Crime in West Northamptonshire: statistics, rates and trends
40,926 crimes were recorded in West Northamptonshire in the 12 months to August 2026, 93.1 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 2% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in West Northamptonshire at a glance
- Crime trends in West Northamptonshire
- Types of crime in West Northamptonshire
- Home Office recorded crime in West Northamptonshire
- West Northamptonshire compared with nearby districts
- Areas within West Northamptonshire
- Streets with the most crime in West Northamptonshire
- What happened after crimes were reported in West Northamptonshire
- Demographics of West Northamptonshire
- Fly-tipping in West Northamptonshire
- Questions about crime in West Northamptonshire
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (13,677), anti-social behaviour (9,513) and shoplifting (3,203) made up 64% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 119th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | West Northamptonshire | East Midlands | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 40,926 | 475,616 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 93.1 | 93.9 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +2% | +1% | -1% |
| Population | 439,811 | 5,063,164 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in West Northamptonshire peaked in the year to August 2020 (45,360 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2024 (39,678). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 8%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 40,926 | 93.1 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 40,045 | 91.1 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 39,678 | 90.2 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 39,896 | 90.7 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 41,809 | 95.1 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 43,206 | 98.2 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 45,360 | 103.1 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 43,502 | 98.9 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 44,505 | 101.2 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 3,895 |
| July 2026 | 4,071 |
| June 2026 | 3,746 |
| May 2026 | 3,776 |
| April 2026 | 3,343 |
| March 2026 | 3,286 |
| February 2026 | 2,900 |
| January 2026 | 3,165 |
| December 2025 | 3,027 |
| November 2025 | 3,055 |
| October 2025 | 3,395 |
| September 2025 | 3,267 |
Compared with England and Wales, West Northamptonshire recorded notably more anti-social behaviour (41% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (80% below) and bicycle theft (28% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 503 to 697 and anti-social behaviour rose from 7,797 to 9,513, while drugs fell from 1,567 to 1,148 and possession of weapons fell from 600 to 491.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 13,677 | 31.1 | 34.2 | -2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 9,513 | 21.6 | 15.4 | +22% |
| Shoplifting | 3,203 | 7.3 | 8.5 | -11% |
| Other theft | 2,476 | 5.6 | 6.4 | +5% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 2,357 | 5.4 | 6.7 | -7% |
| Public order | 2,353 | 5.4 | 6.7 | +8% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,215 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +9% |
| Burglary | 1,674 | 3.8 | 3.6 | -6% |
| Drugs | 1,148 | 2.6 | 3.3 | -27% |
| Other crime | 712 | 1.6 | 2.1 | -3% |
| Robbery | 697 | 1.6 | 1.4 | +39% |
| Possession of weapons | 491 | 1.1 | 1.0 | -18% |
| Bicycle theft | 262 | 0.6 | 0.8 | +9% |
| Theft from the person | 148 | 0.3 | 1.7 | -3% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
31,211 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in West Northamptonshire in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 71.0 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 4% on the year ending March 2025 (32,428), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, West Northamptonshire had the 127th 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).
Offences recorded in West Northamptonshire, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 4,528 offences (15% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for robbery of business property (1.4 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.19 times), bicycle theft (0.62 times) and arson (0.68 times).
The largest falls were in trafficking of drugs (−25%) and arson (−23%). 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 | 4,528 | 10.3 | 13.2 | 0.78 | −9% |
| Stalking and harassment | 3,970 | 9.0 | 10.1 | 0.90 | +9% |
| Violence with injury | 3,531 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 0.99 | −7% |
| Shoplifting | 3,294 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 0.92 | – |
| Other theft offences | 2,346 | 5.3 | 6.5 | 0.81 | −7% |
| Criminal damage | 2,266 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 0.75 | −10% |
| Public order offences | 2,264 | 5.1 | 7.0 | 0.74 | +8% |
| Vehicle offences | 2,043 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 0.92 | −12% |
| Other sexual offences | 1,119 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.12 | −2% |
| Residential burglary | 1,091 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.00 | −12% |
| Possession of drugs | 825 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.75 | −16% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 741 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.80 | +7% |
