Lancashire crime statistics are derived from an annual Home Office publication "Crime in England and Wales" that combines the reporting of police recorded crime and the British Crime Survey (BCS) results. Definitions and perceptions of crime change all the time as does people's willingness to tell the police about it. The above two sources provide a complementary series that together are held to provide a better picture of crime than could be obtained from either source alone.

The release of the 2008/09 crime statistics by the Home Office was accompanied by a report Crime in England and Wales 2008/09 that provides a wealth of crime data with information on and interpretation of the national crime situation. A few selected key points are given below:



Crime has continued to fall in Lancashire and is below the national and regional averages. According to police recorded crime records there were nearly 117,575 criminal offences in Lancashire in 2008/09, some 6,000 or 5% fewer than in the previous year (Table 1). This was the fourth year in a row that overall crime in Lancashire has reduced and it is down by 23% compared to 2004/2005.
The 2008/09 total represented 18.8% of the North West recorded number or 2.5% of all recorded crimes in England and Wales. The Lancashire rate was equivalent to a rate of 81 offences per 1,000 resident population (down from 94 per thousand in 2006/07), a position that was lower than rates in both Greater Manchester (110 per 1,000 population) and Merseyside (87) but higher than in the other two shire areas of Cheshire (75) and Cumbria (62).
| Lancashire (14-authority area) | North West | England and Wales | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number 2008/09 | Rate(1) 2008/09 | % change 2007/08-2008/09 | Rate(1) 2008/09 | % change 2007/08-2008/09 | Rate(1) 2008/09 | % change 2007/08-2008/09 | |
| Violence against the person | 23,202 | 16 | -7 | 16 | -8 | 16 | -6 |
| Sexual offences | 1,136 | 1 | -20 | 1 | -9 | 1 | -4 |
| Robbery | 865 | 1 | -10 | 1 | -4 | 1 | -5 |
| Burglary | 13,534 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Offences against vehicles(2) | 12,575 | 9 | -5 | 12 | -11 | 11 | -10 |
| Other theft offences | 27,229 | 19 | -4 | 19 | -4 | 19 | -4 |
| Fraud and forgery | 3,081 | 2 | -2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Criminal damage | 29,639 | 20 | -8 | 21 | -11 | 17 | -10 |
| Drugs offences | 4,521 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 6 |
| Other offences | 1,793 | 1 | -3 | 2 | -1 | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 117,575 | 81 | -5 | 91 | -6 | 86 | -5 |
| (1) Rate per 1,000 population | |||||||
| (2) Includes theft of a motor vehicle, theft from a motor vehicle and interfering with a motor vehicle. | |||||||
| Source Home Office: Crime in England and Wales | |||||||

Criminal damage, violence against the person and other theft offences were the main offence groups in Lancashire, accounting for 66% of all recorded crimes (62% in England and Wales).
The rates (per 1,000 population) within most crime group offences were similar to or lower than the pattern experienced in England and Wales. The main exception was criminal damage where the Lancashire rate of 20 offences per 1,000 population was three percentage points higher than the national average but lower than the North West average of 21. The increase in domestic burglary is small at the moment and numbers were at an all time low in 2007/8. The increase in drug offences can be accounted for by increased enforcement activity. The offences against vehicles rate in Lancashire was two percentage points below that nationally.

Recorded crime data is also published for district authorities or "Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships". The availability of such data as well as that from the BCS clearly indicates that crime is not evenly distributed across England and Wales and that geographic patterns and concentrations of offences also vary across crime types. For example, the 29 local authorities with rates of robbery more than twice the average for England and Wales represent 15% of the population but account for 53% of all robbery offences.
Geographic patterns and concentrations of offences vary across crime types. The BCS has found that the risk of being a victim of burglary, vehicle theft or violent crime was lower in rural areas than in urban areas: 3% of households in urban areas had been victims of burglary compared with 1% in rural areas. 7% had been victims of vehicle-related theft compared with 4% in rural areas. 8% had experienced vandalism compared with 5% in rural areas. Further, the BCS has indicated that people living in more deprived areas are more likely to be a victim of crime than those living in less deprived areas: In the most deprived areas the risk of households being victims of vandalism, vehicle related theft and burglary are 10%, 9% and 4% respectively as compared with 7%, 7% and 2% in the least deprived areas.
Similar considerations probably also apply in Lancashire where a very diverse pattern of recorded crime distribution is apparent between districts. This may be illustrated by means of the recorded crime BCS comparator that endeavours to reconcile sub-sets of offences covered by both recorded police crime and the BCS (Table 2). The highest rates (all above the national average), are to found in the four largest urban districts , with Blackpool at 78 offences per 1,000 population heading the table, followed by Burnley, 76 offences per 1,000 population and Preston with 68 offences per 1,000 population. The top six districts are also within the top "most deprived" districts in England.
Conversely, the lowest crime rates are to be found in Fylde and Ribble Valley, two relatively prosperous districts each ranked amongst the "least deprived" in England. The offence rate per thousand population in Ribble Valley at just 18 is the fifth lowest in England and Wales after the Isles of Scilly, Broadland, Tynedale and Teesdale.
| Offences recorded | Rate per 1,000 population | |
|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | 11,079 | 78 |
| Burnley | 6,648 | 76 |
| Preston | 8,934 | 68 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 7,801 | 55 |
| Pendle | 4,202 | 47 |
| Hyndburn | 3,708 | 45 |
| Lancaster | 6,358 | 44 |
| Rossendale | 2,683 | 40 |
| West Lancashire | 4,221 | 38 |
| South Ribble | 3,903 | 37 |
| Wyre | 3,672 | 33 |
| Chorley | 3,432 | 33 |
| Fylde | 2,170 | 28 |
| Ribble Valley | 1,041 | 18 |
| Lancashire (12) | 50,972 | 42 |
| Lancashire (14) | 69,852 | 48 |
| North West | 367,549 | 54 |
| England and Wales | 2,677,660 | 50 |
| The BCS comparator is a sub-set of recorded crimes which can be aligned to categories in the British Crime Survey. The following crimes are included in the recorded crime/BCS comparator measure: Theft of a vehicle, theft from a vehicle, vehicle interference and tampering, domestic burglary, theft of a pedal cycle, theft from a person, criminal damage, common assault, wounding and robbery (of personal property not business property). This set of crimes covers about 60% of all recorded crime. | ||
| Source Home Office: Crime in England and Wales | ||
Highest ranking Blackpool in the table below is especially characterised by the large number of recorded crimes of violence against the person, accounting for nearly a fifth of the county total (Table 3/Figure 1). The district's rate for this offence in 2008/09 at 32 per thousand population is nearly twice the England and Wales average and is in contrast to most other offences in the district which are close to or even below the national average. Burnley and Preston also exhibit relatively high rates of violence against the person.
Theft from a motor vehicle is especially high in Burnley; elsewhere across the county rates are close to or below the national rate. Burnley is the only district in which burglary offences are above the England and Wales average with Blackpool on a par. Preston's rate has fallen below the England and Wales average in 2008/9.
Large swathes of Lancashire outside the larger urban districts have criminal offence rates across all key categories that are below, and often significantly below the national average. This bears out the BCS findings that rural areas have lower crime rates than urban areas.

