Crime in the Leicestershire Police area: statistics, rates and trends
100,535 crimes were recorded in the Leicestershire Police area in the 12 months to August 2026, 85.5 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 4% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in the Leicestershire Police area at a glance
- Crime trends in the Leicestershire Police area
- Types of crime in the Leicestershire Police area
- Home Office recorded crime in the Leicestershire Police area
- The Leicestershire Police area compared with nearby police force areas
- Areas within the Leicestershire Police area
- What happened after crimes were reported in the Leicestershire Police area
- Demographics of the Leicestershire Police area
- Questions about crime in the Leicestershire Police area
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (35,969), anti-social behaviour (13,962) and criminal damage and arson (9,238) made up 59% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 26th of the 41 police force areas covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.
| Measure | the Leicestershire Police area | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 100,535 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 85.5 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -4% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 1,175,364 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in the Leicestershire Police area peaked in the year to August 2022 (109,832 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2020 (95,135). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it was almost unchanged, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 100,535 | 85.5 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 104,869 | 89.2 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 103,878 | 88.4 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 108,574 | 92.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 109,832 | 93.4 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 96,103 | 81.8 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 95,135 | 80.9 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 100,573 | 85.6 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 100,476 | 85.5 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 9,261 |
| July 2026 | 9,270 |
| June 2026 | 9,116 |
| May 2026 | 8,860 |
| April 2026 | 8,039 |
| March 2026 | 8,598 |
| February 2026 | 7,336 |
| January 2026 | 7,917 |
| December 2025 | 7,462 |
| November 2025 | 7,668 |
| October 2025 | 8,786 |
| September 2025 | 8,222 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (60% below) and robbery (44% below) were well below it. On the year before, vehicle crime fell from 6,533 to 5,070 and bicycle theft fell from 1,219 to 976.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 35,969 | 30.6 | 34.2 | -3% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 13,962 | 11.9 | 15.4 | 0% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9,238 | 7.9 | 6.7 | +2% |
| Public order | 8,894 | 7.6 | 6.7 | -6% |
| Shoplifting | 8,151 | 6.9 | 8.5 | -4% |
| Other theft | 6,501 | 5.5 | 6.4 | -6% |
| Vehicle crime | 5,070 | 4.3 | 5.0 | -22% |
| Burglary | 4,232 | 3.6 | 3.6 | -6% |
| Drugs | 2,977 | 2.5 | 3.3 | +3% |
| Other crime | 2,040 | 1.7 | 2.1 | -14% |
| Bicycle theft | 976 | 0.8 | 0.8 | -20% |
| Robbery | 894 | 0.8 | 1.4 | +8% |
| Possession of weapons | 843 | 0.7 | 1.0 | +2% |
| Theft from the person | 788 | 0.7 | 1.7 | -6% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
89,771 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in the Leicestershire Police area in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 76.4 per 1,000 residents, close to the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 6% on the year ending March 2025 (95,194), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 43 territorial police force areas of England and Wales, the Leicestershire Police area had the 19th highest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 41 force areas with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Offences recorded in the Leicestershire Police area, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 13,007 offences (14% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for arson (1.4 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for robbery of business property (0.24 times), theft from the person (0.39 times) and possession of drugs (0.58 times).
