Chester Crime Overview
Chester is the second safest major town in Cheshire, and is the 34th most dangerous overall out of Cheshire's 343 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Chester in 2020 was 77 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Cheshire's overall crime rate, coming in 5% higher than the Cheshire rate of 73 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Chester is the 48th safest major town, and the 1,116th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In June 2020, Chester had the worst crime rate in Cheshire for drugs, with 29 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.33 per 1,000 inhabitants. December 2020 was also a bad month for Chester residents, when it was Cheshire's most dangerous area for bicycle theft, recording 17 crimes at a rate of 0.19 per 1,000 residents. Chester recorded 27 reports of burglary during July 2020, making its crime rate of 0.31 the worst for burglary in Cheshire that month.
The most common crimes in Chester are violence and sexual offences, with 2,936 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 33. This is 0.41% lower than 2019's figure of 2,948 offences and a difference of 0.14 from 2019's crime rate of 34. Chester's least common crime is theft from the person, with 29 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 203% from 2019's figure of 88 crimes.
Compare Chester to other towns and cities
See how Chester shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Chester and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Chester Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Chester This Year
| Chester | Cheshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 2,877 | 32.70 | 27,840 | 26.10 | 20% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 155 | 1.76 | 1,116 | 1.05 | 40% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 216 | 2.46 | 3,394 | 3.18 | 29% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 577 | 6.56 | 7,682 | 7.20 | 10% safer |
| Drugs | 222 | 2.52 | 1,624 | 1.52 | 40% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 96 | 1.09 | 1,520 | 1.43 | 31% safer |
| Other Theft | 437 | 4.97 | 4,722 | 4.43 | 11% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 47 | 0.53 | 323 | 0.30 | 43% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 1,195 | 13.58 | 12,451 | 11.67 | 14% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 35 | 0.40 | 377 | 0.35 | 12% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 683 | 7.76 | 4,410 | 4.13 | 47% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 29 | 0.33 | 220 | 0.21 | 36% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 120 | 1.36 | 2,332 | 2.19 | 61% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 2,936 | 33.37 | 37,427 | 35.09 | 5% safer |
Crime in Chester Compared To Cheshire
Chester Compared to Nearby Major Towns
| Major Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrington | 11,270 | 65.26 | 18% safer |
| Chester | 6,748 | 76.70 | - |
| Ellesmere Port | 5,397 | 87.20 | 12% more dangerous |
| Runcorn | 5,663 | 91.79 | 16% more dangerous |
| Crewe | 7,125 | 95.06 | 19% more dangerous |
| Widnes | 6,207 | 96.88 | 21% more dangerous |
Chester Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 40 | 32 | 27 | 33 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 2.2 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Burglary | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | Safer |
| Drugs | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 2.5 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.1 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5.0 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.47 | 0.57 | 0.57 | 0.53 | Safer |
| Public Order | 17 | 17 | 17 | 14 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.33 | 0.34 | 0.55 | 0.40 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.33 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.4 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 28 | 32 | 34 | 33 | Getting worse |
Changes In Chester's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Chester to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 13% safer |
| Chester | 76.70 | - |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 0.92% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 8% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 11% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 11% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 21% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 25% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 29% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 42% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 44% more dangerous |
Crime in Chester's Neighbourhoods
Chester Boughton West & Hoole is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Chester, followed by Blacon South in second place, and Blacon North as the third most dangerous area. Chester's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Chester Boughton East, Chester Handbridge Park, and Vicars Cross & Hoole East.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacon North | 578 | 95 | Third |
| Blacon South | 719 | 101 | Second |
| Chester Boughton East | 322 | 49 | Eighth |
| Chester Boughton West & Hoole | 1,109 | 126 | First |
| Chester Handbridge Park | 476 | 59 | Seventh |
| Lache | 391 | 61 | Sixth |
| Upton East | 459 | 63 | Fifth |
| Upton West & Heath | 693 | 68 | Fourth |
| Vicars Cross & Hoole East | 254 | 37 | Ninth |
Chester Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Chester for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Vicars Cross & Hoole East (77) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (476) |
| Bicycle Theft | Vicars Cross & Hoole East (4) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (30) |
| Burglary | Chester Boughton East (6) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (32) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Upton West & Heath (41) | Blacon South (94) |
| Drugs | Upton East (5) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (81) |
| Other Crime | Chester Boughton East (1) | Blacon South (14) |
| Other Theft | Vicars Cross & Hoole East (11) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (65) |
| Possession of Weapons | Chester Handbridge Park (1) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (8) |
| Public Order | Vicars Cross & Hoole East (41) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (214) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Upton West & Heath (2) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (9) |
| Shoplifting | Upton East (2) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (117) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Upton West & Heath (1) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (6) |
| Vehicle Crime | Upton East (3) | Chester Boughton West & Hoole (23) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Vicars Cross & Hoole East (120) | Blacon North (324) |
Crime in Chester During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Chester change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in October, when Chester saw a 600% increase in possession of weapons. Chester saw a large fall in vehicle crime during October, when it fell by 92% compared to October in 2019. Chester saw consistent falls in the crime rate of several types of crime during every month of its Coronavirus lockdown, including drugs, other theft, and theft from the person.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -9% | +77% | +83% | +26% | -9% | +37% | -1% | +9% | +31% | +1% |
| Bicycle Theft | -70% | -50% | -29% | +9% | +31% | +54% | -47% | +38% | +100% | +183% |
| Burglary | +29% | -62% | -27% | +27% | +13% | -58% | -27% | -6% | +15% | -29% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | - | -53% | -26% | +7% | -31% | -18% | -38% | -38% | +2% | -32% |
| Drugs | -38% | +13% | -4% | -12% | -19% | -38% | -67% | -33% | -35% | -59% |
| Other Crime | +38% | -64% | -57% | -38% | +63% | +22% | -13% | -22% | -17% | -44% |
| Other Theft | -26% | -81% | -34% | -45% | -32% | +8% | -54% | -53% | -18% | -36% |
| Possession of Weapons | +25% | +100% | -80% | +50% | -50% | -75% | +100% | +600% | -33% | -44% |
| Public Order | -23% | -48% | -27% | +2% | -23% | +22% | -2% | -10% | -37% | -34% |
| Robbery | -50% | - | -40% | -60% | +33% | -67% | +33% | +100% | +200% | - |
| Shoplifting | +19% | -51% | -23% | +4% | -2% | -21% | -52% | +13% | +2% | -27% |
| Theft From the Person | -25% | -80% | -91% | -83% | -60% | -64% | -90% | - | -75% | -89% |
| Vehicle Crime | -38% | -46% | -50% | +100% | +31% | -53% | +44% | -92% | -63% | -71% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -10% | -28% | -10% | +41% | +6% | +15% | -7% | -13% | +4% | -20% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Chester
What police force serves Chester?
Chester's local territorial police force is the Cheshire Constabulary.How dangerous is Chester?
Chester is the second safest major town in Cheshire.What is Chester's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Chester are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Chester?
Chester's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021