| Violence against the person | Robbery | Burglary | Theft of a motor vehicle | Theft from a motor vehicle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of recorded offences | |||||
| Blackburn with Darwen | 2,567 | 150 | 575 | 318 | 868 |
| Blackpool | 4,571 | 160 | 758 | 402 | 845 |
| Burnley | 1,921 | 53 | 695 | 358 | 1,001 |
| Chorley | 1,302 | 24 | 182 | 148 | 365 |
| Fylde | 743 | 21 | 148 | 82 | 175 |
| Hyndburn | 1,127 | 24 | 292 | 213 | 361 |
| Lancaster | 1,928 | 55 | 413 | 194 | 546 |
| Pendle | 1,380 | 41 | 307 | 233 | 607 |
| Preston | 3,054 | 194 | 626 | 373 | 1,017 |
| Ribble Valley | 316 | 9 | 61 | 75 | 158 |
| Rossendale | 733 | 27 | 223 | 209 | 347 |
| South Ribble | 1,216 | 46 | 225 | 140 | 505 |
| West Lancashire | 1,209 | 44 | 374 | 268 | 534 |
| Wyre | 1,135 | 17 | 235 | 113 | 425 |
| Lancashire (12) | 17,581 | 521 | 3,913 | 2,435 | 5,869 |
| Lancashire (14) | 23,202 | 865 | 5,114 | 3,126 | 7,754 |
| North West | 118,870 | 10,694 | 39,592 | 23,576 | 57,440 |
| England and Wales | 944,642 | 83,660 | 280,696 | 169,724 | 428,980 |
| Rate of offences per 1,000 population | |||||
| Blackburn with Darwen | 18.22 | 1.06 | 4.08 | 2.26 | 6.16 |
| Blackpool | 32.08 | 1.13 | 5.34 | 2.83 | 5.95 |
| Burnley | 21.96 | 0.61 | 7.99 | 4.11 | 11.51 |
| Chorley | 12.51 | 0.23 | 1.75 | 1.42 | 3.51 |
| Fylde | 9.72 | 0.28 | 1.95 | 1.08 | 2.30 |
| Hyndburn | 13.74 | 0.29 | 3.56 | 2.60 | 4.40 |
| Lancaster | 13.43 | 0.38 | 2.87 | 1.35 | 3.79 |
| Pendle | 15.34 | 0.46 | 3.41 | 2.59 | 6.74 |
| Preston | 23.15 | 1.47 | 4.74 | 2.83 | 7.70 |
| Ribble Valley | 5.42 | 0.16 | 1.05 | 1.29 | 2.72 |
| Rossendale | 10.94 | 0.40 | 3.33 | 3.12 | 5.18 |
| South Ribble | 11.40 | 0.43 | 2.10 | 1.31 | 4.72 |
| West Lancashire | 11.01 | 0.40 | 3.40 | 2.44 | 4.85 |
| Wyre | 10.24 | 0.15 | 2.12 | 1.02 | 3.83 |
| Lancashire (12) | 13.24 | 0.44 | 3.19 | 2.10 | 5.11 |
| Lancashire (14) | 15.99 | 0.60 | 3.52 | 2.15 | 5.34 |
| North West | 15.92 | 1.49 | 6.03 | 2.98 | 7.54 |
| England and Wales | 16.42 | 1.47 | 5.26 | 2.72 | 7.29 |
| Source Home Office: Crime in England and Wales | |||||
Crime rates can, of course, also vary very considerably within individual districts themselves, being closely associated with such factors as levels of local deprivation, the nature of the housing stock and the number of transient visitors. For further information on such local community statistics, including crime, for Lancashire wards, go to Lancashire Made Public.
This page was written by Melanie Greenslade.
If you have any questions about the content of this page, please contact Melanie Greenslade at Melanie.Greenslade@lancashire.gov.uk.
For all enquiries about the county council's services, contact the Customer Service Centre on 0845 0530000 (01772 530000) or at Enquiries@lancashire.gov.uk.