Lancaster has a crime rate of 89.93 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #206 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Lancaster'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 Lancaster?

As of April 2026, Lancaster has an annual crime rate of 89.93 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,053 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 Lancaster rank nationally for crime?

Lancaster ranks #206 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 Lancaster?

The most common crime type in Lancaster is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 401 incidents in April 2026 — 38.1% 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 Lancaster local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Lancashire Constabulary Police

Crime in Lancaster: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Lancaster recorded 1,053 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 7.37 per 1,000 residents. This places Lancaster at #206 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 38.1% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 21.7% compared to the same period last year.

info Crime is above average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring89.93 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,053 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #206 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 21.7% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

1,053

trending_down -2.5% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

89.93per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#206of 331

Ranked by annual rate

Lancashire

#8rank

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 Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 9 Anti-social behaviour: 9 Criminal damage and arson: 5	9
On or near Market Street Map	Shoplifting: 15 Drugs: 2	15
On or near Calkeld Lane Map	Violence and sexual offences: 6 Anti-social behaviour: 4 Public order: 3	6
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 12	12
On or near Moor Lane Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9 Other crime: 2	9
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 9	9
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 6 Drugs: 2	6
On or near Cedar Street Map	Anti-social behaviour: 5 Other theft: 2 Robbery: 1	5
On or near Balmoral Road Map	Violence and sexual offences: 6 Possession of weapons: 1	6
On or near Knowlys Crescent Map	Shoplifting: 6	6

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,053 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

401

38.1%

Anti-social Behaviour

181

17.2%

Criminal Damage & Arson

102

9.7%

Shoplifting

7.3%

Public Order

6.0%

Other Theft

5.6%

Burglary

3.6%

Drug Offences

3.5%

Vehicle Crime

3.3%

Other Crime

2.3%

Weapons Possession

1.1%

Bicycle Theft

1.0%

Robbery

0.9%

Theft from Person

0.3%

Crime Analysis: Lancaster

Lancaster recorded 1,053 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 89.93 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, ranked #206 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Lancaster (38.1%). Anti-social Behaviour (17.2%) and Criminal Damage & Arson (9.7%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Lancaster has fallen sharply — by 21.7%. 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

27 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Poulton	102	223.6
2	Heysham North	69	159.8
3	Harbour	92	133.4
4	Castle	145	118.8
5	Skerton West	61	115.5

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	University & Scotforth Rural	18	1.9
shield	Upper Lune Valley	8	3.4
shield	Scotforth West	21	1.6
shield	Silverdale	1	0.5
shield	Bolton & Slyne	11	1.5

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -2.5%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -21.7%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -2.5%

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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253 policing neighbourhoods

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