Is Blackburn with Darwen safe?

Blackburn with Darwen has a crime rate of 104.39 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #254 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Blackburn with Darwen'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 Blackburn with Darwen?

As of April 2026, Blackburn with Darwen has an annual crime rate of 104.39 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,453 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 Blackburn with Darwen rank nationally for crime?

Blackburn with Darwen ranks #254 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 Blackburn with Darwen?

The most common crime type in Blackburn with Darwen is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 581 incidents in April 2026 — 40.0% 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 Blackburn with Darwen local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Lancashire Constabulary Police

Crime in Blackburn with Darwen: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Blackburn with Darwen recorded 1,453 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 9.09 per 1,000 residents. This places Blackburn with Darwen at #254 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 40.0% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 13.8% compared to the same period last year.

warning Crime is significantly above the UK average for this area.

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Key Statistics

monitoring104.39 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,453 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #254 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 13.8% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

1,453

trending_down -0.8% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

104.39per 1k

High Risk

National Safety

#254of 331

Top 18% Riskiest UK

National Population

154,741

Estimated population

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 Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 16 Public order: 6	16
On or near Pankhurst Close Map	Violence and sexual offences: 15 Public order: 4 Other theft: 2	15
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 15 Public order: 2	15
On or near Petrol Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 8 Criminal damage and arson: 5	8
On or near Petrol Station Map	Anti-social behaviour: 10	10
On or near Supermarket Map	Anti-social behaviour: 9	9
On or near High Street Map	Shoplifting: 5 Vehicle crime: 2	5
On or near Shopping Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 7	7
On or near Sports/Recreation Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 6	6
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 6	6

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,453 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

581

40.0%

Anti-social Behaviour

256

17.6%

Criminal Damage & Arson

132

9.1%

Public Order

105

7.2%

Other Theft

5.2%

Shoplifting

4.7%

Vehicle Crime

3.9%

Drug Offences

3.8%

Burglary

3.2%

Other Crime

2.7%

Weapons Possession

1.5%

Robbery

0.7%

Theft from Person

0.3%

Crime Analysis: Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen recorded 1,453 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 104.39 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#254 of 331 local authorities).

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Blackburn with Darwen (40.0%). Anti-social Behaviour (17.6%) and Criminal Damage & Arson (9.1%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Blackburn with Darwen has fallen sharply — by 13.8%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Lancashire 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.

Stop & Search

April 2026

7,041

Total Stops

11.0%

Arrest Rate

253

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

4,326

Offensive weapons

1,125

Article for use in theft

723

Stolen goods

294

Articles for use in criminal damage

Firearms

Fireworks

Outcome

A no further action disposal5,394

Arrest771

Community resolution534

Not recorded147

Penalty Notice for Disorder111

Summons / charged by post75

Khat or Cannabis warning6

Caution (simple or conditional)3

Gender

Male5,745

Female852

Other6

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

75.8%

White

21.5%

Asian

2.3%

Black

0.5%

Other

Stop & search data published by Lancashire Constabulary under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: police.uk.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

17 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Blackburn Central	282	130.6
2	Mill Hill & Moorgate	104	127.4
3	Darwen East	104	126.5
4	Shear Brow & Corporation Park	89	117.3
5	Darwen West	83	111.3

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Billinge & Beardwood	45	4.7
shield	Roe Lee	57	3.7
shield	West Pennine	30	3.8
shield	Bastwell & Daisyfield	41	4.5
shield	Livesey with Pleasington	53	6.6

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -0.8%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -13.8%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -2.0%

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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