Crime in Formby
Recorded crime in Formby is 0.5 times the Sefton average and 0.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 20%. 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 Formby: about 19,112 residents in 18 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.8/10Good
- 5-year change
- −20%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 0.5×the Sefton average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Formby.
Crime over 5 years
Down 20% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Formby, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.5× the Sefton average (0.5× the England and Wales average). 44 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 60% of the harm here
- Burglary: 18% of the harm here
- Drugs: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 60% 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.
Crimes recorded in Sefton (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Sefton council area, not only Formby. 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 | 246 | 0.86 | Down 18% |
| Cars broken into | 340 | 1.2 | Down 28% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,444 | 5.0 | Up 3% |
| Burglary of homes | 318 | 1.1 | Down 29% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in L37
In L37, the postcode district at the centre of Formby, 8% 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) | 460 | 5% | 2% | 78% | 13% | 2% |
| Public order | 99 | 7% | 2% | 58% | 31% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 97 | 6% | 1% | 30% | 62% | 1% |
| Shoplifting | 92 | 21% | 2% | 13% | 64% | 0% |
| Other theft | 75 | 1% | 1% | 24% | 73% | 0% |
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.
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 | 0.3 |
| Burglary | 3.3 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 16.9 |
| Drugs | 2.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.2 |
| Other crime | 1.1 |
| Other theft | 3.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.4 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 4.6 |
| Public order | 4.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.0 |
| Shoplifting | 3.6 |
Postcode districts in Formby
Nearby towns
Council: Sefton
Questions about crime in Formby
- Is Formby a safe place to live?
- Formby scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.5 times the Sefton average.
- Is crime going up or down in Formby?
- Down 20% over 5 years, from 1,066 recorded crimes a year to 854.
- What is the most common crime in Formby?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 17 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Formby compare with Sefton?
- Crime severity in Formby is 0.5 times the Sefton average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Formby?
- In L37, the postcode district at the centre of Formby, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 35% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Formby?
- In Sefton, the council area Formby is in, the police recorded 246 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.9 per 1,000 residents, down 18% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Formby?
- 1,444 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Sefton, the council area Formby is in, 5.0 per 1,000 residents, about the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Formby last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Sefton, the council area Formby is in, against 3 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.