Crime and Safety in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Barrow-in-Furness is the most dangerous medium-sized town in Cumbria, and is among the top 10 most dangerous overall out of Cumbria's 279 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Barrow-in-Furness in 2026 is 113 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Cumbria's overall crime rate, coming in 71% higher than the Cumbria rate of 66 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Barrow-in-Furness is the 34th most dangerous medium-sized town, and the 566th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In February 2026, Barrow-in-Furness had the worst crime rate in Cumbria for robbery, with 5 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.11 per 1,000 daytime population. October 2025 was also a bad month for Barrow-in-Furness residents, when it was again Cumbria's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 6 crimes at a rate of 0.13 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Barrow-in-Furness are violence and sexual offences, with 2,596 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 57. This is 1.1% higher than 2025's figure of 2,569 offences and a difference of 0.50 from 2025's crime rate of 56. Barrow-in-Furness's least common crime is theft from the person, with 18 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 12% from 2025's figure of 16 crimes.
Barrow-in-Furness 2026 Crime Scorecard
Most Dangerous
Medium-Sized Towns, Cumbria
160% higher, regional crime rate
North West
56% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Barrow-in-Furness is 160% higher than the North West and 56% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Barrow-in-Furness Crime Rate Over Time
| Barrow-in-Furness | |
| North West | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Barrow-in-Furness Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Barrow-in-Furness represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.
See How Barrow-in-Furness Compares
You can compare Barrow-in-Furness's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Barrow-in-Furness's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Barrow-in-Furness up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Barrow-in-Furness's 1,308 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Barrow-in-Furness? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Barrow-in-Furness • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Barrow-in-Furness has a crime risk score of 736. This is based on analysis of 1,308 nearby areas within Barrow-in-Furness, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Barrow-in-Furness's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Barrow-in-Furness, crime risk scores are typically around 736, while in Cumbria they are average 603.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 789 (577 for Cumbria), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 818 (Cumbria 573).
Trends in Crime Risk
Barrow-in-Furness
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
The 10-year trend indicates an increase of 21% in Barrow-in-Furness's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Barrow-in-Furness's crime risk score is up by 14%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.
Over the last year, Barrow-in-Furness's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 2.6%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Barrow-in-Furness
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Barrow-in-Furness • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Possession of Weapons offences have a crime rate of 2.09 reports per 1,000 people in Barrow-in-Furness, which is 2.46 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 95 crime reports logged by Cumbria Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Cumbria Police recorded 582 reports of Public Order in Barrow-in-Furness, resulting in a crime rate of 13 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 2.19.
The crime rate for Criminal Damage and Arson is 1.90 times the national average at 12 reports per 1,000. This is from 547 crime reports reported to Cumbria Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Barrow-in-Furness
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 2.35 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.91 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 23% over this timeframe.
Robbery offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.20 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 0.22 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 9% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.87 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 1.53 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 22% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Barrow-in-Furness
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Vehicle Crime offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.63 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Vehicle Crime CrimeRate Index was 0.91 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 31% over this timeframe.
Drugs offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.61 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Drugs CrimeRate Index was 1.52 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 6% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Barrow-in-Furness • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Barrow-in-Furness | Cumbria | North West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 387 | 8.43 | 0.60 | 2,356 | 4.26 | 0.30 | 68,604 | 7.93 | 0.56 |
| Bicycle Theft | 38 | 0.82 | 1.24 | 244 | 0.43 | 0.59 | 2,963 | 0.35 | 0.48 |
| Burglary | 161 | 3.50 | 1.12 | 1,030 | 1.87 | 0.60 | 13,151 | 1.50 | 0.48 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 547 | 11.94 | 1.90 | 3,844 | 6.93 | 1.10 | 34,232 | 3.94 | 0.63 |
