Crime in Harborough: statistics, rates and trends
5,417 crimes were recorded in Harborough in the 12 months to August 2026, 51.7 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 1% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Harborough at a glance
- Crime trends in Harborough
- Types of crime in Harborough
- Home Office recorded crime in Harborough
- Harborough compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Harborough
- Streets with the most crime in Harborough
- What happened after crimes were reported in Harborough
- Demographics of Harborough
- Fly-tipping in Harborough
- Questions about crime in Harborough
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (1,905), anti-social behaviour (673) and criminal damage and arson (508) made up 57% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 283rd of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest tenth.
| Measure | Harborough | Leicestershire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 5,417 | 51,097 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 51.7 | 68.5 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +1% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 104,713 | 745,573 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Harborough peaked in the year to August 2022 (5,626 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2021 (4,883). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 8%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 5,417 | 51.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 5,358 | 51.2 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 5,252 | 50.2 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 5,519 | 52.7 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 5,626 | 53.7 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 4,883 | 46.6 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 4,930 | 47.1 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 5,379 | 51.4 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 5,027 | 48.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 511 |
| July 2026 | 501 |
| June 2026 | 484 |
| May 2026 | 478 |
| April 2026 | 420 |
| March 2026 | 437 |
| February 2026 | 421 |
| January 2026 | 450 |
| December 2025 | 366 |
| November 2025 | 432 |
| October 2025 | 478 |
| September 2025 | 439 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (84% below) and robbery (79% below) were well below it. On the year before, drugs rose from 85 to 108 and criminal damage and arson rose from 434 to 508, while vehicle crime fell from 417 to 276.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 1,905 | 18.2 | 34.2 | 0% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 673 | 6.4 | 15.4 | -1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 508 | 4.9 | 6.7 | +17% |
| Public order | 456 | 4.4 | 6.7 | +10% |
| Other theft | 443 | 4.2 | 6.4 | +15% |
| Shoplifting | 435 | 4.2 | 8.5 | -4% |
| Burglary | 325 | 3.1 | 3.6 | -7% |
| Vehicle crime | 276 | 2.6 | 5.0 | -34% |
| Other crime | 160 | 1.5 | 2.1 | +10% |
| Drugs | 108 | 1.0 | 3.3 | +27% |
| Possession of weapons | 45 | 0.4 | 1.0 | +15% |
| Robbery | 30 | 0.3 | 1.4 | n/a |
| Theft from the person | 29 | 0.3 | 1.7 | -3% |
| Bicycle theft | 24 | 0.2 | 0.8 | n/a |
What each category covers: crime categories.
4,648 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Harborough in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 44.4 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 6% on the year ending March 2025 (4,926), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Harborough had the 15th lowest 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 Leicestershire Police area in the year ending March 2026, 1.7% 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 Harborough is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in Harborough, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 589 offences (13% of the total). No category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate. Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.15 times), possession of drugs (0.26 times) and bicycle theft (0.26 times).
The largest rises on the year were in possession of drugs (+52%) and arson (+21%). The largest falls were in residential burglary (−36%) and vehicle offences (−34%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalking and harassment | 589 | 5.6 | 10.1 | 0.56 | −4% |
| Violence without injury | 547 | 5.2 | 13.2 | 0.40 | +4% |
| Violence with injury | 514 | 4.9 | 8.1 | 0.60 | −11% |
| Criminal damage | 476 | 4.5 | 6.8 | 0.67 | +16% |
| Public order offences | 456 | 4.4 | 7.0 | 0.63 | +1% |
| Shoplifting | 437 | 4.2 | 8.1 | 0.51 | – |
| Other theft offences | 430 | 4.1 | 6.5 | 0.63 | +4% |
| Vehicle offences | 286 | 2.7 | 5.0 | 0.54 | −34% |
| Residential burglary | 187 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 0.72 | −36% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 159 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.72 | +10% |
| Other sexual offences | 141 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.59 | −8% |
| Non-residential burglary | 103 | 0.98 | 1.1 | 0.88 | +7% |
| Rape | 72 | 0.69 | 1.2 | 0.57 | −21% |
| Possession of drugs | 67 | 0.64 | 2.5 | 0.26 | +52% |
| Possession of weapons | 46 | 0.44 | 1.00 | 0.44 | +12% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 36 | 0.34 | 1.2 | 0.29 | 0% |
| Arson | 29 | 0.28 | 0.38 | 0.73 | +21% |
| Theft from the person | 27 | 0.26 | 1.8 | 0.15 | −4% |
| Bicycle theft | 23 | 0.22 | 0.85 | 0.26 | 0% |
| Robbery of personal property | 16 | 0.15 | 0.91 | 0.17 | +33% |
| Robbery of business property | 5 | 0.05 | 0.47 | 0.10 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 2 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.55 | +100% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | – |
Recorded crime in Harborough since the year ending March 2023
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2023 to 2026. Harborough's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 4 years. The series starts in the year ending March 2023 because the share of crimes in the Leicestershire Police area not assigned to a district moved from 2.4% in the year ending March 2022 to 1.2% in the year ending March 2023, 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 | 4,648 | 44.4 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 4,926 | 47.0 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 4,915 | 46.9 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 5,258 | 50.2 | 89.2 |
Districts in the Leicestershire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 9 districts in the Leicestershire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Harborough had the 2nd lowest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 42,724 | 110.0 | 1.32 |
| Charnwood | 12,795 | 67.9 | 0.82 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 6,940 | 59.5 | 0.71 |
| North West Leicestershire | 6,626 | 59.2 | 0.71 |
| Blaby | 6,404 | 59.2 | 0.71 |
| Melton | 3,072 | 56.8 | 0.68 |
| Oadby and Wigston | 3,305 | 53.6 | 0.64 |
| Harborough | 4,648 | 44.4 | 0.53 |
| Rutland | 1,765 | 42.6 | 0.51 |
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.
