
Recorded crime in Burnley district since the year ending March 2019
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2019 to 2026. Burnley district's rate was above the England and Wales rate in every one of those 8 years. The series starts in the year ending March 2019 because the share of crimes in the Lancashire Police area not assigned to a district moved from 0.5% in the year ending March 2018 to 1.7% in the year ending March 2019, which changes district totals without any change in crime.
Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10,660 | 107.4 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 10,032 | 101.1 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 10,196 | 102.7 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 10,660 | 107.4 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 11,387 | 114.8 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 9,803 | 98.8 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 11,165 | 112.5 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 12,880 | 129.8 | 84.1 |
Districts in the Lancashire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 14 districts in the Lancashire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Burnley district had the 2nd highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | 21,027 | 145.8 | 1.75 |
| Burnley | 10,660 | 107.4 | 1.29 |
| Preston | 16,068 | 98.7 | 1.19 |
| Hyndburn | 8,345 | 97.0 | 1.17 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 13,682 | 84.2 | 1.01 |
| Lancaster | 10,564 | 72.9 | 0.88 |
| Pendle | 7,041 | 70.6 | 0.85 |
| Rossendale | 4,835 | 66.2 | 0.80 |
| Chorley | 7,076 | 58.6 | 0.70 |
| Wyre | 6,933 | 58.4 | 0.70 |
| South Ribble | 6,580 | 56.7 | 0.68 |
| Fylde | 4,571 | 53.5 | 0.64 |
| West Lancashire | 5,934 | 48.6 | 0.58 |
| Ribble Valley | 2,576 | 39.2 | 0.47 |
Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.
Burnley district has a higher crime rate than all 8 of its nearest districts.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Burnley district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pendle | 9,233 | 92.5 | -35% |
| Hyndburn | 10,693 | 124.3 | -12% |
| Rossendale | 6,369 | 87.2 | -38% |
| Ribble Valley | 3,311 | 50.3 | -64% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 17,854 | 109.8 | -22% |
| Calderdale | 24,413 | 115.7 | -18% |
| Preston | 20,756 | 127.4 | -10% |
| Bradford | 72,631 | 128.9 | -9% |
Of the 19 areas within Burnley district, Trinity had the highest crime rate (293.8 per 1,000) and Cliviger with Worsthorne the lowest (51.3), 6 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity | Neighbourhood | 6,568 | 1,930 | 293.8 |
| Daneshouse with Stoneyholme | Neighbourhood | 8,611 | 2,171 | 252.1 |
| Bank Hall | Neighbourhood | 7,350 | 1,477 | 201.0 |
| Coal Clough with Deerplay | Neighbourhood | 5,457 | 841 | 154.1 |
| Gawthorpe | Neighbourhood | 6,608 | 1,002 | 151.6 |
| Burnley | Town | 83,875 | 12,274 | 146.3 |
| Queensgate | Neighbourhood | 7,473 | 1,035 | 138.5 |
| Padiham | Town | 11,092 | 1,527 | 137.7 |
| Rosehill with Burnley Wood | Neighbourhood | 6,776 | 904 | 133.4 |
| Gannow | Neighbourhood | 6,521 | 865 | 132.6 |
| Brunshaw | Neighbourhood | 6,325 | 831 | 131.4 |
| Rosegrove with Lowerhouse | Neighbourhood | 7,213 | 839 | 116.3 |
| Hapton with Park | Neighbourhood | 6,478 | 661 | 102.0 |
| Lanehead | Neighbourhood | 7,222 | 501 | 69.4 |
| Hapton | Town | 1,994 | 136 | 68.2 |
| Whittlefield with Ightenhill | Neighbourhood | 5,849 | 380 | 65.0 |
| Briercliffe | Neighbourhood | 5,615 | 329 | 58.6 |
| Worsthorne | Town | 1,177 | 68 | 57.8 |
| Cliviger with Worsthorne | Neighbourhood | 5,167 | 265 | 51.3 |
The 10 locations below account for 20% of the crime recorded in Burnley district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (756).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 756 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 716 |
| On or near Supermarket | 363 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 322 |
| On or near Yorkshire Street | 142 |
| On or near Nightclub | 126 |
| On or near Bull Street | 125 |
| On or near Whitegate Close | 93 |
| On or near The Mall | 80 |
| On or near Langwyth Road | 75 |
Of the 11,260 crimes in Burnley district with a recorded outcome, 30% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.7% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,771 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 4,021 | 35.7% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,408 | 30.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,213 | 10.8% | 11.5% |
| Local resolution | 763 | 6.8% | 3.1% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 642 | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 488 | 4.3% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 324 | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 178 | 1.6% | 0.6% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 94 | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 63 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Offender given penalty notice | 50 | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 16 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Burnley district has an estimated population of 99,233 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more residents with no qualifications (24%, against 18%), fewer residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (24%, against 34%) and more households without a car (29%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Burnley district average decile 3.0 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Burnley district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 20.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 18.0% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 53.2% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.6% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 21.7% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 24.4% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 24.4% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 29.3% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 60.0% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 15.6% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 24.3% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 3.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 44.7% | 10.1% (England) |
4,205 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Burnley in 2024/25 (42.4 per 1,000 residents; the council counts only fly-tips reported by the public), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Burnley has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Burnley district a safe place to live?
Burnley district recorded 141.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 19th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were burglary and anti-social behaviour.
What is the most common crime in Burnley district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,924 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,771).
Is crime in Burnley district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Burnley district was almost unchanged on the year before: 14,031 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 14,006 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Burnley district?
About 99,233 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 18% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Burnley district?
Burnley district is policed by Lancashire.
How many crimes did the police record in Burnley district in the year ending March 2026?
10,660 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 107.4 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 10,032.
Which offences are more common in Burnley district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were non-residential burglary (244 offences, 2.2 times the England and Wales rate), residential burglary (506 offences, 2.0 times the England and Wales rate) and miscellaneous crimes against society (380 offences, 1.8 times the England and Wales rate).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.