Crime in Norwich district: statistics, rates and trends
18,355 crimes were recorded in Norwich district in the 12 months to August 2026, 124.7 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 3% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Norwich district at a glance
- Crime trends in Norwich district
- Types of crime in Norwich district
- Home Office recorded crime in Norwich district
- Norwich district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Norwich district
- Streets with the most crime in Norwich district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Norwich district
- Demographics of Norwich district
- Fly-tipping in Norwich
- Questions about crime in Norwich district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (6,775), anti-social behaviour (2,739) and shoplifting (2,434) made up 65% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 42nd of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Norwich district | Norfolk | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 18,355 | 66,675 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 124.7 | 70.9 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -3% | 0% | -1% |
| Population | 147,182 | 940,359 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Norwich district of any year here (18,355 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 15%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 18,355 | 124.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 18,907 | 128.5 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 18,849 | 128.1 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 19,918 | 135.3 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 21,821 | 148.3 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 20,313 | 138.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 21,126 | 143.5 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 21,840 | 148.4 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 21,691 | 147.4 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,591 |
| July 2026 | 1,647 |
| June 2026 | 1,527 |
| May 2026 | 1,594 |
| April 2026 | 1,436 |
| March 2026 | 1,640 |
| February 2026 | 1,384 |
| January 2026 | 1,360 |
| December 2025 | 1,464 |
| November 2025 | 1,574 |
| October 2025 | 1,572 |
| September 2025 | 1,566 |
Compared with England and Wales, Norwich district recorded notably more bicycle theft (3.1 times the national rate), shoplifting (2.0 times the national rate) and possession of weapons (54% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (40% below) and vehicle crime (35% below). On the year before, robbery fell from 230 to 186.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 6,775 | 46.0 | 34.2 | +2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,739 | 18.6 | 15.4 | -6% |
| Shoplifting | 2,434 | 16.5 | 8.5 | -5% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,480 | 10.1 | 6.7 | -5% |
| Public order | 1,219 | 8.3 | 6.7 | -8% |
| Other theft | 942 | 6.4 | 6.4 | -7% |
| Drugs | 576 | 3.9 | 3.3 | +10% |
| Vehicle crime | 474 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 0% |
| Burglary | 406 | 2.8 | 3.6 | -12% |
| Other crime | 381 | 2.6 | 2.1 | -5% |
| Bicycle theft | 375 | 2.5 | 0.8 | -7% |
| Possession of weapons | 220 | 1.5 | 1.0 | -5% |
| Robbery | 186 | 1.3 | 1.4 | -19% |
| Theft from the person | 148 | 1.0 | 1.7 | -14% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
16,023 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Norwich district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 108.9 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 2% on the year ending March 2025 (16,402), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Norwich district had the 32nd 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 Norfolk Police area in the year ending March 2026, 1.1% 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 Norwich district is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in Norwich district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 2,843 offences (18% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for bicycle theft (3.4 times the national rate), shoplifting (2.1 times the national rate) and rape (1.9 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for vehicle offences (0.61 times) and theft from the person (0.62 times).
The largest rises on the year were in trafficking of drugs (+40%) and other sexual offences (+10%). The largest falls were in arson (−42%) and robbery of personal property (−19%). 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 | 2,843 | 19.3 | 13.2 | 1.46 | +2% |
| Shoplifting | 2,540 | 17.3 | 8.1 | 2.12 | – |
| Violence with injury | 1,885 | 12.8 | 8.1 | 1.57 | −1% |
| Criminal damage | 1,399 | 9.5 | 6.8 | 1.39 | −4% |
| Public order offences | 1,348 | 9.2 | 7.0 | 1.32 | +1% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,172 | 8.0 | 10.1 | 0.79 | −4% |
| Other theft offences | 923 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 0.96 | −14% |
| Other sexual offences | 542 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 1.62 | +10% |
| Possession of drugs | 515 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.40 | +5% |
| Vehicle offences | 450 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 0.61 | −10% |
| Bicycle theft | 426 | 2.9 | 0.85 | 3.39 | +3% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 379 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.23 | −12% |
| Rape | 331 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.86 | +6% |
| Residential burglary | 285 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.78 | −14% |
| Possession of weapons | 236 | 1.6 | 1.00 | 1.61 | +3% |
| Non-residential burglary | 168 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.02 | −10% |
| Theft from the person | 161 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.62 | −4% |
| Robbery of personal property | 155 | 1.1 | 0.91 | 1.16 | −19% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 134 | 0.91 | 1.2 | 0.77 | +40% |
| Robbery of business property | 63 | 0.43 | 0.47 | 0.90 | – |
| Arson | 60 | 0.41 | 0.38 | 1.07 | −42% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 6 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 1.17 | +50% |
| Homicide | 2 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1.69 | −33% |
Recorded crime in Norwich 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. Norwich 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 | 16,023 | 108.9 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 16,402 | 111.4 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 16,617 | 112.9 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 18,021 | 122.4 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 19,044 | 129.4 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 16,553 | 112.5 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 19,138 | 130.0 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 18,333 | 124.6 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 17,209 | 116.9 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 15,562 | 105.7 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 13,898 | 94.4 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 12,576 | 85.4 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 11,891 | 80.8 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 11,827 | 80.4 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Norfolk Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 7 districts in the Norfolk Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Norwich district had the highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich | 16,023 | 108.9 | 1.31 |
| Great Yarmouth | 9,663 | 96.1 | 1.15 |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 8,955 | 57.3 | 0.69 |
| Breckland | 7,199 | 49.1 | 0.59 |
| North Norfolk | 4,331 | 42.0 | 0.50 |
| South Norfolk | 6,192 | 41.7 | 0.50 |
| Broadland | 4,814 | 34.8 | 0.42 |
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.