The largest rises on the year were in arson (+30%) and trafficking of drugs (+12%). The largest falls were in vehicle offences (−19%) and residential burglary (−18%). 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 | 13,007 | 11.1 | 13.2 | 0.84 | +6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 10,811 | 9.2 | 10.1 | 0.91 | −8% |
| Violence with injury | 9,509 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 0.99 | −14% |
| Public order offences | 9,411 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 1.15 | −7% |
| Criminal damage | 8,770 | 7.5 | 6.8 | 1.09 | −1% |
| Shoplifting | 8,343 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 0.87 | – |
| Other theft offences | 6,756 | 5.7 | 6.5 | 0.88 | −11% |
| Vehicle offences | 5,370 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 0.91 | −19% |
| Residential burglary | 2,947 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.01 | −18% |
| Other sexual offences | 2,565 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 0.96 | +1% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 2,233 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.91 | −7% |
| Possession of drugs | 1,700 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.58 | +3% |
| Non-residential burglary | 1,395 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.06 | +5% |
| Rape | 1,383 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.97 | −2% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 1,321 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.95 | +12% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,198 | 1.0 | 0.85 | 1.19 | +0% |
| Theft from the person | 811 | 0.69 | 1.8 | 0.39 | −11% |
| Robbery of personal property | 746 | 0.63 | 0.91 | 0.70 | −3% |
| Possession of weapons | 721 | 0.61 | 1.00 | 0.62 | −4% |
| Arson | 613 | 0.52 | 0.38 | 1.37 | +30% |
| Robbery of business property | 133 | 0.11 | 0.47 | 0.24 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 19 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.46 | −17% |
| Homicide | 9 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.95 | +50% |
Recorded crime in the Leicestershire Police area 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. The Leicestershire Police area's rate was above the England and Wales rate in 3 of those 14 years and below it in 11. 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 | 89,771 | 76.4 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 95,194 | 81.0 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 99,929 | 85.0 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 105,852 | 90.1 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 100,581 | 85.6 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 87,210 | 74.2 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 93,476 | 79.5 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 91,810 | 78.1 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 83,869 | 71.4 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 70,422 | 59.9 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 60,747 | 51.7 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 59,220 | 50.4 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 60,834 | 51.8 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 58,342 | 49.6 | 56.7 |
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, Leicester had the highest rate (110.0 per 1,000) and Rutland the lowest (42.6). 1.7% of the crimes recorded in the area that year were not assigned to a district, so the district figures add up to less than the force total.
| 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.
7 of the 8 nearest police force areas have a higher crime rate than the Leicestershire Police area; the highest is the West Midlands Police area (106.6 per 1,000) and the lowest the Warwickshire Police area (81.7).
| Police force area | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs the Leicestershire Police area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warwickshire | 51,630 | 81.7 | -5% |
| Nottinghamshire | 125,603 | 105.7 | +24% |
| Northamptonshire | 73,722 | 90.6 | +6% |
| Derbyshire | 103,143 | 94.1 | +10% |
| West Midlands | 323,754 | 106.6 | +25% |
| Staffordshire | 107,433 | 91.2 | +7% |
| Lincolnshire | 72,613 | 92.0 | +8% |
| Cambridgeshire | 83,024 | 88.9 | +4% |
Of the 9 areas within the Leicestershire Police area, Leicester had the highest crime rate (122.3 per 1,000) and Rutland the lowest (47.1).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | District | 388,348 | 47,488 | 122.3 |
| Charnwood | District | 188,385 | 15,129 | 80.3 |
| North West Leicestershire | District | 111,881 | 7,854 | 70.2 |
| Blaby | District | 108,165 | 7,573 | 70.0 |
| Melton | District | 54,052 | 3,600 | 66.6 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | District | 116,682 | 7,748 | 66.4 |
| Oadby and Wigston | District | 61,695 | 3,776 | 61.2 |
| Harborough | District | 104,713 | 5,417 | 51.7 |
| Rutland | District | 41,443 | 1,950 | 47.1 |
Of the 86,573 crimes in the Leicestershire Police area with a recorded outcome, 39% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.5% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 13,962 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 34,122 | 39.4% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 26,220 | 30.3% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 8,739 | 10.1% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 4,745 | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 3,158 | 3.6% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 2,374 | 2.7% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 2,004 | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,957 | 2.3% | 4.7% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 1,268 | 1.5% | 0.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 784 | 0.9% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 605 | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 562 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
The Leicestershire Police area has an estimated population of 1,175,364 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more students (10.1%, against 7.9%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up the Leicestershire Police area average decile 5.8 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | the Leicestershire Police area | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 18.3% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 56.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.3% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 21.2% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 10.1% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 30.5% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 19.8% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 18.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 66.5% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 14.2% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.2% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.8 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 7.0% | 10.1% (England) |
Is the Leicestershire Police area a safe place to live?
The Leicestershire Police area recorded 85.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 26th of the 41 police force areas on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in the Leicestershire Police area?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 35,969 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (13,962).
Is crime in the Leicestershire Police area going up or down?
Recorded crime in the Leicestershire Police area was down 4% on the year before: 100,535 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 104,869 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of the Leicestershire Police area?
About 1,175,364 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 18% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
How many crimes did the police record in the Leicestershire Police area in the year ending March 2026?
89,771 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 76.4 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 95,194.
Which offences are more common in the Leicestershire Police area than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were arson (613 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.