Crime in Boston
Recorded crime in Boston is 1.5 times the Boston council average and 1.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 2%. 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 Boston: about 25,697 residents in 21 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 8.1/10Good
- 5-year change
- −2%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.5×the Boston council average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Boston.
Crime over 5 years
Down 2% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Boston, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.5× the Boston council average (1.5× the England and Wales average). 128 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 65% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Drugs: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 65% 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: 38 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Boston (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Boston council area, not only the town of Boston. 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 | 68 | 0.96 | About the same |
| Cars broken into | 116 | 1.6 | Up 27% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 367 | 5.2 | Up 7% |
| Burglary of homes | 182 | 2.6 | Up 60% |
| 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 PE21
In PE21, the postcode district at the centre of Boston, 14% 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) | 2,253 | 7% | 4% | 73% | 13% | 3% |
| Shoplifting | 899 | 37% | 3% | 22% | 38% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 512 | 6% | 3% | 32% | 57% | 2% |
| Public order | 323 | 26% | 2% | 45% | 24% | 3% |
| Other theft | 310 | 2% | 1% | 32% | 64% | 1% |
| Burglary | 196 | 14% | 1% | 27% | 57% | 2% |
| Drugs | 179 | 30% | 21% | 25% | 16% | 8% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 160 | 7% | 0% | 19% | 73% | 2% |
| Bicycle theft | 150 | 5% | 0% | 9% | 84% | 2% |
| Other crime | 137 | 7% | 7% | 58% | 15% | 13% |
| Robbery | 58 | 10% | 0% | 45% | 43% | 2% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 3% 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 | 1.3 |
| Burglary | 6.2 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 50.4 |
| Drugs | 6.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.6 |
| Other crime | 2.9 |
| Other theft | 8.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.9 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 12.6 |
| Public order | 8.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 4.6 |
| Shoplifting | 20.6 |
Postcode districts in Boston
Nearby towns
Council: Boston
Questions about crime in Boston
- Is Boston a safe place to live?
- Boston scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.5 times the Boston council average.
- Is crime going up or down in Boston?
- Down 2% over 5 years, from 3,463 recorded crimes a year to 3,391.
- What is the most common crime in Boston?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 50 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Boston compare with Boston council?
- Crime severity in Boston is 1.5 times the Boston council average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Boston?
- In PE21, the postcode district at the centre of Boston, 14% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 32% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Boston?
- Of 196 burglaries reported in PE21, the postcode district at the centre of Boston between September 2024 and August 2025, 14% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 57% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Boston?
- In the Boston council area, the police recorded 68 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.0 per 1,000 residents, about the same as the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Boston?
- 367 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Boston council area, 5.2 per 1,000 residents, 1.1 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Boston last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Boston council area, against 1 the year before.