Crime in Burnley: statistics, rates and trends
12,274 crimes were recorded in Burnley in the 12 months to August 2026, 146.3 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 1% on the year before.
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Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,222), anti-social behaviour (2,373) and shoplifting (1,279) made up 64% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 75th of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | Burnley | Burnley | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 12,274 | 14,031 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 146.3 | 141.4 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +1% | 0% | -1% |
| Population | 83,875 | 99,233 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Burnley peaked in the year to August 2018 (14,799 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (12,149). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 17%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 12,274 | 146.3 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 12,149 | 144.8 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 12,333 | 147.0 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 12,550 | 149.6 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 14,097 | 168.1 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 14,699 | 175.2 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 13,896 | 165.7 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 13,320 | 158.8 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 14,799 | 176.4 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,125 |
| July 2026 | 1,218 |
| June 2026 | 1,069 |
| May 2026 | 1,071 |
| April 2026 | 1,090 |
| March 2026 | 974 |
| February 2026 | 855 |
| January 2026 | 939 |
| December 2025 | 962 |
| November 2025 | 885 |
| October 2025 | 1,080 |
| September 2025 | 1,006 |
Compared with England and Wales, Burnley recorded notably more burglary (2.2 times the national rate), anti-social behaviour (84% above the national rate) and shoplifting (80% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (57% below). On the year before, shoplifting rose from 907 to 1,279 and public order rose from 539 to 729, while anti-social behaviour fell from 3,335 to 2,373.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,222 | 50.3 | 34.2 | +11% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,373 | 28.3 | 15.4 | -29% |
| Shoplifting | 1,279 | 15.2 | 8.5 | +41% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 892 | 10.6 | 6.7 | -7% |
| Public order | 729 | 8.7 | 6.7 | +35% |
| Burglary | 649 | 7.7 | 3.6 | +18% |
| Other theft | 618 | 7.4 | 6.4 | -1% |
| Vehicle crime | 535 | 6.4 | 5.0 | +9% |
| Other crime | 307 | 3.7 | 2.1 | +2% |
| Drugs | 302 | 3.6 | 3.3 | -1% |
| Robbery | 126 | 1.5 | 1.4 | +30% |
| Possession of weapons | 108 | 1.3 | 1.0 | -14% |
| Bicycle theft | 74 | 0.9 | 0.8 | +19% |
| Theft from the person | 60 | 0.7 | 1.7 | +33% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
1 of the 8 nearest towns have a higher crime rate than Burnley; the highest is Accrington (149.9 per 1,000) and the lowest Barrowford (66.1).
| Town | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Burnley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brierfield | 1,205 | 96.6 | -34% |
| Padiham | 1,527 | 137.7 | -6% |
| Nelson (Pendle) | 3,882 | 107.9 | -26% |
| Barrowford | 451 | 66.1 | -55% |
| Colne | 2,469 | 122.1 | -17% |
| Accrington | 5,483 | 149.9 | +2% |
| Clayton-le-Moors | 1,139 | 113.7 | -22% |
| Rawtenstall | 1,613 | 77.8 | -47% |
Of the 13 areas within Burnley, Trinity had the highest crime rate (293.8 per 1,000) and Cliviger with Worsthorne the lowest (51.3), 6 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity | Neighbourhood | 6,568 | 1,930 | 293.8 |
| Daneshouse with Stoneyholme | Neighbourhood | 8,611 | 2,171 | 252.1 |
| Bank Hall | Neighbourhood | 7,350 | 1,477 | 201.0 |
| Coal Clough with Deerplay | Neighbourhood | 5,457 | 841 | 154.1 |
| Queensgate | Neighbourhood | 7,473 | 1,035 | 138.5 |
| Rosehill with Burnley Wood | Neighbourhood | 6,776 | 904 | 133.4 |
| Gannow | Neighbourhood | 6,521 | 865 | 132.6 |
| Brunshaw | Neighbourhood | 6,325 | 831 | 131.4 |
| Rosegrove with Lowerhouse | Neighbourhood | 7,213 | 839 | 116.3 |
| Lanehead | Neighbourhood | 7,222 | 501 | 69.4 |
| Whittlefield with Ightenhill | Neighbourhood | 5,849 | 380 | 65.0 |
| Briercliffe | Neighbourhood | 5,615 | 329 | 58.6 |
| Cliviger with Worsthorne | Neighbourhood | 5,167 | 265 | 51.3 |
The 10 locations below account for 21% of the crime recorded in Burnley over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Petrol Station” (680).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Petrol Station | 680 |
| On or near Parking Area | 678 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 322 |
| On or near Supermarket | 312 |
| On or near Yorkshire Street | 142 |
| On or near Nightclub | 126 |
| On or near Bull Street | 125 |
| On or near The Mall | 80 |
| On or near Langwyth Road | 75 |
| On or near Turf Street | 75 |
Of the 9,901 crimes in Burnley with a recorded outcome, 31% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 6.0% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,373 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 3,431 | 34.7% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,029 | 30.6% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,067 | 10.8% | 11.5% |
| Local resolution | 677 | 6.8% | 3.1% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 591 | 6.0% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 440 | 4.4% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 302 | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 160 | 1.6% | 0.6% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 87 | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 57 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Offender given penalty notice | 46 | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 14 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Burnley has an estimated population of 83,875 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more residents with no qualifications (25%, against 18%), more households without a car (30%, against 23%) and fewer residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (24%, against 34%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Burnley average decile 3.0 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Burnley | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 20.8% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17.4% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 52.9% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.7% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 21.1% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.8% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 24.1% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 24.9% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 30.3% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 59.7% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 15.7% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 24.5% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 3.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 46.9% | 10.1% (England) |
Is Burnley a safe place to live?
Burnley recorded 146.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 75th of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were burglary and anti-social behaviour.
What is the most common crime in Burnley?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,222 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,373).
Is crime in Burnley going up or down?
Recorded crime in Burnley was up 1% on the year before: 12,274 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 12,149 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Burnley?
About 83,875 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 17% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Burnley?
Burnley is policed by Lancashire.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.