Breckland has a crime rate of 53.39 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, placing it among the higher-crime areas in the UK at #39 of 331 local authorities. Crime levels vary significantly across Breckland's wards; some neighbourhoods are considerably safer than the city average. See the ward breakdown and hotspot map on this page for a detailed local picture.

What is the crime rate in Breckland?

As of April 2026, Breckland has an annual crime rate of 53.39 per 1,000 residents, based on 742 recorded offences in the latest reporting period. This figure is sourced from Police.uk open data and normalised using ONS Census 2021 population estimates to allow accurate comparisons between areas.

How does Breckland rank nationally for crime?

Breckland ranks #39 out of 331 local authorities in England and Wales by annual crime rate per 1,000 residents. A rank of #1 indicates the highest crime rate nationally. Rankings are recalculated each month as new Police.uk data becomes available, covering all recorded crimes across the area.

What is the most common crime in Breckland?

The most common crime type in Breckland is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 325 incidents in April 2026 — 43.8% of all recorded crime in the area. Data is sourced from Police.uk and covers all crimes recorded by the responsible police force across the Breckland local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Norfolk Constabulary Police

Crime in Breckland: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Breckland is one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, recording 742 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 5.24 per 1,000 residents. This places Breckland at #39 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 43.8% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 8.2% compared to the same period last year.

shield Crime is significantly below the UK average — one of the safer areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring53.39 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment742 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #39 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 8.2% year-on-year

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry Period: April 2026 • Updated monthly

Total Crimes

742

trending_up +5.5% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

53.39per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#39of 331

Top 12% Safest UK

Norfolk

#4rank

Ranked by annual rate

12-Month Crime Trend

Monthly Totals

Interactive Crime Map

District View

Live Points

Crime Incident

Area Boundary

Incident Distribution

Top Locations

Location Reference	Crime Breakdown	Primary Count
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 22 Violence and sexual offences: 11 Shoplifting: 3	22
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 16	16
On or near Petrol Station Map	Shoplifting: 10 Drugs: 2	10
On or near Petrol Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9	9
On or near St Nicholas Street Map	Violence and sexual offences: 8	8
On or near Church Street Map	Anti-social behaviour: 5 Public order: 3	5
On or near Guildford Way Map	Violence and sexual offences: 7	7
On or near Stapleford Way Map	Shoplifting: 6	6
On or near Norfolk Drive Map	Violence and sexual offences: 6	6
On or near Petrol Station Map	Anti-social behaviour: 5	5

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

742 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

325

43.8%

Anti-social Behaviour

117

15.8%

Criminal Damage & Arson

8.9%

Public Order

7.0%

Shoplifting

6.5%

Other Theft

4.4%

Drug Offences

3.6%

Other Crime

3.1%

Burglary

2.7%

Vehicle Crime

1.5%

Weapons Possession

1.3%

Robbery

0.8%

Bicycle Theft

0.5%

Crime Analysis: Breckland

Breckland recorded 742 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 53.39 per 1,000 residents — among the lower-crime areas in England and Wales, ranked #39 of 331 by crime rate.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Breckland (43.8%). Anti-social Behaviour (15.8%) and Criminal Damage & Arson (8.9%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Breckland has risen noticeably — by 8.2%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Norfolk Constabulary through the Police.uk open data platform and cross-referenced with ONS 2021 Census population estimates to produce the per-resident rates above. Data typically appears 1–2 months after the end of the recording period.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

27 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Dereham Neatherd	108	122.0
2	Thetford Castle	73	99.8
3	Thetford Priory	90	85.2
4	Thetford Burrell	52	72.0
5	Swaffham	49	71.6

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Launditch	9	2.2
shield	Shipdham-with-Scarning	3	0.5
shield	Hermitage	10	3.5
shield	Upper Wensum	9	1.3
shield	Bedingfeld	5	1.3

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +5.5%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +8.2%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_up +0.4%

Data Transparency

Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 331 local authorities in England & Wales.

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