Crime in Sunderland: statistics, rates and trends
19,136 crimes were recorded in Sunderland in the 12 months to August 2026, 108.9 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 16% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Sunderland at a glance
- Crime trends in Sunderland
- Types of crime in Sunderland
- Sunderland compared with nearby towns
- Areas within Sunderland
- Streets with the most crime in Sunderland
- What happened after crimes were reported in Sunderland
- Demographics of Sunderland
- Questions about crime in Sunderland
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (5,943), anti-social behaviour (3,258) and shoplifting (2,466) made up 61% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 270th of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Sunderland | Sunderland | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 19,136 | 28,197 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 108.9 | 97.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -16% | -15% | -1% |
| Population | 175,730 | 288,606 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Sunderland of any year here (19,136 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 36%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 19,136 | 108.9 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 22,695 | 129.1 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 24,132 | 137.3 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 25,558 | 145.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 25,218 | 143.5 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 26,021 | 148.1 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 26,365 | 150.0 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 28,554 | 162.5 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 30,128 | 171.4 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,715 |
| July 2026 | 1,655 |
| June 2026 | 1,690 |
| May 2026 | 1,738 |
| April 2026 | 1,606 |
| March 2026 | 1,584 |
| February 2026 | 1,073 |
| January 2026 | 599 |
| December 2025 | 1,671 |
| November 2025 | 1,902 |
| October 2025 | 1,968 |
| September 2025 | 1,935 |
Compared with England and Wales, Sunderland recorded notably more other crime (73% above the national rate), shoplifting (66% above the national rate) and criminal damage and arson (63% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (61% below) and bicycle theft (34% below). On the year before, theft from the person rose from 96 to 116 and robbery rose from 249 to 291, while drugs fell from 683 to 386 and other theft fell from 1,272 to 873.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 5,943 | 33.8 | 34.2 | -23% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 3,258 | 18.5 | 15.4 | -7% |
| Shoplifting | 2,466 | 14.0 | 8.5 | +5% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,929 | 11.0 | 6.7 | -10% |
| Public order | 1,372 | 7.8 | 6.7 | -20% |
| Burglary | 891 | 5.1 | 3.6 | -16% |
| Other theft | 873 | 5.0 | 6.4 | -31% |
| Vehicle crime | 712 | 4.1 | 5.0 | -22% |
| Other crime | 642 | 3.7 | 2.1 | -13% |
| Drugs | 386 | 2.2 | 3.3 | -43% |
| Robbery | 291 | 1.7 | 1.4 | +17% |
| Possession of weapons | 162 | 0.9 | 1.0 | -16% |
| Theft from the person | 116 | 0.7 | 1.7 | +21% |
| Bicycle theft | 95 | 0.5 | 0.8 | -11% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
1 of the 8 nearest towns have a higher crime rate than Sunderland; the highest is Seaham (125.5 per 1,000) and the lowest Whitburn (South Tyneside) (55.1).
| Town | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Sunderland |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Boldon and West Boldon | 419 | 56.2 | -48% |
| Shiney Row and Penshaw | 1,094 | 60.1 | -45% |
| Whitburn (South Tyneside) | 288 | 55.1 | -49% |
| Boldon Colliery | 578 | 98.4 | -10% |
| Houghton-le-Spring | 1,135 | 97.8 | -10% |
| Washington | 4,434 | 84.5 | -22% |
| Seaham | 2,840 | 125.5 | +15% |
| Fence Houses | 366 | 60.2 | -45% |
Of the 16 areas within Sunderland, Hendon had the highest crime rate (296.8 per 1,000) and Barnes the lowest (52.0), 6 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendon | Neighbourhood | 13,121 | 3,894 | 296.8 |
| Southwick | Neighbourhood | 11,234 | 1,702 | 151.5 |
| Millfield | Neighbourhood | 11,956 | 1,708 | 142.9 |
| St Peter's | Neighbourhood | 11,494 | 1,426 | 124.1 |
| Castle | Neighbourhood | 11,280 | 1,262 | 111.9 |
| Redhill | Neighbourhood | 11,718 | 1,130 | 96.4 |
| Silksworth | Neighbourhood | 10,426 | 986 | 94.6 |
| Pallion | Neighbourhood | 14,116 | 1,301 | 92.2 |
| St Michael's | Neighbourhood | 9,343 | 859 | 91.9 |
| Sandhill | Neighbourhood | 10,599 | 958 | 90.4 |
| St Anne's | Neighbourhood | 10,443 | 912 | 87.3 |
| Ryhope | Neighbourhood | 13,207 | 1,001 | 75.8 |
| Fulwell | Neighbourhood | 9,967 | 681 | 68.3 |
| St Chad's | Neighbourhood | 9,491 | 615 | 64.8 |
| Doxford | Neighbourhood | 12,146 | 719 | 59.2 |
| Barnes | Neighbourhood | 10,298 | 536 | 52.0 |
The 10 locations below account for 18% of the crime recorded in Sunderland over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (596).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 596 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 546 |
| On or near Parking Area | 539 |
| On or near Derwent Street | 446 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 344 |
| On or near Park Lane | 266 |
| On or near Stockton Road | 260 |
| On or near Wearmouth Street | 246 |
| On or near Fawcett Street | 148 |
| On or near Police Station | 146 |
Of the 15,878 crimes in Sunderland with a recorded outcome, 40% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 0.9% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 3,258 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 6,394 | 40.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 4,379 | 27.6% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 4,276 | 26.9% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 487 | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 140 | 0.9% | 5.2% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 105 | 0.7% | 34.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 59 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Local resolution | 20 | 0.1% | 3.1% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 6 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 5 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 3 | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 2 | 0.0% | 1.3% |
Sunderland has an estimated population of 175,730 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more social housing (28%, against 17%), more households without a car (34%, against 23%) and more residents with no qualifications (24%, against 18%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Sunderland average decile 3.3 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Sunderland | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.2% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 19.8% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 50.7% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.2% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 7.6% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 24.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 23.8% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 34.1% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 55.5% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 27.9% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 16.5% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 3.3 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 31.6% | 10.1% (England) |
Is Sunderland a safe place to live?
Sunderland recorded 108.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 270th of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were other crime and shoplifting.
What is the most common crime in Sunderland?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 5,943 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (3,258).
Is crime in Sunderland going up or down?
Recorded crime in Sunderland was down 16% on the year before: 19,136 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 22,695 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Sunderland?
About 175,730 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 20% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Sunderland?
Sunderland is policed by Northumbria.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.