| Drugs | 220 | 4.77 | 1.54 | 1,818 | 3.29 | 1.06 | 23,463 | 2.70 | 0.87 |
| Other Crime | 131 | 2.85 | 1.54 | 1,132 | 2.06 | 1.11 | 11,008 | 1.28 | 0.69 |
| Other Theft | 237 | 5.16 | 0.91 | 2,292 | 4.13 | 0.73 | 24,256 | 2.79 | 0.49 |
| Possession of Weapons | 95 | 2.09 | 2.46 | 544 | 0.99 | 1.16 | 4,543 | 0.53 | 0.62 |
| Public Order | 582 | 12.69 | 2.19 | 3,964 | 7.16 | 1.23 | 36,702 | 4.23 | 0.73 |
| Robbery | 36 | 0.79 | 0.67 | 141 | 0.25 | 0.21 | 3,301 | 0.38 | 0.32 |
| Shoplifting | 438 | 9.55 | 1.34 | 2,435 | 4.39 | 0.62 | 27,614 | 3.18 | 0.45 |
| Theft From the Person | 18 | 0.39 | 0.30 | 164 | 0.29 | 0.19 | 1,948 | 0.23 | 0.15 |
| Vehicle Crime | 63 | 1.39 | 0.32 | 749 | 1.36 | 0.32 | 14,353 | 1.67 | 0.39 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 2,596 | 56.60 | 1.86 | 18,201 | 32.83 | 1.08 | 178,380 | 20.58 | 0.68 |
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Total Crime by Year
Barrow-in-Furness | Cumbria | North West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 5,162 | 112.54 | 1.57 | 36,558 | 65.98 | 0.92 | 375,914 | 43.36 | 0.60 |
| 2025 | 5,228 | 110.38 | 1.51 | 37,190 | 67.42 | 0.91 | 373,106 | 43.34 | 0.59 |
| 2024 | 4,734 | 99.20 | 1.33 | 35,042 | 63.83 | 0.85 | 380,165 | 44.52 | 0.59 |
| 2023 | 5,204 | 109.54 | 1.41 | 38,476 | 70.64 | 0.89 | 418,544 | 49.63 | 0.63 |
| 2022 | 5,250 | 110.18 | 1.44 | 37,727 | 69.86 | 0.91 | 410,255 | 49.27 | 0.64 |
| 2021 | 4,352 | 91.54 | 1.35 | 31,730 | 59.07 | 0.86 | 363,499 | 44.00 | 0.64 |
| 2020 | 4,859 | 102.22 | 1.40 | 36,929 | 69.13 | 0.93 | 388,434 | 47.29 | 0.64 |
| 2019 | 5,196 | 109.62 | 1.45 | 37,389 | 70.22 | 0.92 | 412,412 | 50.39 | 0.66 |
| 2018 | 4,143 | 87.53 | 1.24 | 29,298 | 55.21 | 0.78 | 361,592 | 44.45 | 0.63 |
| 2017 | 3,772 | 79.45 | 1.25 | 25,761 | 48.73 | 0.76 | 303,042 | 37.41 | 0.59 |
| 2016 | 1,266 | 26.63 | 1.43 | 8,467 | 16.03 | 0.84 | 87,310 | 10.80 | 0.57 |
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Barrow-in-Furness Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow-in-Furness | 5,162 | 112.54 | - |
| Workington | 2,968 | 104.94 | 7% safer |
| Kendal | 2,218 | 64.98 | 42% safer |
Comparing Barrow-in-Furness to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 29% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 27% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 25% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 13% safer |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 7% safer |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 7% safer |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 5% safer |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 4.8% safer |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 4.3% safer |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 112.54 | - |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 11% more dangerous |
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Offences In and Around Barrow-in-Furness's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Barrow-in-Furness that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow Wanderers Football Club | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Hawcoat Park | 4 | - | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Strawberry Ground | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Garden | 2 | - | 3 | - | 7 | 10 |
| Craven Park | 2 | 1 | 6 | - | 10 | 15 |
| Mardale Grove Allotments | 1 | - | 3 | 1 | 36 | 7 |
| Abbots Vale Park | - | - | - | - | 5 | 3 |
| Holbeck Park Allotments | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Cavendish Park Playing Fields | 1 | 1 | - | - | 15 | 4 |
| Urban Park | 8 | 4 | 11 | - | 50 | 26 |
| The Willie Horne Gardens | - | - | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| Barrow Public Park | 12 | 7 | 28 | 1 | 106 | 39 |
| College House | 3 | - | 10 | 1 | 28 | 18 |
Recent Crimes in Barrow-in-Furness
The 20 most recent crime reports in Barrow-in-Furness.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Gradwell Court | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Gradwell Court | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Chichester Place | |
| April 2026 | Bicycle theft | On or near Shopping Area | |
| April 2026 | Bicycle theft | On or near Shopping Area | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Shopping Area | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Gradwell Court | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Montague Street | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Montague Street | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Island Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Montague Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Montague Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Montague Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near St Luke'S Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Parking Area | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Parking Area | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Montague Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Lincoln Street |
Methodology & Data Sources
Barrow-in-Furness Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Barrow-in-Furness during July 2026 will typically become available in September 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Barrow-in-Furness Data Points
For Barrow-in-Furness, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2022 release of their Built Up Areas dataset, using the BUA22CD column value E63000521.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Barrow-in-Furness's daytime - or "workday" - population of 51,002 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Barrow-in-Furness