Crime in Leeds district: statistics, rates and trends
105,688 crimes were recorded in Leeds district in the 12 months to August 2026, 125.0 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 4% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Leeds district at a glance
- Crime trends in Leeds district
- Types of crime in Leeds district
- Home Office recorded crime in Leeds district
- Leeds district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Leeds district
- Streets with the most crime in Leeds district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Leeds district
- Demographics of Leeds district
- Fly-tipping in Leeds
- Questions about crime in Leeds district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (39,816), shoplifting (10,206) and anti-social behaviour (9,757) made up 57% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 39th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Leeds district | Yorkshire and The Humber | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 105,688 | 615,075 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 125.0 | 108.4 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -4% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 845,189 | 5,672,962 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Leeds district of any year here (105,688 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 | 105,688 | 125.0 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 109,894 | 130.0 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 113,418 | 134.2 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 120,635 | 142.7 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 123,124 | 145.7 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 110,573 | 130.8 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 111,322 | 131.7 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 119,669 | 141.6 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 118,143 | 139.8 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 8,803 |
| July 2026 | 9,441 |
| June 2026 | 9,229 |
| May 2026 | 9,419 |
| April 2026 | 8,726 |
| March 2026 | 8,934 |
| February 2026 | 7,654 |
| January 2026 | 8,229 |
| December 2025 | 8,283 |
| November 2025 | 8,695 |
| October 2025 | 9,302 |
| September 2025 | 8,973 |
Compared with England and Wales, Leeds district recorded notably more burglary (2.0 times the national rate), other crime (80% above the national rate) and robbery (72% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (28% below) and anti-social behaviour (25% below). On the year before, drugs rose from 3,206 to 3,701.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 39,816 | 47.1 | 34.2 | -7% |
| Shoplifting | 10,206 | 12.1 | 8.5 | -3% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 9,757 | 11.5 | 15.4 | +8% |
| Public order | 7,812 | 9.2 | 6.7 | -14% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7,310 | 8.6 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Other theft | 7,178 | 8.5 | 6.4 | 0% |
| Burglary | 5,977 | 7.1 | 3.6 | -4% |
| Vehicle crime | 5,702 | 6.7 | 5.0 | -9% |
| Drugs | 3,701 | 4.4 | 3.3 | +15% |
| Other crime | 3,208 | 3.8 | 2.1 | +4% |
| Robbery | 1,981 | 2.3 | 1.4 | +14% |
| Possession of weapons | 1,059 | 1.3 | 1.0 | +5% |
| Theft from the person | 1,024 | 1.2 | 1.7 | -14% |
| Bicycle theft | 957 | 1.1 | 0.8 | +10% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
96,875 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Leeds district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 114.6 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 4% on the year ending March 2025 (100,957), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Leeds district had the 19th 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).
Offences recorded in Leeds district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 14,843 offences (15% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for residential burglary (2.1 times the national rate), death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving (2.0 times the national rate) and robbery of business property (1.8 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.73 times).
The largest rises on the year were in trafficking of drugs (+38%) and possession of weapons (+15%). The largest falls were in vehicle offences (−16%) and non-residential burglary (−13%). 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 | 14,843 | 17.6 | 10.1 | 1.74 | +1% |
| Violence without injury | 14,801 | 17.5 | 13.2 | 1.33 | −4% |
| Shoplifting | 10,062 | 11.9 | 8.1 | 1.47 | – |
| Violence with injury | 8,216 | 9.7 | 8.1 | 1.19 | −4% |
| Public order offences | 8,098 | 9.6 | 7.0 | 1.38 | −12% |
| Other theft offences | 7,197 | 8.5 | 6.5 | 1.30 | −4% |
| Criminal damage | 6,798 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 1.18 | −7% |
| Vehicle offences | 5,895 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 1.39 | −16% |
| Residential burglary | 4,428 | 5.2 | 2.5 | 2.10 | −4% |
| Possession of drugs | 2,518 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1.19 | +9% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 2,491 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.41 | +5% |
| Other sexual offences | 2,232 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.16 | −3% |
| Non-residential burglary | 1,638 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.73 | −13% |
| Rape | 1,465 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.43 | +5% |
| Robbery of personal property | 1,134 | 1.3 | 0.91 | 1.47 | −13% |
| Theft from the person | 1,090 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.73 | −11% |
| Bicycle theft | 978 | 1.2 | 0.85 | 1.36 | −5% |
| Possession of weapons | 949 | 1.1 | 1.00 | 1.13 | +15% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 883 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.88 | +38% |
| Robbery of business property | 712 | 0.84 | 0.47 | 1.77 | – |
| Arson | 378 | 0.45 | 0.38 | 1.18 | −10% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 59 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 2.00 | +9% |
| Homicide | 10 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1.47 | +25% |
Recorded crime in Leeds 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. Leeds 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 | 96,875 | 114.6 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 100,957 | 119.4 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 106,238 | 125.7 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 114,528 | 135.5 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 106,306 | 125.8 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 88,076 | 104.2 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 103,112 | 122.0 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 106,347 | 125.8 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 96,613 | 114.3 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 88,519 | 104.7 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 75,244 | 89.0 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 59,669 | 70.6 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 60,650 | 71.8 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 61,636 | 72.9 | 56.7 |
Districts in the West Yorkshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 5 districts in the West Yorkshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Leeds district had the 2nd highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford | 65,941 | 117.0 | 1.41 |
| Leeds | 96,875 | 114.6 | 1.38 |
| Wakefield | 38,883 | 105.8 | 1.27 |
| Calderdale | 21,812 | 103.4 | 1.24 |
| Kirklees | 39,219 | 87.6 | 1.05 |
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.
