Crime in Skelmersdale
Recorded crime in Skelmersdale is 1.7 times the West Lancashire average and 1.1 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.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Skelmersdale: about 20,305 residents in 22 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Living
- 6.6/10Good
- 5-year change
- +1%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.7×the West Lancashire average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Skelmersdale.
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Skelmersdale, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.7× the West Lancashire average (1.1× the England and Wales average). 78 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 69% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Robbery: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 69% 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: 38 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in West Lancashire (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole West Lancashire council area, not only Skelmersdale. 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 | 152 | 1.2 | Up 13% |
| Cars broken into | 77 | 0.63 | Down 25% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 453 | 3.7 | Up 13% |
| Burglary of homes | 157 | 1.3 | Down 13% |
| 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 WN8
In WN8, the postcode district at the centre of Skelmersdale, 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) | 1,562 | 7% | 13% | 64% | 9% | 7% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 354 | 1% | 10% | 31% | 50% | 7% |
| Other theft | 228 | 1% | 4% | 37% | 53% | 4% |
| Public order | 195 | 12% | 14% | 50% | 15% | 8% |
| Burglary | 190 | 5% | 0% | 13% | 75% | 6% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 183 | 7% | 2% | 13% | 77% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 178 | 34% | 7% | 16% | 29% | 13% |
| Drugs | 127 | 19% | 46% | 11% | 1% | 24% |
| Other crime | 113 | 6% | 13% | 48% | 15% | 18% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 62 | 18% | 23% | 29% | 16% | 15% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
West Lancashire, 2023 to 2025: 171 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 58 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 12 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.4 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 34% 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 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 4.5 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 37.8 |
| Drugs | 2.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.1 |
| Other crime | 2.0 |
| Other theft | 5.8 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 10.7 |
| Public order | 4.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.7 |
| Shoplifting | 3.4 |
Postcode districts in Skelmersdale
Nearby towns
Council: West Lancashire
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Skelmersdale.
Questions about crime in Skelmersdale
- Is Skelmersdale a safe place to live?
- Skelmersdale scores 3 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.7 times the West Lancashire average.
- Is crime going up or down in Skelmersdale?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 1,643 recorded crimes a year then, 1,667 now.
- What is the most common crime in Skelmersdale?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 38 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Skelmersdale compare with West Lancashire?
- Crime severity in Skelmersdale is 1.7 times the West Lancashire average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Skelmersdale?
- In WN8, the postcode district at the centre of Skelmersdale, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 26% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Skelmersdale?
- Of 190 burglaries reported in WN8, the postcode district at the centre of Skelmersdale between September 2024 and August 2025, 5% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 75% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Skelmersdale?
- In West Lancashire, the council area Skelmersdale is in, the police recorded 152 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.2 per 1,000 residents, up 13% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Skelmersdale?
- 453 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in West Lancashire, the council area Skelmersdale is in, 3.7 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Skelmersdale last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in West Lancashire, the council area Skelmersdale is in, against 1 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.