Norwich district has a higher crime rate than all 8 of its nearest districts.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Norwich district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadland | 5,492 | 39.8 | -68% |
| South Norfolk | 7,321 | 49.3 | -60% |
| North Norfolk | 5,331 | 51.6 | -59% |
| Breckland | 8,523 | 58.1 | -53% |
| Great Yarmouth | 11,347 | 112.9 | -9% |
| East Suffolk | 14,335 | 57.4 | -54% |
| Mid Suffolk | 4,558 | 41.1 | -67% |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 10,306 | 66.0 | -47% |
Of the 14 areas within Norwich district, Mancroft had the highest crime rate (386.7 per 1,000) and Eaton the lowest (44.7), 9 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mancroft | Neighbourhood | 10,354 | 4,004 | 386.7 |
| Thorpe Hamlet | Neighbourhood | 11,434 | 2,970 | 259.8 |
| Mile Cross | Neighbourhood | 11,328 | 1,340 | 118.3 |
| Catton Grove | Neighbourhood | 11,092 | 1,288 | 116.1 |
| Crome | Neighbourhood | 11,975 | 1,383 | 115.5 |
| Norwich | Town | 203,310 | 20,985 | 103.2 |
| Town Close | Neighbourhood | 9,543 | 940 | 98.5 |
| Lakenham | Neighbourhood | 10,082 | 983 | 97.5 |
| Wensum | Neighbourhood | 12,038 | 1,160 | 96.4 |
| Nelson | Neighbourhood | 13,120 | 1,134 | 86.4 |
| University | Neighbourhood | 13,125 | 1,029 | 78.4 |
| Bowthorpe | Neighbourhood | 11,597 | 877 | 75.6 |
| Sewell | Neighbourhood | 10,393 | 751 | 72.3 |
| Eaton | Neighbourhood | 11,101 | 496 | 44.7 |
The 10 locations below account for 24% of the crime recorded in Norwich district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (900).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 900 |
| On or near Parking Area | 852 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 726 |
| On or near Nightclub | 476 |
| On or near William Booth Street | 363 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 342 |
| On or near Knox Close | 229 |
| On or near Koblenz Avenue | 199 |
| On or near Prince Of Wales Road | 187 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 160 |
Of the 15,616 crimes in Norwich district with a recorded outcome, 24% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 8.9% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,739 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 6,679 | 42.8% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,774 | 24.2% | 35.3% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 1,389 | 8.9% | 5.2% |
| Under investigation | 1,297 | 8.3% | 11.5% |
| Court result unavailable | 851 | 5.4% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 469 | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 352 | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Status update unavailable | 348 | 2.2% | 4.7% |
| Offender given a caution | 197 | 1.3% | 0.6% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 181 | 1.2% | 0.0% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 31 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 31 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Norwich district has an estimated population of 147,182 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more students (16.0%, against 7.9%), more social housing (30%, against 17%) and more households without a car (33%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Norwich district average decile 4.4 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Norwich district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 15.8% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 14.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 54.4% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.4% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 16.7% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 16.0% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 34.1% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 17.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 32.7% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 42.6% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 30.3% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 26.9% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 4.4 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 10.9% | 10.1% (England) |
5,638 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Norwich in 2024/25 (38.3 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 Norwich has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Norwich district a safe place to live?
Norwich district recorded 124.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 42nd of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were bicycle theft and shoplifting.
What is the most common crime in Norwich district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 6,775 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,739).
Is crime in Norwich district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Norwich district was down 3% on the year before: 18,355 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 18,907 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Norwich district?
About 147,182 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 15% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Norwich district?
Norwich district is policed by Norfolk.
How many crimes did the police record in Norwich district in the year ending March 2026?
16,023 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 108.9 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 16,402.
Which offences are more common in Norwich district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were bicycle theft (426 offences, 3.4 times the England and Wales rate), shoplifting (2,540 offences, 2.1 times the England and Wales rate) and rape (331 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.