Crime in Doncaster district: statistics, rates and trends
42,135 crimes were recorded in Doncaster district in the 12 months to August 2026, 131.8 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 2% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Doncaster district at a glance
- Crime trends in Doncaster district
- Types of crime in Doncaster district
- Home Office recorded crime in Doncaster district
- Doncaster district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Doncaster district
- Streets with the most crime in Doncaster district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Doncaster district
- Demographics of Doncaster district
- Fly-tipping in Doncaster
- Questions about crime in Doncaster district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (14,585), anti-social behaviour (6,332) and shoplifting (4,114) made up 59% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 32nd of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Doncaster district | Yorkshire and The Humber | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 42,135 | 615,075 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 131.8 | 108.4 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -2% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 319,765 | 5,672,962 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Doncaster district of any year here (42,135 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 11%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 42,135 | 131.8 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 42,982 | 134.4 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 44,420 | 138.9 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 47,292 | 147.9 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 46,688 | 146.0 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 43,267 | 135.3 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 43,758 | 136.8 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 44,794 | 140.1 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 47,523 | 148.6 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 3,695 |
| July 2026 | 3,692 |
| June 2026 | 3,682 |
| May 2026 | 3,728 |
| April 2026 | 3,524 |
| March 2026 | 3,891 |
| February 2026 | 3,062 |
| January 2026 | 3,265 |
| December 2025 | 3,214 |
| November 2025 | 3,451 |
| October 2025 | 3,479 |
| September 2025 | 3,452 |
Compared with England and Wales, Doncaster district recorded notably more other crime (2.2 times the national rate), vehicle crime (78% above the national rate) and criminal damage and arson (61% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (69% below). On the year before, shoplifting rose from 3,099 to 4,114 and robbery rose from 470 to 576, while drugs fell from 1,610 to 975 and burglary fell from 2,144 to 1,811.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 14,585 | 45.6 | 34.2 | -1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 6,332 | 19.8 | 15.4 | 0% |
| Shoplifting | 4,114 | 12.9 | 8.5 | +33% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 3,481 | 10.9 | 6.7 | -7% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,829 | 8.8 | 5.0 | -5% |
| Public order | 2,725 | 8.5 | 6.7 | -9% |
| Other theft | 2,411 | 7.5 | 6.4 | +4% |
| Burglary | 1,811 | 5.7 | 3.6 | -16% |
| Other crime | 1,466 | 4.6 | 2.1 | -12% |
| Drugs | 975 | 3.0 | 3.3 | -39% |
| Robbery | 576 | 1.8 | 1.4 | +23% |
| Possession of weapons | 429 | 1.3 | 1.0 | -9% |
| Bicycle theft | 235 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0% |
| Theft from the person | 166 | 0.5 | 1.7 | -13% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
37,494 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Doncaster district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 117.3 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 3% on the year ending March 2025 (38,589), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Doncaster district had the 15th 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 South Yorkshire Police area in the year ending March 2026, 1.2% 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 Doncaster district is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in Doncaster district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 5,214 offences (14% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for miscellaneous crimes against society (2.4 times the national rate), arson (2.0 times the national rate) and vehicle offences (1.9 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.34 times).