2 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Leeds district; the highest is Doncaster district (131.8 per 1,000) and the lowest North Yorkshire (65.5).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Leeds district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford | 72,631 | 128.9 | +3% |
| Wakefield | 42,896 | 116.7 | -7% |
| Kirklees | 43,862 | 97.9 | -22% |
| Calderdale | 24,413 | 115.7 | -7% |
| Barnsley | 27,081 | 107.6 | -14% |
| York | 19,487 | 93.1 | -26% |
| North Yorkshire | 41,610 | 65.5 | -48% |
| Doncaster | 42,135 | 131.8 | +5% |
Of the 67 areas within Leeds district, Little London & Woodhouse had the highest crime rate (351.4 per 1,000) and Pool-in-Wharfedale the lowest (14.3), 25 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little London & Woodhouse | Neighbourhood | 36,476 | 12,817 | 351.4 |
| Hunslet & Riverside | Neighbourhood | 32,523 | 8,791 | 270.3 |
| Armley | Neighbourhood | 24,981 | 4,849 | 194.1 |
| Gipton & Harehills | Neighbourhood | 33,814 | 5,743 | 169.8 |
| Burmantofts & Richmond Hill | Neighbourhood | 27,995 | 4,536 | 162.0 |
| Beeston & Holbeck | Neighbourhood | 28,482 | 4,584 | 160.9 |
| Killingbeck & Seacroft | Neighbourhood | 29,281 | 4,626 | 158.0 |
| Middleton Park | Neighbourhood | 30,963 | 4,634 | 149.7 |
| Leeds | Town | 560,801 | 82,148 | 146.5 |
| Farnley & Wortley | Neighbourhood | 27,951 | 4,065 | 145.4 |
| Thorp Arch | Town | 2,371 | 327 | 137.9 |
| Temple Newsam | Neighbourhood | 22,448 | 3,091 | 137.7 |
| Morley (Leeds) | Town | 33,291 | 4,442 | 133.4 |
| Kirkstall | Neighbourhood | 21,104 | 2,765 | 131.0 |
| Morley South | Neighbourhood | 23,389 | 3,039 | 129.9 |
| Chapel Allerton | Neighbourhood | 25,047 | 3,107 | 124.0 |
| Yeadon | Town | 13,336 | 1,618 | 121.3 |
| Cross Gates & Whinmoor | Neighbourhood | 25,479 | 3,061 | 120.1 |
| Bramley & Stanningley | Neighbourhood | 25,928 | 2,954 | 113.9 |
| Pudsey | Neighbourhood | 26,619 | 3,008 | 113.0 |
| Morley North | Neighbourhood | 24,670 | 2,731 | 110.7 |
| Drighlington | Town | 4,005 | 406 | 101.4 |
| Gildersome | Town | 6,260 | 599 | 95.7 |
| Micklefield | Town | 2,110 | 197 | 93.4 |
| Rothwell | Neighbourhood | 21,316 | 1,943 | 91.2 |
| Otley & Yeadon | Neighbourhood | 23,227 | 2,069 | 89.1 |
| Pudsey | Town | 35,564 | 3,167 | 89.1 |
| Allerton Bywater | Town | 8,053 | 712 | 88.4 |
| Headingley & Hyde Park | Neighbourhood | 33,199 | 2,893 | 87.1 |
| Rothwell (Leeds) | Town | 21,281 | 1,847 | 86.8 |
| Bramham | Town | 1,390 | 119 | 85.6 |
| Weetwood | Neighbourhood | 23,545 | 1,870 | 79.4 |
| East Ardsley | Town | 14,439 | 1,125 | 77.9 |
| Roundhay | Neighbourhood | 25,348 | 1,959 | 77.3 |
| Swillington | Town | 2,996 | 228 | 76.1 |
| Guiseley & Rawdon | Neighbourhood | 23,651 | 1,789 | 75.6 |
| Otley (Leeds) | Town | 12,636 | 937 | 74.2 |
| Calverley & Farsley | Neighbourhood | 23,927 | 1,725 | 72.1 |
| Garforth & Swillington | Neighbourhood | 20,916 | 1,468 | 70.2 |
| Wetherby | Neighbourhood | 21,842 | 1,513 | 69.3 |
| Wetherby | Town | 11,942 | 818 | 68.5 |
| Kippax & Methley | Neighbourhood | 23,057 | 1,576 | 68.4 |
| Ardsley & Robin Hood | Neighbourhood | 23,439 | 1,585 | 67.6 |
| Guiseley | Town | 10,896 | 735 | 67.5 |
| Alwoodley | Neighbourhood | 24,739 | 1,633 | 66.0 |
| Garforth | Town | 15,956 | 1,052 | 65.9 |
| Adel & Wharfedale | Neighbourhood | 24,302 | 1,601 | 65.9 |
| Horsforth | Neighbourhood | 24,973 | 1,620 | 64.9 |
| Calverley | Town | 5,081 | 318 | 62.6 |
| Rawdon | Town | 5,975 | 362 | 60.6 |
| Kippax | Town | 10,133 | 606 | 59.8 |
| Lofthouse and Robin Hood | Town | 3,729 | 222 | 59.5 |
| Moortown | Neighbourhood | 21,650 | 1,277 | 59.0 |
| Mickletown | Town | 3,576 | 194 | 54.3 |
| Methley | Town | 1,149 | 55 | 47.9 |
| Collingham (Leeds) | Town | 3,113 | 143 | 45.9 |
| Scholes (Leeds) | Town | 2,808 | 127 | 45.2 |
| Bramhope | Town | 3,828 | 166 | 43.4 |
| Shadwell | Town | 1,567 | 67 | 42.8 |
| Boston Spa | Town | 6,139 | 249 | 40.6 |
| Harewood | Neighbourhood | 18,908 | 766 | 40.5 |
| East Keswick | Town | 1,406 | 48 | 34.1 |
| Scarcroft | Town | 1,269 | 40 | 31.5 |
| Barwick in Elmet | Town | 1,677 | 51 | 30.4 |
| Thorner | Town | 1,634 | 47 | 28.8 |
| Bardsey | Town | 1,819 | 44 | 24.2 |
| Pool-in-Wharfedale | Town | 2,303 | 33 | 14.3 |
