Crime in Lancaster
Recorded crime in Lancaster is about the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 5%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
145,006 residents in 88 neighbourhoods. 1% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.9/10Good
- 5-year change
- −5%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 5% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Lancaster, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the England and Wales average. 76 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 64% of the harm here
- Burglary: 18% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% 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: 37 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
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 | 0.5 |
| Burglary | 5.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 32.4 |
| Drugs | 1.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.7 |
| Other crime | 1.9 |
| Other theft | 6.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.6 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 10.3 |
| Public order | 5.0 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.3 |
| Shoplifting | 5.0 |
What crimes are recorded in Lancaster
72.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Lancaster in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 10,519. Home Office recorded crime: 10,570 (0% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. 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 | 216 | 1.5 | Up 4% |
| Cars broken into | 143 | 0.99 | Down 44% |
| Vehicle tampering | 90 | 0.62 | Down 20% |
| Vandalism to homes | 398 | 2.7 | Up 5% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 149 | 1.0 | Down 16% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 366 | 2.5 | Down 10% |
| Arson | 65 | 0.45 | Down 4% |
| Burglary of homes | 298 | 2.1 | About the same |
| Burglary of businesses | 261 | 1.8 | Down 3% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 93 | 0.64 | Up 43% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 41 | 0.28 | Up 3% |
| Robbery of people | 56 | 0.39 | Down 16% |
| Robbery of businesses | 31 | 0.21 | Up 7% |
| Violence with injury | 1,331 | 9.2 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 1,711 | 11.8 | Down 3% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,276 | 8.8 | Up 3% |
| Sexual offences | 464 | 3.2 | Up 3% |
| Shoplifting | 757 | 5.2 | Down 2% |
| Bicycle theft | 170 | 1.2 | Down 6% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 45 | 0.31 | Down 15% |
| Drug dealing | 67 | 0.46 | Down 17% |
| Drug possession | 347 | 2.4 | Up 36% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Lancashire Police area: 1,124 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,305 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Lancaster.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Lancaster, 10% 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) | 4,908 | 8% | 12% | 63% | 10% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,372 | 5% | 7% | 25% | 57% | 5% |
| Other theft | 810 | 3% | 3% | 26% | 61% | 7% |
| Burglary | 794 | 8% | 1% | 14% | 69% | 8% |
| Shoplifting | 785 | 28% | 3% | 16% | 40% | 11% |
| Public order | 699 | 14% | 12% | 43% | 19% | 12% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 504 | 2% | 1% | 11% | 80% | 5% |
| Drugs | 373 | 18% | 51% | 9% | 2% | 20% |
| Other crime | 344 | 10% | 10% | 53% | 14% | 13% |
| Bicycle theft | 156 | 2% | 1% | 14% | 74% | 9% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 136 | 32% | 11% | 36% | 10% | 12% |
| Robbery | 72 | 25% | 3% | 40% | 22% | 10% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 58 | 0% | 0% | 41% | 47% | 12% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Lancaster
Postcode districts in Lancaster
Questions about crime in Lancaster
- Is Lancaster a safe place to live?
- Lancaster scores 4 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Lancaster?
- Down 5% over 5 years, from 11,678 recorded crimes a year to 11,098.
- What is the most common crime in Lancaster?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 32 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Lancaster?
- In Lancaster, 10% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 31% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Lancaster?
- Of 794 burglaries reported in Lancaster between September 2024 and August 2025, 8% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 69% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Lancaster?
- In Lancaster, the police recorded 216 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.5 per 1,000 residents, up 4% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Lancaster?
- 913 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Lancaster in 2025/26, 6.3 per 1,000 residents, 1.3 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Lancaster last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Lancaster in 2025/26, against 0 the year before.