Crime in Tow Law
Recorded crime in Tow Law is 1.1 times the County Durham average and 1.2 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 62%. 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 Tow Law: about 1,846 residents in 4 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Living
- 4.0/10Weak
- 5-year change
- +62%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.1×the County Durham average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Tow Law.
Crime over 5 years
Up 62% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Tow Law, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the County Durham average (1.2× the England and Wales average). 90 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 74% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Other theft: 3% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 74% 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: 19 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in County Durham (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole County Durham council area, not only Tow Law. 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 | 974 | 1.8 | Up 6% |
| Cars broken into | 547 | 1.0 | Down 28% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 5,276 | 9.8 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of homes | 1,267 | 2.4 | Down 8% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 7 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in DL13
In DL13, the postcode district at the centre of Tow Law, 5% 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) | 279 | 6% | 5% | 75% | 10% | 4% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 82 | 1% | 6% | 30% | 59% | 4% |
| Burglary | 52 | 2% | 0% | 12% | 87% | 0% |
| Other theft | 50 | 8% | 2% | 18% | 68% | 4% |
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
County Durham, 2023 to 2025: 452 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 179 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 59 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
0.8 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 40% 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 | 5.2 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 45.5 |
| Drugs | 1.3 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.4 |
| Other crime | 3.3 |
| Other theft | 5.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.1 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 13.0 |
| Public order | 7.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 3.0 |
Postcode districts in Tow Law
Nearby towns
Council: County Durham
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Tow Law.
Questions about crime in Tow Law
- Is Tow Law a safe place to live?
- Tow Law scores 3 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.1 times the County Durham average.
- Is crime going up or down in Tow Law?
- Up 62% over 5 years, from 130 recorded crimes a year to 210.
- What is the most common crime in Tow Law?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 45 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Tow Law compare with County Durham?
- Crime severity in Tow Law is 1.1 times the County Durham average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Tow Law?
- In DL13, the postcode district at the centre of Tow Law, 5% 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 burglaries are solved in Tow Law?
- Of 52 burglaries reported in DL13, the postcode district at the centre of Tow Law between September 2024 and August 2025, 2% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 87% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Tow Law?
- In County Durham, the council area Tow Law is in, the police recorded 974 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.8 per 1,000 residents, up 6% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Tow Law?
- 5,276 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in County Durham, the council area Tow Law is in, 9.8 per 1,000 residents, 2.0 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Tow Law last year?
- 7 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in County Durham, the council area Tow Law is in, against 1 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.