Crime in Rotherham
Recorded crime in Rotherham is 2.1 times the Rotherham council average and 2.3 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 16%. 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 Rotherham: about 20,790 residents in 22 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Living
- 8.6/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- +16%more crimes
- vs the council
- 2.1×the Rotherham council average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Rotherham.
Crime over 5 years
Up 16% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Rotherham, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 2.1× the Rotherham council average (2.3× the England and Wales average). 185 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 57% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
- Robbery: 10% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 46 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Rotherham (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Rotherham council area, not only the town of Rotherham. 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 | 959 | 3.5 | Down 7% |
| Cars broken into | 487 | 1.8 | About the same |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,527 | 5.5 | Down 4% |
| Burglary of homes | 752 | 2.7 | Down 22% |
| 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 S65
In S65, the postcode district at the centre of Rotherham, 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) | 1,909 | 8% | 4% | 66% | 17% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 410 | 4% | 2% | 32% | 60% | 1% |
| Public order | 395 | 9% | 4% | 52% | 33% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 340 | 25% | 1% | 12% | 61% | 0% |
| Other theft | 316 | 3% | 1% | 36% | 58% | 2% |
| Burglary | 235 | 7% | 0% | 18% | 73% | 2% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 230 | 2% | 1% | 13% | 83% | 1% |
| Drugs | 177 | 19% | 32% | 16% | 24% | 8% |
| Other crime | 162 | 6% | 4% | 63% | 15% | 12% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 73 | 16% | 8% | 52% | 21% | 3% |
| Robbery | 64 | 16% | 2% | 39% | 41% | 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.
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 | 3.4 |
| Burglary | 13.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 68.4 |
| Drugs | 5.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 2.7 |
| Other crime | 5.4 |
| Other theft | 16.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 9.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 16.4 |
| Public order | 22.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.3 |
| Shoplifting | 18.3 |
Postcode districts in Rotherham
Nearby towns
Council: Rotherham
Questions about crime in Rotherham
- Is Rotherham a safe place to live?
- Rotherham scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 2.1 times the Rotherham council average.
- Is crime going up or down in Rotherham?
- Up 16% over 5 years, from 3,804 recorded crimes a year to 4,396.
- What is the most common crime in Rotherham?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 68 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Rotherham compare with Rotherham council?
- Crime severity in Rotherham is 2.1 times the Rotherham council average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Rotherham?
- In S65, the postcode district at the centre of Rotherham, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 37% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Rotherham?
- Of 235 burglaries reported in S65, the postcode district at the centre of Rotherham between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 73% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Rotherham?
- In the Rotherham council area, the police recorded 959 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 3.5 per 1,000 residents, down 7% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Rotherham?
- 1,527 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Rotherham council area, 5.5 per 1,000 residents, 1.1 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Rotherham last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Rotherham council area, against 3 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.