Crime in Harleston
Recorded crime in Harleston is 1.1 times the South Norfolk average and 0.6 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 27%. 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 Harleston: about 5,038 residents in 6 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 2.7/10Weak
- 5-year change
- −27%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.1×the South Norfolk average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Harleston.
Crime over 5 years
Down 27% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Harleston, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the South Norfolk average (0.6× the England and Wales average). 43 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 78% of the harm here
- Burglary: 8% of the harm here
- Other theft: 3% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 78% 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: 10 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in South Norfolk (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole South Norfolk council area, not only Harleston. 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 | 85 | 0.57 | Up 4% |
| Cars broken into | 58 | 0.39 | Down 15% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 412 | 2.8 | Down 10% |
| Burglary of homes | 102 | 0.69 | Up 28% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in IP20
In IP20, the postcode district at the centre of Harleston, 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) | 147 | 11% | 11% | 71% | 4% | 3% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
South Norfolk, 2023 to 2025: 266 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 81 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 19 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.8 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 30% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
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 | 1.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 22.9 |
| Drugs | 0.8 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.2 |
| Other crime | 1.6 |
| Other theft | 2.8 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.4 |
| Public order | 4.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.1 |
| Shoplifting | 1.3 |
Postcode districts in Harleston
Nearby towns
Council: South Norfolk
Questions about crime in Harleston
- Is Harleston a safe place to live?
- Harleston scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.1 times the South Norfolk average.
- Is crime going up or down in Harleston?
- Down 27% over 5 years, from 299 recorded crimes a year to 218.
- What is the most common crime in Harleston?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 23 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Harleston compare with South Norfolk?
- Crime severity in Harleston is 1.1 times the South Norfolk average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Harleston?
- In IP20, the postcode district at the centre of Harleston, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 21% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Harleston?
- In South Norfolk, the council area Harleston is in, the police recorded 85 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, up 4% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Harleston?
- 412 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in South Norfolk, the council area Harleston is in, 2.8 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Harleston last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in South Norfolk, the council area Harleston is in, against 0 the year before.