The 10 locations below account for 15% of the crime recorded in Leeds district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (3,460).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 3,460 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 3,100 |
| On or near Parking Area | 2,913 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 1,562 |
| On or near Nightclub | 1,038 |
| On or near Duncan Street | 885 |
| On or near Police Station | 780 |
| On or near Theatre/Concert Hall | 726 |
| On or near Hospital | 719 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 712 |
Of the 95,931 crimes in Leeds district with a recorded outcome, 39% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.9% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 9,757 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 37,148 | 38.7% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 30,132 | 31.4% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 11,628 | 12.1% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 5,656 | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 4,050 | 4.2% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 2,436 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 1,904 | 2.0% | 3.1% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 1,188 | 1.2% | 0.3% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 741 | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 550 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 321 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 134 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Leeds district has an estimated population of 845,189 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more students (12.2%, against 7.9%) and more households without a car (29%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Leeds district average decile 5.3 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Leeds district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.6% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 15.6% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 56.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.1% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 18.9% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 12.2% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 34.7% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 18.2% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 28.7% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 57.6% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 20.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 21.8% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.3 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 18.1% | 10.1% (England) |
13,923 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Leeds in 2024/25 (16.5 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 Leeds has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Leeds district a safe place to live?
Leeds district recorded 125.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 39th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were burglary and other crime.
What is the most common crime in Leeds district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 39,816 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by shoplifting (10,206).
Is crime in Leeds district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Leeds district was down 4% on the year before: 105,688 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 109,894 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Leeds district?
About 845,189 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 16% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Leeds district?
Leeds district is policed by West Yorkshire.
How many crimes did the police record in Leeds district in the year ending March 2026?
96,875 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 114.6 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 100,957.
Which offences are more common in Leeds district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were residential burglary (4,428 offences, 2.1 times the England and Wales rate), death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving (59 offences, 2.0 times the England and Wales rate) and robbery of business property (712 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.