Crime in Middlesbrough
Recorded crime in Middlesbrough is 1.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 10%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
156,161 residents in 90 neighbourhoods. 2% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 7.5/10Good
- 5-year change
- −10%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 10% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Middlesbrough, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.8× the England and Wales average. 149 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 59% of the harm here
- Burglary: 16% of the harm here
- Robbery: 8% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 52 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 | 2.2 |
| Burglary | 9.7 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 56.1 |
| Drugs | 5.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.3 |
| Other crime | 4.0 |
| Other theft | 10.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 8.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 20.7 |
| Public order | 13.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.8 |
| Shoplifting | 13.6 |
What crimes are recorded in Middlesbrough
149.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Middlesbrough in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 23,527. Home Office recorded crime: 23,409 (1% 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 | 311 | 2.0 | About the same |
| Cars broken into | 572 | 3.7 | Down 28% |
| Vehicle tampering | 324 | 2.1 | Down 7% |
| Vandalism to homes | 1,298 | 8.3 | Up 3% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 264 | 1.7 | Down 2% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 982 | 6.3 | About the same |
| Arson | 147 | 0.94 | Down 3% |
| Burglary of homes | 625 | 4.0 | Down 17% |
| Burglary of businesses | 253 | 1.6 | Down 10% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 160 | 1.0 | Up 5% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 113 | 0.72 | Up 14% |
| Robbery of people | 381 | 2.4 | Up 6% |
| Robbery of businesses | 192 | 1.2 | Up 562% |
| Violence with injury | 2,323 | 14.9 | Up 3% |
| Violence without injury | 3,555 | 22.8 | Down 2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,451 | 15.7 | Down 2% |
| Sexual offences | 855 | 5.5 | About the same |
| Shoplifting | 2,469 | 15.8 | Up 23% |
| Bicycle theft | 187 | 1.2 | Up 5% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 108 | 0.69 | Down 21% |
| Drug dealing | 360 | 2.3 | Down 17% |
| Drug possession | 759 | 4.9 | Up 9% |
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.
Cleveland Police area: 944 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (893 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Middlesbrough.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Middlesbrough, 13% 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) | 9,076 | 10% | 3% | 68% | 17% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 2,879 | 6% | 1% | 24% | 69% | 0% |
| Shoplifting | 2,136 | 32% | 0% | 18% | 49% | 0% |
| Public order | 1,995 | 15% | 1% | 52% | 32% | 1% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1,286 | 6% | 0% | 12% | 81% | 0% |
| Other theft | 1,252 | 2% | 1% | 32% | 63% | 1% |
| Burglary | 1,179 | 10% | 0% | 18% | 70% | 1% |
| Drugs | 1,102 | 42% | 13% | 23% | 18% | 4% |
| Other crime | 828 | 12% | 1% | 61% | 19% | 7% |
| Robbery | 455 | 15% | 0% | 44% | 41% | 1% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 240 | 54% | 5% | 33% | 7% | 2% |
| Bicycle theft | 187 | 2% | 1% | 19% | 78% | 1% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 126 | 3% | 0% | 27% | 68% | 2% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 2% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Middlesbrough
Postcode districts in Middlesbrough
Questions about crime in Middlesbrough
- Is Middlesbrough a safe place to live?
- Middlesbrough scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Middlesbrough?
- Down 10% over 5 years, from 27,593 recorded crimes a year to 24,720.
- What is the most common crime in Middlesbrough?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 56 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Middlesbrough?
- In Middlesbrough, 13% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 38% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Middlesbrough?
- Of 1,179 burglaries reported in Middlesbrough between September 2024 and August 2025, 10% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 70% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Middlesbrough?
- In Middlesbrough, the police recorded 311 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.0 per 1,000 residents, about the same as the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Middlesbrough?
- 2,544 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Middlesbrough in 2025/26, 16.3 per 1,000 residents, 3.4 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Middlesbrough last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Middlesbrough in 2025/26, against 2 the year before.