Crime in Westmorland and Furness
Recorded crime in Westmorland and Furness is 0.8 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.
230,185 residents in 142 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 4.8/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −1%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes in Westmorland and Furness, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.8× the England and Wales average. 61 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 71% of the harm here
- Burglary: 12% of the harm here
- Drugs: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 71% 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: 12 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 | 0.2 |
| Burglary | 3.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 28.8 |
| Drugs | 2.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.7 |
| Other crime | 1.4 |
| Other theft | 5.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.6 |
| Public order | 6.0 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 3.6 |
What crimes are recorded in Westmorland and Furness
65.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in the Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland partnership area in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 15,351. Home Office recorded crime: 15,178 (1% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership. Figures for the Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland community safety partnerships, which together cover Westmorland and Furness.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 104 | 0.45 | Down 17% |
| Cars broken into | 115 | 0.50 | Down 28% |
| Vehicle tampering | 58 | 0.25 | Down 2% |
| Vandalism to homes | 314 | 1.4 | Down 15% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 238 | 1.0 | Down 7% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 398 | 1.7 | Down 5% |
| Arson | 67 | 0.29 | Up 8% |
| Burglary of homes | 215 | 0.93 | Up 26% |
| Burglary of businesses | 205 | 0.89 | Up 3% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 106 | 0.46 | Down 20% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 142 | 0.62 | Up 45% |
| Robbery of people | 52 | 0.23 | Up 8% |
| Robbery of businesses | 10 | 0.04 | - |
| Violence with injury | 1,861 | 8.1 | Down 5% |
| Violence without injury | 2,840 | 12.3 | About the same |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,033 | 8.8 | Up 4% |
| Sexual offences | 816 | 3.5 | Up 19% |
| Shoplifting | 1,021 | 4.4 | Up 10% |
| Bicycle theft | 107 | 0.46 | Up 24% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 77 | 0.33 | Up 71% |
| Drug dealing | 145 | 0.63 | Up 8% |
| Drug possession | 633 | 2.7 | Down 14% |
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.
Cumbria Police area: 178 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (155 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Westmorland and Furness.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Westmorland and Furness, 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) | 7,653 | 8% | 5% | 59% | 11% | 17% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,623 | 6% | 4% | 32% | 45% | 13% |
| Public order | 1,541 | 10% | 4% | 51% | 21% | 15% |
| Other theft | 1,067 | 3% | 3% | 28% | 51% | 16% |
| Shoplifting | 1,002 | 21% | 3% | 16% | 43% | 17% |
| Drugs | 841 | 24% | 46% | 12% | 7% | 12% |
| Other crime | 532 | 14% | 5% | 49% | 14% | 20% |
| Burglary | 479 | 5% | 2% | 21% | 52% | 20% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 300 | 4% | 2% | 21% | 58% | 15% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 248 | 29% | 6% | 42% | 6% | 17% |
| Bicycle theft | 103 | 2% | 0% | 19% | 58% | 20% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 85 | 1% | 1% | 25% | 60% | 13% |
| Robbery | 53 | 15% | 4% | 42% | 21% | 19% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 16% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Westmorland and Furness
Postcode districts in Westmorland and Furness
Questions about crime in Westmorland and Furness
- Is Westmorland and Furness a safe place to live?
- Westmorland and Furness scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Westmorland and Furness?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 15,825 recorded crimes a year then, 15,716 now.
- What is the most common crime in Westmorland and Furness?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 29 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Westmorland and Furness?
- In Westmorland and Furness, 10% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 23% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Westmorland and Furness?
- Of 479 burglaries reported in Westmorland and Furness between September 2024 and August 2025, 5% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 52% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Westmorland and Furness?
- In the Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland community safety partnerships (Westmorland and Furness), the police recorded 104 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.5 per 1,000 residents, down 17% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Westmorland and Furness?
- 950 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in the Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland community safety partnerships (Westmorland and Furness) in 2025/26, 4.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Westmorland and Furness last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in the Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland community safety partnerships (Westmorland and Furness) in 2025/26, against 5 the year before.