Crime in Whitworth
Recorded crime in Whitworth is 0.9 times the Rossendale average and 0.8 times the England and Wales average. 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 Whitworth: about 5,891 residents in 6 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Living
- 6.4/10Fair
- vs the council
- 0.9×the Rossendale average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Whitworth.
Crime over 5 years
Not enough police data here for a 5-year trend.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.9× the Rossendale average (0.8× the England and Wales average). 61 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 68% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
- Robbery: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 68% 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: 33 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Rossendale (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Rossendale council area, not only Whitworth. 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 | 141 | 1.9 | About the same |
| Cars broken into | 80 | 1.1 | About the same |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 374 | 5.1 | Down 15% |
| Burglary of homes | 154 | 2.1 | Up 29% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in OL12
In OL12, the postcode district at the centre of Whitworth, 4% 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) | 262 | 5% | 17% | 67% | 6% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 52 | 0% | 17% | 21% | 52% | 10% |
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.
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 | 4.2 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 28.9 |
| Drugs | 1.2 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.4 |
| Other crime | 1.5 |
| Other theft | 3.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.1 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 8.9 |
| Public order | 3.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.2 |
| Shoplifting | 2.4 |
Postcode districts in Whitworth
Nearby towns
Council: Rossendale
Questions about crime in Whitworth
- Is Whitworth a safe place to live?
- Whitworth scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.9 times the Rossendale average.
- What is the most common crime in Whitworth?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 29 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Whitworth compare with Rossendale?
- Crime severity in Whitworth is 0.9 times the Rossendale average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Whitworth?
- In OL12, the postcode district at the centre of Whitworth, 4% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 25% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Whitworth?
- In Rossendale, the council area Whitworth is in, the police recorded 141 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.9 per 1,000 residents, about the same as the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Whitworth?
- 374 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Rossendale, the council area Whitworth is in, 5.1 per 1,000 residents, 1.1 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Whitworth last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in 2025/26, in Rossendale, the council area Whitworth is in, against 1 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.