The largest falls were in trafficking of drugs (−25%) and non-residential burglary (−22%). 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 | 5,214 | 16.3 | 13.2 | 1.23 | −1% |
| Stalking and harassment | 4,940 | 15.4 | 10.1 | 1.53 | +8% |
| Violence with injury | 3,752 | 11.7 | 8.1 | 1.44 | −4% |
| Criminal damage | 3,545 | 11.1 | 6.8 | 1.62 | −6% |
| Shoplifting | 3,472 | 10.9 | 8.1 | 1.34 | – |
| Vehicle offences | 3,080 | 9.6 | 5.0 | 1.92 | −2% |
| Public order offences | 2,984 | 9.3 | 7.0 | 1.34 | −5% |
| Other theft offences | 2,422 | 7.6 | 6.5 | 1.16 | −6% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 1,618 | 5.1 | 2.1 | 2.41 | +6% |
| Residential burglary | 1,446 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 1.82 | −18% |
| Other sexual offences | 969 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.33 | +4% |
| Possession of drugs | 715 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 0.90 | +3% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 665 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.76 | −25% |
| Non-residential burglary | 514 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.44 | −22% |
| Possession of weapons | 490 | 1.5 | 1.00 | 1.54 | +1% |
| Rape | 376 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.97 | −6% |
| Robbery of personal property | 370 | 1.2 | 0.91 | 1.27 | −10% |
| Bicycle theft | 256 | 0.80 | 0.85 | 0.94 | +0% |
| Arson | 242 | 0.76 | 0.38 | 1.99 | −2% |
| Robbery of business property | 229 | 0.72 | 0.47 | 1.51 | – |
| Theft from the person | 191 | 0.60 | 1.8 | 0.34 | −4% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 4 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.36 | 0% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | −100% |
Recorded crime in Doncaster district since the year ending March 2013
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2013 to 2026. Doncaster district's rate was above the England and Wales rate in every one of those 14 years. 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 | 37,494 | 117.3 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 38,589 | 120.7 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 41,019 | 128.3 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 43,071 | 134.7 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 39,275 | 122.8 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 34,788 | 108.8 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 38,278 | 119.7 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 38,957 | 121.8 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 37,098 | 116.0 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 31,809 | 99.5 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 26,223 | 82.0 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 23,455 | 73.4 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 22,944 | 71.8 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 21,861 | 68.4 | 56.7 |
Districts in the South Yorkshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 4 districts in the South Yorkshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Doncaster district had the highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doncaster | 37,494 | 117.3 | 1.41 |
| Sheffield | 56,459 | 96.9 | 1.16 |
| Barnsley | 23,936 | 95.1 | 1.14 |
| Rotherham | 25,747 | 93.1 | 1.12 |
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.
Doncaster district has a higher crime rate than all 8 of its nearest districts.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Doncaster district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotherham | 30,952 | 111.9 | -15% |
| Barnsley | 27,081 | 107.6 | -18% |
| Bassetlaw | 12,091 | 96.8 | -27% |
| Wakefield | 42,896 | 116.7 | -11% |
| Sheffield | 65,904 | 113.1 | -14% |
| North Lincolnshire | 16,272 | 95.0 | -28% |
| Chesterfield | 12,900 | 121.6 | -8% |
| North East Derbyshire | 7,481 | 70.1 | -47% |
Of the 51 areas within Doncaster district, Town had the highest crime rate (330.1 per 1,000) and Branton the lowest (29.8), 11 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town | Neighbourhood | 22,905 | 7,561 | 330.1 |
| Hexthorpe & Balby North | Neighbourhood | 14,704 | 3,315 | 225.4 |
| Toll Bar | Town | 1,549 | 332 | 214.3 |
| Stainforth | Town | 6,284 | 1,256 | 199.9 |
| Doncaster | Town | 92,814 | 17,801 | 191.8 |
| Wadworth | Town | 1,230 | 208 | 169.1 |
| Wheatley Hills & Intake | Neighbourhood | 19,187 | 3,166 | 165.0 |
| Denaby Main | Town | 5,288 | 843 | 159.4 |
| Stainforth & Barnby Dun | Neighbourhood | 8,798 | 1,348 | 153.2 |
| Bentley (Doncaster) | Town | 11,189 | 1,712 | 153.0 |
| Hatfield Woodhouse | Town | 2,773 | 402 | 145.0 |
| Campsall | Town | 1,542 | 220 | 142.7 |
| Mexborough | Town | 16,207 | 2,270 | 140.1 |
| Askern | Town | 5,826 | 802 | 137.7 |
| Bentley | Neighbourhood | 19,425 | 2,629 | 135.3 |
| Balby South | Neighbourhood | 8,978 | 1,200 | 133.7 |
| Adwick le Street & Carcroft | Neighbourhood | 17,066 | 2,267 | 132.8 |
| Adwick le Street | Town | 19,554 | 2,509 | 128.3 |
| Conisbrough | Neighbourhood | 16,262 | 2,046 | 125.8 |
| Hatfield | Neighbourhood | 17,662 | 2,040 | 115.5 |
| Warmsworth | Town | 12,485 | 1,414 | 113.3 |
| Edlington & Warmsworth | Neighbourhood | 12,485 | 1,414 | 113.3 |
| Norton & Askern | Neighbourhood | 16,254 | 1,813 | 111.5 |
| Conisbrough | Town | 10,974 | 1,203 | 109.6 |
| Roman Ridge | Neighbourhood | 10,165 | 1,106 | 108.8 |
| Dunscroft and Hatfield | Town | 13,673 | 1,469 | 107.4 |
