Crime in Accrington
Recorded crime in Accrington is 1.3 times the Hyndburn average and 1.6 times the England and Wales average. It is about the same as 5 years ago. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Accrington: about 30,074 residents in 26 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 7.9/10Good
- 5-year change
- +1%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.3×the Hyndburn average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Accrington.
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Accrington, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.3× the Hyndburn average (1.6× the England and Wales average). 126 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 64% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
- Robbery: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 64% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 60 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Hyndburn (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Hyndburn council area, not only Accrington. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 218 | 2.5 | Up 22% |
| Cars broken into | 342 | 4.0 | Up 31% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 525 | 6.1 | Down 21% |
| Burglary of homes | 191 | 2.2 | Up 16% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in BB5
In BB5, the postcode district at the centre of Accrington, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 3,088 | 7% | 13% | 64% | 11% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 664 | 5% | 7% | 33% | 51% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 504 | 26% | 3% | 15% | 46% | 10% |
| Other theft | 459 | 1% | 3% | 32% | 57% | 7% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 416 | 5% | 1% | 13% | 78% | 3% |
| Public order | 412 | 10% | 10% | 48% | 24% | 8% |
| Burglary | 350 | 11% | 1% | 14% | 67% | 8% |
| Other crime | 201 | 8% | 5% | 64% | 11% | 11% |
| Drugs | 181 | 16% | 54% | 9% | 1% | 20% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 85 | 18% | 12% | 44% | 6% | 21% |
| Robbery | 65 | 8% | 0% | 32% | 43% | 17% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 7% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 1.1 |
| Burglary | 8.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 52.9 |
| Drugs | 2.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.1 |
| Other crime | 2.5 |
| Other theft | 11.2 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.0 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 7.5 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 14.2 |
| Public order | 10.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.5 |
| Shoplifting | 12.2 |
Postcode districts in Accrington
Nearby towns
Council: Hyndburn
Questions about crime in Accrington
- Is Accrington a safe place to live?
- Accrington scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.3 times the Hyndburn average.
- Is crime going up or down in Accrington?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 3,901 recorded crimes a year then, 3,938 now.
- What is the most common crime in Accrington?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 53 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Accrington compare with Hyndburn?
- Crime severity in Accrington is 1.3 times the Hyndburn average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Accrington?
- In BB5, the postcode district at the centre of Accrington, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 30% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Accrington?
- Of 350 burglaries reported in BB5, the postcode district at the centre of Accrington between September 2024 and August 2025, 11% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 67% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Accrington?
- In Hyndburn, the council area Accrington is in, the police recorded 218 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.5 per 1,000 residents, up 22% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Accrington?
- 525 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Hyndburn, the council area Accrington is in, 6.1 per 1,000 residents, 1.3 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Accrington last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Hyndburn, the council area Accrington is in, against 1 the year before.