Crime in Rotherham: statistics, rates and trends
11,919 crimes were recorded in Rotherham in the 12 months to August 2026, 156.4 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 4% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Rotherham at a glance
- Crime trends in Rotherham
- Types of crime in Rotherham
- Rotherham compared with nearby towns
- Areas within Rotherham
- Streets with the most crime in Rotherham
- What happened after crimes were reported in Rotherham
- Demographics of Rotherham
- Questions about crime in Rotherham
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,163), anti-social behaviour (1,735) and shoplifting (1,417) made up 61% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 52nd of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | Rotherham | Rotherham | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 11,919 | 30,952 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 156.4 | 111.9 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +4% | +6% | -1% |
| Population | 76,221 | 276,595 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Rotherham peaked in the year to August 2018 (12,684 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2021 (10,785). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 6%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 11,919 | 156.4 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 11,482 | 150.6 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 11,367 | 149.1 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 11,435 | 150.0 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 11,059 | 145.1 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 10,785 | 141.5 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 11,926 | 156.5 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 11,813 | 155.0 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 12,684 | 166.4 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,077 |
| July 2026 | 1,090 |
| June 2026 | 1,150 |
| May 2026 | 1,159 |
| April 2026 | 1,071 |
| March 2026 | 985 |
| February 2026 | 751 |
| January 2026 | 860 |
| December 2025 | 969 |
| November 2025 | 927 |
| October 2025 | 988 |
| September 2025 | 892 |
Compared with England and Wales, Rotherham recorded notably more robbery (2.3 times the national rate), shoplifting (2.2 times the national rate) and other crime (2.1 times the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (57% below) and bicycle theft (25% below). On the year before, shoplifting rose from 812 to 1,417 and robbery rose from 141 to 235, while drugs fell from 372 to 268 and theft from the person fell from 66 to 55.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,163 | 54.6 | 34.2 | -1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,735 | 22.8 | 15.4 | -4% |
| Shoplifting | 1,417 | 18.6 | 8.5 | +75% |
| Public order | 962 | 12.6 | 6.7 | -4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 828 | 10.9 | 6.7 | +3% |
| Other theft | 638 | 8.4 | 6.4 | -13% |
| Vehicle crime | 563 | 7.4 | 5.0 | +26% |
| Burglary | 524 | 6.9 | 3.6 | +12% |
| Other crime | 336 | 4.4 | 2.1 | -16% |
| Drugs | 268 | 3.5 | 3.3 | -28% |
| Robbery | 235 | 3.1 | 1.4 | +67% |
| Possession of weapons | 148 | 1.9 | 1.0 | -13% |
| Theft from the person | 55 | 0.7 | 1.7 | -17% |
| Bicycle theft | 47 | 0.6 | 0.8 | +4% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
| Town | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Rotherham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brinsworth | 522 | 58.4 | -63% |
| Rawmarsh | 2,802 | 149.9 | -4% |
| Waverley and Catcliffe | 443 | 78.5 | -50% |
| Wickersley and Bramley | 1,743 | 70.8 | -55% |
| Swinton (Rotherham) | 1,354 | 89.1 | -43% |
| Wath upon Dearne | 1,974 | 111.3 | -29% |
| Thurcroft | 768 | 117.6 | -25% |
| Swallownest and Aston | 1,153 | 73.9 | -53% |
Of the 6 areas within Rotherham, Boston Castle had the highest crime rate (293.9 per 1,000) and Sitwell the lowest (58.9), 5 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Castle | Neighbourhood | 15,984 | 4,698 | 293.9 |
| Rotherham East | Neighbourhood | 17,173 | 2,440 | 142.1 |
| Greasbrough | Neighbourhood | 8,023 | 1,093 | 136.2 |
| Rotherham West | Neighbourhood | 15,072 | 2,005 | 133.0 |
| Keppel | Neighbourhood | 14,352 | 1,226 | 85.4 |
| Sitwell | Neighbourhood | 13,625 | 803 | 58.9 |
The 10 locations below account for 22% of the crime recorded in Rotherham over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Henry Street” (398).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Henry Street | 398 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 347 |
| On or near Bridgegate | 312 |
| On or near Supermarket | 303 |
| On or near College Lane | 296 |
| On or near Parking Area | 262 |
| On or near Eldon Road | 202 |
| On or near Vicarage Lane | 191 |
| On or near Baker Street | 184 |
| On or near Moorgate Lane | 173 |
Of the 10,184 crimes in Rotherham with a recorded outcome, 33% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.7% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,735 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 4,169 | 40.9% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,390 | 33.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 901 | 8.8% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 579 | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 338 | 3.3% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 327 | 3.2% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 319 | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 51 | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 44 | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 33 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 29 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Rotherham has an estimated population of 76,221 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more social housing (29%, against 17%), more residents with no qualifications (28%, against 18%) and fewer residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (21%, against 34%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Rotherham average decile 3.0 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Rotherham | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 20.7% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 16.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 50.3% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.1% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.7% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 20.9% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 27.9% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 31.3% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 53.2% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 28.7% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 17.6% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 3.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 44.2% | 10.1% (England) |
Is Rotherham a safe place to live?
Rotherham recorded 156.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 52nd of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were robbery and shoplifting.
What is the most common crime in Rotherham?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,163 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (1,735).
Is crime in Rotherham going up or down?
Recorded crime in Rotherham was up 4% on the year before: 11,919 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 11,482 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Rotherham?
About 76,221 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 17% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Rotherham?
Rotherham is policed by South Yorkshire.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.