Crime in Whickham
Recorded crime in Whickham is 0.8 times the Gateshead average and 0.9 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 23%. 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 Whickham: about 14,193 residents in 17 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Living
- 8.1/10Good
- 5-year change
- −23%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 0.8×the Gateshead average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Whickham.
Crime over 5 years
Down 23% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Whickham, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.8× the Gateshead average (0.9× the England and Wales average). 99 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 61% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Other theft: 7% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 61% 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: 23 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Gateshead (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Gateshead council area, not only Whickham. 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 | 300 | 1.5 | Up 3% |
| Cars broken into | 465 | 2.3 | Down 11% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,571 | 7.7 | Down 9% |
| Burglary of homes | 477 | 2.4 | Down 9% |
| 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 NE16
In NE16, the postcode district at the centre of Whickham, 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) | 585 | 5% | 2% | 10% | 30% | 53% |
| Shoplifting | 356 | 15% | 6% | 0% | 45% | 34% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 172 | 2% | 3% | 2% | 73% | 20% |
| Public order | 155 | 10% | 1% | 3% | 41% | 45% |
| Other theft | 118 | 3% | 1% | 3% | 70% | 23% |
| Burglary | 65 | 15% | 0% | 0% | 72% | 12% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 62 | 2% | 2% | 2% | 77% | 18% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 38% 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 | 0.5 |
| Burglary | 3.7 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 27.2 |
| Drugs | 1.6 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 2.4 |
| Other theft | 9.6 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.0 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.3 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 9.7 |
| Public order | 9.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 28.5 |
Postcode districts in Whickham
Nearby towns
Council: Gateshead
Questions about crime in Whickham
- Is Whickham a safe place to live?
- Whickham scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.8 times the Gateshead average.
- Is crime going up or down in Whickham?
- Down 23% over 5 years, from 1,546 recorded crimes a year to 1,195.
- What is the most common crime in Whickham?
- The most common recorded crime is shoplifting, about 28 per 1,000 residents a year. The most harm, weighted by how serious each crime is, comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences).
- How does crime in Whickham compare with Gateshead?
- Crime severity in Whickham is 0.8 times the Gateshead average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Whickham?
- In NE16, the postcode district at the centre of Whickham, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 46% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Whickham?
- Of 65 burglaries reported in NE16, the postcode district at the centre of Whickham between September 2024 and August 2025, 15% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 72% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Whickham?
- In Gateshead, the council area Whickham is in, the police recorded 300 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.5 per 1,000 residents, up 3% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Whickham?
- 1,571 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Gateshead, the council area Whickham is in, 7.7 per 1,000 residents, 1.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Whickham last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Gateshead, the council area Whickham is in, against 5 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.