Crime in Wakefield
Recorded crime in Wakefield is 1.4 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 18%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
367,666 residents in 215 neighbourhoods. 1% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.8/10Good
- 5-year change
- −18%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 18% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Wakefield, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.4× the England and Wales average. 109 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 68% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 68% 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: 17 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 | 0.9 |
| Burglary | 5.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 47.4 |
| Drugs | 2.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.8 |
| Other crime | 3.0 |
| Other theft | 8.5 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.8 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 10.7 |
| Public order | 12.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.7 |
| Shoplifting | 9.1 |
What crimes are recorded in Wakefield
105.8 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Wakefield in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 39,640. Home Office recorded crime: 38,901 (2% 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 | 843 | 2.3 | About the same |
| Cars broken into | 1,034 | 2.8 | Down 5% |
| Vehicle tampering | 445 | 1.2 | Down 4% |
| Vandalism to homes | 985 | 2.7 | Down 9% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 261 | 0.71 | Down 20% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 879 | 2.4 | Down 4% |
| Arson | 168 | 0.46 | Down 9% |
| Burglary of homes | 851 | 2.3 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of businesses | 408 | 1.1 | Down 28% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 8 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 118 | 0.32 | About the same |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 215 | 0.58 | Up 17% |
| Robbery of people | 255 | 0.69 | Down 13% |
| Robbery of businesses | 155 | 0.42 | Up 142% |
| Violence with injury | 3,715 | 10.1 | Down 6% |
| Violence without injury | 6,475 | 17.6 | Down 2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 7,315 | 19.9 | About the same |
| Sexual offences | 1,615 | 4.4 | Up 4% |
| Shoplifting | 3,115 | 8.5 | Down 18% |
| Bicycle theft | 166 | 0.45 | Down 19% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 206 | 0.56 | Down 28% |
| Drug dealing | 297 | 0.81 | Up 15% |
| Drug possession | 930 | 2.5 | About the same |
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.
West Yorkshire Police area: 2,004 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (2,276 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Wakefield.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Wakefield, 9% 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) | 19,936 | 6% | 6% | 67% | 16% | 5% |
| Public order | 3,940 | 12% | 3% | 47% | 34% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 3,449 | 30% | 3% | 14% | 51% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 3,170 | 6% | 3% | 34% | 54% | 3% |
| Other theft | 2,997 | 3% | 1% | 27% | 66% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2,323 | 6% | 0% | 11% | 80% | 3% |
| Burglary | 1,683 | 11% | 1% | 17% | 69% | 3% |
| Other crime | 1,401 | 11% | 5% | 53% | 17% | 14% |
| Drugs | 1,250 | 16% | 48% | 13% | 3% | 19% |
| Robbery | 374 | 18% | 1% | 37% | 43% | 2% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 361 | 28% | 8% | 30% | 7% | 27% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 267 | 2% | 1% | 35% | 60% | 3% |
| Bicycle theft | 212 | 6% | 0% | 19% | 70% | 5% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 5% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Wakefield
Postcode districts in Wakefield
Monthly report: Wakefield crime falls 8% in August 2026
Questions about crime in Wakefield
- Is Wakefield a safe place to live?
- Wakefield scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Wakefield?
- Down 18% over 5 years, from 46,762 recorded crimes a year to 38,183.
- What is the most common crime in Wakefield?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 47 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Wakefield?
- In Wakefield, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 33% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Wakefield?
- Of 1,683 burglaries reported in Wakefield between September 2024 and August 2025, 11% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 69% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Wakefield?
- In Wakefield, the police recorded 843 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.3 per 1,000 residents, about the same as the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Wakefield?
- 2,125 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Wakefield in 2025/26, 5.8 per 1,000 residents, 1.2 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Wakefield last year?
- 8 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Wakefield in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.