| Scawthorpe and Cusworth | Town | 13,843 | 1,455 | 105.1 |
| Bessacarr | Neighbourhood | 15,738 | 1,630 | 103.6 |
| Moorends | Town | 4,709 | 482 | 102.4 |
| Armthorpe | Town | 14,798 | 1,460 | 98.7 |
| Thorne & Moorends | Neighbourhood | 18,414 | 1,804 | 98.0 |
| Tickhill & Wadsworth | Neighbourhood | 12,477 | 1,220 | 97.8 |
| Thorne | Town | 13,705 | 1,322 | 96.5 |
| Braithwell | Town | 1,631 | 150 | 92.0 |
| Arksey | Town | 1,564 | 128 | 81.8 |
| Bawtry | Town | 3,906 | 319 | 81.7 |
| Sprotbrough | Town | 7,476 | 581 | 77.7 |
| Sprotbrough | Neighbourhood | 10,288 | 787 | 76.5 |
| Rossington & Bawtry | Neighbourhood | 18,557 | 1,410 | 76.0 |
| New Rossington and Rossington | Town | 14,651 | 1,091 | 74.5 |
| Edenthorpe & Kirk Sandall | Neighbourhood | 10,784 | 785 | 72.8 |
| Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe | Town | 11,298 | 716 | 63.4 |
| Fishlake | Town | 1,439 | 80 | 55.6 |
| Finningley | Town | 5,538 | 303 | 54.7 |
| Barnburgh and Harlington | Town | 1,421 | 75 | 52.8 |
| Blaxton | Town | 1,722 | 86 | 49.9 |
| Tickhill | Town | 5,238 | 261 | 49.8 |
| Finningley | Neighbourhood | 18,611 | 864 | 46.4 |
| Auckley | Town | 1,337 | 55 | 41.1 |
| Norton (Doncaster) | Town | 1,634 | 64 | 39.2 |
| Branton | Town | 3,090 | 92 | 29.8 |
The 10 locations below account for 15% of the crime recorded in Doncaster district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (1,169).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 1,169 |
| On or near Parking Area | 1,144 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 980 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 645 |
| On or near Nightclub | 492 |
| On or near Dublin Road | 476 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 448 |
| On or near Prison | 399 |
| On or near Hospital | 354 |
| On or near St Sepulchre Gate | 346 |
Of the 35,803 crimes in Doncaster district with a recorded outcome, 35% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 6,332 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 15,003 | 41.9% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 12,585 | 35.2% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 2,685 | 7.5% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 1,706 | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 1,066 | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,031 | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 941 | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 360 | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 251 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 87 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 83 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Doncaster district has an estimated population of 319,765 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer students (5.0%, against 7.9%), more residents with no qualifications (25%, against 18%) and fewer residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (23%, against 34%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Doncaster district average decile 4.0 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Doncaster district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 19.0% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 19.6% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 54.9% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.3% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.0% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 22.7% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 24.6% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 24.4% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 63.3% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 17.0% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.4% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 4.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 23.4% | 10.1% (England) |
1,937 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Doncaster in 2024/25 (6.1 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Doncaster has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Doncaster district a safe place to live?
Doncaster district recorded 131.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 32nd of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were other crime and vehicle crime.
What is the most common crime in Doncaster district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 14,585 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (6,332).
Is crime in Doncaster district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Doncaster district was down 2% on the year before: 42,135 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 42,982 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Doncaster district?
About 319,765 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 20% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Doncaster district?
Doncaster district is policed by South Yorkshire.
How many crimes did the police record in Doncaster district in the year ending March 2026?
37,494 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 117.3 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 38,589.
Which offences are more common in Doncaster district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were miscellaneous crimes against society (1,618 offences, 2.4 times the England and Wales rate), arson (242 offences, 2.0 times the England and Wales rate) and vehicle offences (3,080 offences, 1.9 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.