Crime in Pontefract
Recorded crime in Pontefract is 1.1 times the Wakefield average and 1.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 25%. 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 Pontefract: about 24,602 residents in 19 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 7.7/10Good
- 5-year change
- −25%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.1×the Wakefield average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Pontefract.
Crime over 5 years
Down 25% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Pontefract, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the Wakefield average (1.5× the England and Wales average). 123 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 71% of the harm here
- Burglary: 11% of the harm here
- Robbery: 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: 21 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Wakefield (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Wakefield council area, not only Pontefract. 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% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 2,125 | 5.8 | Down 9% |
| Burglary of homes | 851 | 2.3 | Down 2% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 8 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in WF8
In WF8, the postcode district at the centre of Pontefract, 7% 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) | 2,001 | 4% | 5% | 70% | 17% | 5% |
| Public order | 354 | 6% | 3% | 50% | 38% | 3% |
| Shoplifting | 341 | 23% | 4% | 12% | 60% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 332 | 4% | 3% | 35% | 55% | 4% |
| Other theft | 197 | 2% | 1% | 32% | 62% | 3% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 177 | 6% | 0% | 13% | 79% | 2% |
| Burglary | 140 | 14% | 1% | 15% | 69% | 1% |
| Other crime | 127 | 8% | 2% | 65% | 15% | 10% |
| Drugs | 99 | 11% | 67% | 8% | 2% | 12% |
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.
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 | 5.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 54.5 |
| Drugs | 2.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.8 |
| Other crime | 3.1 |
| Other theft | 7.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 12.7 |
| Public order | 14.2 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 |
| Shoplifting | 13.3 |
Postcode districts in Pontefract
Nearby towns
Council: Wakefield
Monthly report: Wakefield crime falls 8% over the year to August 2026
Questions about crime in Pontefract
- Is Pontefract a safe place to live?
- Pontefract scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.1 times the Wakefield average.
- Is crime going up or down in Pontefract?
- Down 25% over 5 years, from 3,868 recorded crimes a year to 2,898.
- What is the most common crime in Pontefract?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 54 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Pontefract compare with Wakefield?
- Crime severity in Pontefract is 1.1 times the Wakefield average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Pontefract?
- In WF8, the postcode district at the centre of Pontefract, 7% 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 Pontefract?
- Of 140 burglaries reported in WF8, the postcode district at the centre of Pontefract between September 2024 and August 2025, 14% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 69% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Pontefract?
- In Wakefield, the council area Pontefract is in, 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 Pontefract?
- 2,125 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Wakefield, the council area Pontefract is in, 5.8 per 1,000 residents, 1.2 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Pontefract last year?
- 8 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Wakefield, the council area Pontefract is in, against 1 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.