Crime in Great Harwood: statistics, rates and trends

1,101 crimes were recorded in Great Harwood in the 12 months to July 2026, 96.0 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.4, and down 18% on the year before.

1,101 crimes were recorded in Great Harwood in the 12 months to July 2026, 96.0 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.4, and down 18% on the year before. The most common offence was violence and sexual offences, with 453 reports (41% of the total).

Of the 1,408 towns covered by this site, Great Harwood has the 399th highest crime rate.

MeasureGreat HarwoodHyndburnEngland and Wales
Crimes, the 12 months to July 20261,10110,8355,665,700
Crimes per 1,000 residents96.0125.996.4
Change on previous 12 months-18%-6%-1%
Population11,46886,05858,797,018

Recorded crime in Great Harwood was highest in the year to July 2021 (1,378 crimes) and lowest in the year to July 2024 (985). Over the whole period it fell 13%, against a fall of 4% across England and Wales. Rates use today's population for every year, so they show the direction of change rather than exact historic rates.

PeriodCrimesPer 1,000England and Wales per 1,000
Year to July 20261,10196.096.4
Year to July 20251,349117.697.1
Year to July 202498585.997.7
Year to July 20231,278111.45.2
Year to July 20221,229107.2101.3
Year to July 20211,378120.2102.1
Year to July 20201,273111.0101.9
Year to July 20191,205105.1101.5
Year to July 20181,260109.9100.6

Month by month

MonthCrimes
July 202680
June 2026117
May 202676
April 202679
March 202678
February 202679
January 2026102
December 2025104
November 202570
October 202593
September 2025113
August 2025110

The table shows every category of crime recorded in Great Harwood over the 12 months to July 2026. The index compares the local rate with England and Wales: 1.00 is the national rate, 2.00 is double it. Rates were well above the national level for anti-social behaviour, possession of weapons.

The largest falls were in vehicle crime (-53%) and anti-social behaviour (-42%).

Crime typeCrimesPer 1,000Index (E&W = 1.00)Change on year
Violence and sexual offences45339.51.15-6%
Anti-social behaviour23120.11.31-42%
Criminal damage and arson928.01.18-2%
Other theft645.60.87-7%
Shoplifting635.50.66+9%
Public order474.10.62-18%
Vehicle crime453.90.80-53%
Burglary393.40.96+0%
Other crime242.10.99+0%
Possession of weapons151.31.35+88%
Drugs111.00.29-21%
Theft from the person100.90.52+150%
Robbery60.50.39-14%
Bicycle theft10.10.11n/a

Violence and sexual offences in Great Harwood

Violence and sexual offences covers offences against the person, from common assault to homicide, and sexual offences. Great Harwood recorded 453 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (39.5 per 1,000 residents), higher than the England and Wales rate of 34.2, and down 6% on the year before. It made up 41.1% of all crime in the area.

Anti-social behaviour in Great Harwood

Anti-social behaviour covers personal, environmental and nuisance anti-social behaviour. Great Harwood recorded 231 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (20.1 per 1,000 residents), higher than the England and Wales rate of 15.3, and down 42% on the year before. It made up 21.0% of all crime in the area.

Criminal damage and arson in Great Harwood

Criminal damage and arson covers deliberate damage to property, including setting fire to it. Great Harwood recorded 92 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (8.0 per 1,000 residents), higher than the England and Wales rate of 6.8, and down 2% on the year before. It made up 8.4% of all crime in the area.

Other theft in Great Harwood

Other theft covers theft not covered by another category, such as theft by an employee or of unattended items. Great Harwood recorded 64 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (5.6 per 1,000 residents), close to the England and Wales rate of 6.4, and down 7% on the year before. It made up 5.8% of all crime in the area.

Shoplifting in Great Harwood

Shoplifting covers theft from shops or stalls. Great Harwood recorded 63 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (5.5 per 1,000 residents), lower than the England and Wales rate of 8.3, and up 9% on the year before. It made up 5.7% of all crime in the area.

Public order in Great Harwood

Public order covers offences that cause fear, alarm or distress. Great Harwood recorded 47 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (4.1 per 1,000 residents), lower than the England and Wales rate of 6.6, and down 18% on the year before. It made up 4.3% of all crime in the area.

Vehicle crime in Great Harwood

Vehicle crime covers theft of or from a vehicle, and interfering with a vehicle. Great Harwood recorded 45 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (3.9 per 1,000 residents), lower than the England and Wales rate of 4.9, and down 53% on the year before. It made up 4.1% of all crime in the area.

Burglary in Great Harwood

Burglary covers entering a home or other building as a trespasser to steal, or with intent to steal. Great Harwood recorded 39 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (3.4 per 1,000 residents), close to the England and Wales rate of 3.5, and almost unchanged on the year before. It made up 3.5% of all crime in the area.

Other crime in Great Harwood

Other crime covers offences not covered by another category, such as forgery and perjury. Great Harwood recorded 24 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (2.1 per 1,000 residents), close to the England and Wales rate of 2.1, and almost unchanged on the year before. It made up 2.2% of all crime in the area.