Every one of the 8 nearest districts has a higher crime rate than Harborough.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Harborough |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oadby and Wigston | 3,776 | 61.2 | +18% |
| Blaby | 7,573 | 70.0 | +35% |
| Leicester | 47,488 | 122.3 | +136% |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 7,748 | 66.4 | +28% |
| Rugby | 8,741 | 71.4 | +38% |
| Charnwood | 15,129 | 80.3 | +55% |
| North Northamptonshire | 32,796 | 87.7 | +70% |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 15,276 | 107.9 | +109% |
Of the 28 areas within Harborough, Lutterworth East had the highest crime rate (88.2 per 1,000) and Nevill the lowest (25.3), 3 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lutterworth East | Neighbourhood | 5,395 | 476 | 88.2 |
| Lubenham | Neighbourhood | 4,399 | 382 | 86.8 |
| Market Harborough-Logan | Neighbourhood | 4,770 | 369 | 77.4 |
| Market Harborough-Great Bowden & Arden | Neighbourhood | 6,330 | 468 | 73.9 |
| Ullesthorpe | Town | 2,719 | 191 | 70.2 |
| Lutterworth | Town | 11,320 | 723 | 63.9 |
| Market Harborough | Town | 25,593 | 1,581 | 61.8 |
| Thurnby & Houghton | Neighbourhood | 9,877 | 588 | 59.5 |
| Fleckney | Town | 5,453 | 308 | 56.5 |
| Market Harborough-Little Bowden | Neighbourhood | 6,351 | 342 | 53.8 |
| Market Harborough-Welland | Neighbourhood | 10,410 | 466 | 44.8 |
| Billesdon & Tilton | Neighbourhood | 4,150 | 181 | 43.6 |
| Great Glen | Town | 5,747 | 245 | 42.6 |
| Glen | Neighbourhood | 5,747 | 245 | 42.6 |
| Lutterworth West | Neighbourhood | 5,925 | 247 | 41.7 |
| Misterton | Neighbourhood | 3,273 | 133 | 40.6 |
| North Kilworth | Town | 1,849 | 73 | 39.5 |
| Kibworths | Neighbourhood | 9,090 | 347 | 38.2 |
| Broughton Astley-Primethorpe & Sutton | Neighbourhood | 4,335 | 156 | 36.0 |
| Broughton Astley | Town | 10,175 | 344 | 33.8 |
| Bosworth | Neighbourhood | 3,434 | 116 | 33.8 |
| Broughton Astley South & Leire | Neighbourhood | 5,840 | 188 | 32.2 |
| Dunton | Neighbourhood | 4,723 | 151 | 32.0 |
| Kibworth Beauchamp and Kibworth Harcourt | Town | 7,626 | 240 | 31.5 |
| Billesdon | Town | 1,838 | 57 | 31.0 |
| Houghton on the Hill | Town | 1,758 | 54 | 30.7 |
| Husbands Bosworth | Town | 1,585 | 43 | 27.1 |
| Nevill | Neighbourhood | 2,492 | 63 | 25.3 |
The 10 locations below account for 24% of the crime recorded in Harborough over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (305).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 305 |
| On or near Parking Area | 260 |
| On or near Prison | 178 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 149 |
| On or near Church Street | 97 |
| On or near Park/Open Space | 82 |
| On or near Main Street | 70 |
| On or near Rockingham Road | 65 |
| On or near Walker-Manor Court | 55 |
| On or near Mere Road | 50 |
Of the 4,744 crimes in Harborough with a recorded outcome, 40% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.3% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 673 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 1,896 | 40.0% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 1,254 | 26.4% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 585 | 12.3% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 205 | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 193 | 4.1% | 1.3% |
| Local resolution | 157 | 3.3% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 139 | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 123 | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 79 | 1.7% | 0.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 47 | 1.0% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 31 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 29 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
Harborough has an estimated population of 104,713 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (10.0%, against 23.3%), less social housing (8.7%, against 17.1%) and less private renting (13%, against 20%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Harborough average decile 8.2 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Harborough | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.4% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 22.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 60.6% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 1.9% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 25.7% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 37.8% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 13.6% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 10.0% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 77.8% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 8.7% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 13.5% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 8.2 | 5.5 (England) |
333 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Harborough in 2024/25 (3.2 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 Harborough has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Harborough a safe place to live?
Harborough recorded 51.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 283rd of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in Harborough?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 1,905 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (673).
Is crime in Harborough going up or down?
Recorded crime in Harborough was up 1% on the year before: 5,417 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 5,358 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Harborough?
About 104,713 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 23% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Harborough?
Harborough is policed by Leicestershire.
How many crimes did the police record in Harborough in the year ending March 2026?
4,648 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 44.4 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 4,926.
Which offences are more common in Harborough than across England and Wales?
None: no category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate in the year ending March 2026. The largest category was stalking and harassment (589).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.