| Rape | 541 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.02 | −1% |
| Possession of weapons | 526 | 1.2 | 1.00 | 1.20 | −5% |
| Non-residential burglary | 522 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.06 | +2% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 422 | 0.96 | 1.2 | 0.81 | −25% |
| Robbery of personal property | 387 | 0.88 | 0.91 | 0.97 | +10% |
| Robbery of business property | 292 | 0.66 | 0.47 | 1.40 | – |
| Bicycle theft | 232 | 0.53 | 0.85 | 0.62 | −13% |
| Theft from the person | 147 | 0.33 | 1.8 | 0.19 | −7% |
| Arson | 114 | 0.26 | 0.38 | 0.68 | −23% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 7 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.46 | −42% |
| Homicide | 3 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.85 | −40% |
Recorded crime in West Northamptonshire 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. West Northamptonshire's rate was above the England and Wales rate in 5 of those 14 years and below it in 9. 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 | 31,211 | 71.0 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 32,428 | 73.7 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 32,899 | 74.8 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 35,012 | 79.6 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 33,819 | 76.9 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 33,081 | 75.2 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 34,422 | 78.3 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 32,798 | 74.6 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 31,124 | 70.8 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 30,669 | 69.7 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 28,100 | 63.9 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 25,936 | 59.0 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 22,660 | 51.5 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 26,230 | 59.6 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Northamptonshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 2 districts in the Northamptonshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, West Northamptonshire had the highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Northamptonshire | 31,211 | 71.0 | 0.85 |
| North Northamptonshire | 25,714 | 68.8 | 0.83 |
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 West Northamptonshire; the highest is Milton Keynes district (100.3 per 1,000) and the lowest Harborough (51.7).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes | 30,686 | 100.3 | +8% |
| North Northamptonshire | 32,796 | 87.7 | -6% |
| Rugby | 8,741 | 71.4 | -23% |
| Harborough | 5,417 | 51.7 | -44% |
| Bedford | 18,621 | 95.5 | +3% |
| Cherwell | 12,225 | 71.7 | -23% |
| Oadby and Wigston | 3,776 | 61.2 | -34% |
| Warwick | 12,914 | 83.4 | -10% |
Of the 74 areas within West Northamptonshire, Castle had the highest crime rate (336.3 per 1,000) and Cogenhoe the lowest (24.7), 14 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle | Neighbourhood | 21,786 | 7,327 | 336.3 |
| Kingsley & Semilong | Neighbourhood | 16,718 | 2,906 | 173.8 |
| Kingsthorpe South | Neighbourhood | 12,697 | 1,681 | 132.4 |
| Dallington Spencer | Neighbourhood | 20,546 | 2,677 | 130.3 |
| Collingtree and Milton Malsor | Town | 1,654 | 215 | 130.0 |
| Talavera | Neighbourhood | 12,809 | 1,642 | 128.2 |
| Northampton | Town | 248,936 | 30,137 | 121.1 |
| Abington & Phippsville | Neighbourhood | 11,840 | 1,353 | 114.3 |
| Daventry South | Neighbourhood | 19,083 | 2,054 | 107.6 |
| Billing | Neighbourhood | 11,787 | 1,253 | 106.3 |
| Blackthorn & Rectory Farm | Neighbourhood | 12,134 | 1,235 | 101.8 |
| Upton | Neighbourhood | 13,686 | 1,376 | 100.5 |
| Headlands | Neighbourhood | 19,892 | 1,996 | 100.3 |
| Onley | Town | 2,105 | 209 | 99.3 |
| Far Cotton, Delapre & Briar Hill | Neighbourhood | 18,222 | 1,737 | 95.3 |
| Crick | Town | 2,450 | 233 | 95.1 |
| Daventry | Town | 28,535 | 2,581 | 90.5 |
| Kingsthorpe North | Neighbourhood | 15,632 | 1,247 | 79.8 |
| Moulton (West Northamptonshire) | Town | 8,003 | 629 | 78.6 |
| Moulton | Neighbourhood | 15,029 | 1,127 | 75.0 |
| Daventry North West | Neighbourhood | 5,766 | 421 | 73.0 |
| Walgrave | Town | 2,111 | 151 | 71.5 |
| Long Buckby | Town | 5,041 | 349 | 69.2 |
| Parklands | Neighbourhood | 3,603 | 249 | 69.1 |
| Potterspury | Town | 2,184 | 148 | 67.8 |
| Duston | Neighbourhood | 16,170 | 1,082 | 66.9 |
| Nene Valley | Neighbourhood | 16,540 | 1,094 | 66.1 |
| Towcester | Town | 8,605 | 566 | 65.8 |
| Hunsbury | Neighbourhood | 15,591 | 1,024 | 65.7 |
| Weston Favell & Abington Vale | Neighbourhood | 10,444 | 678 | 64.9 |
| Braunston & Crick | Neighbourhood | 13,369 | 822 | 61.5 |
| Rural North East | Neighbourhood | 6,052 | 365 | 60.3 |
| Clipston | Town | 2,260 | 133 | 58.8 |
| Kislingbury | Town | 1,798 | 103 | 57.3 |
| Woodford Halse | Town | 4,486 | 251 | 56.0 |
| Towcester | Neighbourhood | 14,572 | 810 | 55.6 |
| Long Buckby | Neighbourhood | 9,372 | 513 | 54.7 |
| Harpole | Town | 1,841 | 100 | 54.3 |
| Boughton (West Northamptonshire) | Town | 1,654 | 89 | 53.8 |
| Kilsby | Town | 1,215 | 64 | 52.7 |
| Flore | Town | 2,150 | 110 | 51.2 |
| Weedon Bec | Town | 3,557 | 181 | 50.9 |
| Silverstone | Town | 3,000 | 151 | 50.3 |
| Campion | Neighbourhood | 10,915 | 542 | 49.7 |
| Nether Heyford | Town | 1,673 | 83 | 49.6 |
| Yelvertoft | Town | 1,904 | 92 | 48.3 |