Possession of weapons in Great Harwood

Possession of weapons covers carrying or possessing a weapon such as a firearm or knife. Great Harwood recorded 15 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (1.3 per 1,000 residents), higher than the England and Wales rate of 1.0, and up 88% on the year before. It made up 1.4% of all crime in the area.

Drugs in Great Harwood

Drugs covers possession, supply and production of controlled drugs. Great Harwood recorded 11 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (1.0 per 1,000 residents), lower than the England and Wales rate of 3.3, and down 21% on the year before. It made up 1.0% of all crime in the area.

Theft from the person in Great Harwood

Theft from the person covers theft of property carried on the person, such as pickpocketing, without force. Great Harwood recorded 10 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (0.9 per 1,000 residents), lower than the England and Wales rate of 1.7, and up 150% on the year before. It made up 0.9% of all crime in the area.

Robbery in Great Harwood

Robbery covers theft using force or the threat of force. Great Harwood recorded 6 reports in the 12 months to July 2026 (0.5 per 1,000 residents), lower than the England and Wales rate of 1.4, and down 14% on the year before. It made up 0.5% of all crime in the area.

Bicycle theft in Great Harwood

Bicycle theft covers the taking of a bicycle without the owner's consent. Great Harwood recorded 1 report in the 12 months to July 2026 (0.1 per 1,000 residents), lower than the England and Wales rate of 0.8, and with no comparable figure for the year before. It made up 0.1% of all crime in the area.

Crime rates in the towns closest to Great Harwood, for the 12 months to July 2026. The last column shows each area's rate relative to Great Harwood.

TownCrimesPer 1,000Rate vs Great Harwood
Clayton-le-Moors1,153115.1+20%
Rishton66294.4-2%
Accrington5,517150.8+57%
Oswaldtwistle1,120122.8+28%
Padiham1,549139.7+45%
Blackburn (Blackburn with Darwen)14,478114.1+19%
Clitheroe1,12159.7-38%
Burnley12,326147.0+53%

2 areas within Great Harwood, ordered by crime rate over the 12 months to July 2026. Netherton had the highest rate (111.3 per 1,000) and Overton the lowest (83.8). Busy town and city centres often show high rates because many of the people there do not live there.

AreaTypePopulationCrimesPer 1,000
NethertonNeighbourhood5,096567111.3
OvertonNeighbourhood6,37253483.8

Police.uk records each crime at an approximate location, usually the centre of a nearby street or a landmark, to protect victims' privacy. These are the locations with the most reports in Great Harwood over the 12 months to July 2026.

LocationCrimes
On or near Supermarket82
On or near Town Hall Street49
On or near Station Road43
On or near Reed Passage36
On or near Prospect Street35
On or near Parking Area31
On or near St John'S Street27
On or near St Edmund'S Street25
On or near Segar Street23
On or near Britannia Street22

The latest recorded outcome for crimes in Great Harwood over the 12 months to July 2026. Many cases are still open when the data is published, and anti-social behaviour has no outcome recorded, so these shares change as investigations finish.

OutcomeCrimesShare
Unable to prosecute suspect38234.7%
Investigation complete; no suspect identified24222.0%
Not recorded23121.0%
Under investigation877.9%
Local resolution454.1%
Awaiting court outcome433.9%
Status update unavailable322.9%
Court result unavailable201.8%
Offender given a caution100.9%
Action to be taken by another organisation40.4%
Further investigation is not in the public interest40.4%
Offender given penalty notice10.1%

Great Harwood has an estimated population of 11,468. On the England IoD 2025, the average neighbourhood in Great Harwood sits in decile 3.7, more deprived than average. Deprivation and recorded crime are linked, but many other factors shape local crime rates.

MeasureGreat Harwood
Aged 0 to 1518.8%
Aged 16 to 6461.2%
Aged 65 and over20.0%
Homes owned outright or with a mortgage67.0%
Social rented homes10.3%
Private rented homes22.7%
Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least)3.7
Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas28.1%

Is Great Harwood a safe place to live?

Great Harwood recorded 96.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to July 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.4. Crime is concentrated in a small number of places within most areas, often busy centres and transport hubs, so the rate for a single street can differ a lot from the area as a whole.

What is the most common crime in Great Harwood?

Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 453 reports in the 12 months to July 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (231).

Is crime in Great Harwood going up or down?

Recorded crime in Great Harwood was down 18% on the year before: 1,101 crimes in the 12 months to July 2026 against 1,349 in the previous 12 months.

Which police force covers Great Harwood?

Great Harwood is policed by Lancashire. Non-emergency crimes can be reported online to the force or by calling 101; in an emergency call 999.

How are these crime rates calculated?

Each rate is the number of crimes recorded by the police in the 12 months to July 2026, divided by the resident population and multiplied by 1,000. Crime data is from data.police.uk and population estimates are from the Office for National Statistics.

Figures are police-recorded crime published on data.police.uk, covering August 2017 to July 2026. Each crime is counted in the small area (LSOA) where it was recorded and added up to Great Harwood. Crimes recorded by British Transport Police are not included.

Population figures are ONS mid-year estimates. See the methodology for details.

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