| Woodford & Weedon | Neighbourhood | 12,018 | 573 | 47.7 |
| Hartwell | Town | 1,913 | 87 | 45.5 |
| Blisworth | Town | 1,836 | 82 | 44.7 |
| Roade | Town | 4,401 | 196 | 44.5 |
| Deanshanger & Paulerspury | Neighbourhood | 13,674 | 605 | 44.2 |
| Deanshanger | Town | 4,482 | 196 | 43.7 |
| West Haddon | Town | 2,759 | 120 | 43.5 |
| Kings Sutton | Town | 2,185 | 95 | 43.5 |
| Hackleton & Roade | Neighbourhood | 11,036 | 470 | 42.6 |
| Braunston | Town | 1,720 | 73 | 42.4 |
| Bugbrooke | Town | 3,453 | 146 | 42.3 |
| Yardley Gobion | Town | 1,942 | 75 | 38.6 |
| Badby | Town | 2,107 | 81 | 38.4 |
| Welford (West Northamptonshire) | Town | 2,187 | 83 | 38.0 |
| Old Stratford | Town | 3,224 | 122 | 37.8 |
| Naseby | Neighbourhood | 4,013 | 151 | 37.6 |
| Brackley | Town | 16,882 | 633 | 37.5 |
| Spratton | Town | 1,826 | 68 | 37.2 |
| Middleton Cheney | Town | 4,263 | 155 | 36.4 |
| Brixworth | Town | 4,891 | 172 | 35.2 |
| Middleton Cheney | Neighbourhood | 12,602 | 440 | 34.9 |
| Cogenhoe & The Houghtons | Neighbourhood | 4,794 | 166 | 34.6 |
| Rural South Northamptonshire | Neighbourhood | 11,960 | 399 | 33.4 |
| Croughton | Town | 2,389 | 79 | 33.1 |
| Byfield | Town | 1,868 | 60 | 32.1 |
| Daventry North East | Neighbourhood | 3,686 | 106 | 28.8 |
| Greens Norton | Town | 1,746 | 46 | 26.3 |
| Cogenhoe | Town | 1,457 | 36 | 24.7 |
The 10 locations below account for 16% of the crime recorded in West Northamptonshire over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (1,832).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 1,832 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 847 |
| On or near Parking Area | 818 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 599 |
| On or near Nightclub | 597 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 431 |
| On or near Hospital | 410 |
| On or near Stanhope Road | 307 |
| On or near Park/Open Space | 296 |
| On or near Woolmonger Street | 271 |
Of the 31,413 crimes in West Northamptonshire with a recorded outcome, 35% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.1% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 9,513 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 11,305 | 36.0% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 11,078 | 35.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 3,807 | 12.1% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 1,605 | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,173 | 3.7% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 787 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 532 | 1.7% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 480 | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 277 | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 234 | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 94 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 23 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
West Northamptonshire has an estimated population of 439,811 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (16%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up West Northamptonshire average decile 6.3 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | West Northamptonshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 19.4% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17.5% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 62.9% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 20.1% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.9% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 31.8% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 17.4% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 15.9% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 66.4% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 14.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.3 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 2.0% | 10.1% (England) |
21,304 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in West Northamptonshire in 2024/25 (48.4 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 West Northamptonshire has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is West Northamptonshire a safe place to live?
West Northamptonshire recorded 93.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 119th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were anti-social behaviour.
What is the most common crime in West Northamptonshire?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 13,677 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (9,513).
Is crime in West Northamptonshire going up or down?
Recorded crime in West Northamptonshire was up 2% on the year before: 40,926 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 40,045 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of West Northamptonshire?
About 439,811 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 18% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers West Northamptonshire?
West Northamptonshire is policed by Northamptonshire.
How many crimes did the police record in West Northamptonshire in the year ending March 2026?
31,211 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 71.0 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 32,428.
Which offences are more common in West Northamptonshire than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were robbery of business property (292 offences, 1.4 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.