Whitehaven Crime Overview

Whitehaven is the second most dangerous small town in Cumbria, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Cumbria's 287 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Whitehaven in 2020 was 82 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Cumbria's overall crime rate, coming in 19% higher than the Cumbria rate of 66 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Whitehaven is the 116th most dangerous small town, and the 919th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In February 2020, Whitehaven had the worst crime rate in Cumbria for robbery, with 3 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.13 per 1,000 inhabitants. May 2020 was also a bad month for Whitehaven residents, when it was Cumbria's most dangerous area for theft from the person, recording 1 crime at a rate of 0.04 per 1,000 residents. Whitehaven recorded 2 reports of possession of weapons during January 2016, making its crime rate of 0.09 the worst for possession of weapons in Cumbria that month.

The most common crimes in Whitehaven are violence and sexual offences, with 940 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 41. This is 26% lower than 2019's figure of 1,187 offences and a difference of 10.68 from 2019's crime rate of 51. Whitehaven's least common crime is theft from the person, with 7 offences recorded in 2020, the same as 2019's figure of 7 crimes.

Compare Whitehaven to other towns and cities

See how Whitehaven shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Whitehaven and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.

Whitehaven Crime Map

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Crime in Whitehaven Compared To Cumbria

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Summary of Crimes in Whitehaven This Year

 WhitehavenCumbria 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour53323.049,79919.6015% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft80.352070.4117% safer
Burglary763.291,6453.290% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson27611.934,7279.4521% more dangerous
Drugs642.771,0222.0426% more dangerous
Other Crime140.616551.31115% safer
Other Theft1054.542,2014.403.1% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons80.352560.5146% safer
Public Order24810.724,1438.2923% more dangerous
Robbery120.521100.2258% more dangerous
Shoplifting1024.411,6083.2227% more dangerous
Theft From the Person70.30880.1840% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime371.608081.621.2% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences94040.6415,74731.4923% more dangerous

Whitehaven Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Cockermouth37941.5697% safer
Dalton Town with Newton36747.4973% safer
Windermere47558.6940% safer
Penrith1,05866.6223% safer
Maryport90079.712.9% safer
Whitehaven1,89782.02-
Egremont65384.062.4% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Whitehaven

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Whitehaven

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Sports/Recreation AreaUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near Market PlaceUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Market PlaceUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Scotch StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Scotch StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Other theftOn or near Horsfield CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Senhouse StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Senhouse StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Senhouse StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Senhouse StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021DrugsOn or near Rutland AvenueOffender given a caution
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Devon RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Devon RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Devon RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Devon RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Devon RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Devon RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Shopping AreaFurther investigation is not in the public interest
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Bedford StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021BurglaryOn or near Lowther StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified

Whitehaven Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour34302023Safer
Bicycle Theft0.220.170.220.35Getting worse
Burglary3.753.93.3Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson15151212Safer
Drugs2.02.52.12.8Getting worse
Other Crime0.991.21.60.61Safer
Other Theft5764.5Safer
Possession of Weapons0.520.820.780.35Safer
Public Order4.8101211Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.040.350.430.52Getting worse
Shoplifting101264.4Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.390.950.300.30Safer
Vehicle Crime1.51.91.21.6Getting worse
Violence and Sexual Offences29485141Safer

Changes In Whitehaven's Crime Rates Over Time

Comparing Whitehaven to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Barnet67.7121% safer
Coventry77.416% safer
Whitehaven82.02-
Croydon83.221.4% more dangerous
Sheffield85.814.4% more dangerous
Bristol86.214.9% more dangerous
Leicester97.4416% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8720% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2824% more dangerous
Bradford133.0238% more dangerous
Leeds137.1040% more dangerous

Crime in Whitehaven's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Hensingham, Hillcrest & Aikbank50751Second
Whitehaven Harbour & Corkickle794150First

Crime in Whitehaven During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Whitehaven change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in September, when Whitehaven saw a 600% increase in vehicle crime. Whitehaven saw a large fall in shoplifting during May, when it fell by 89% compared to May in 2019. Violence and Sexual Offences saw a fall in every month of Whitehaven's lockdown.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour-9%+83%+85%-27%+65%+28%+47%+15%-14%+18%
Bicycle Theft----50%------
Burglary-50%-78%-+14%+167%+13%+40%-50%-29%-50%
Criminal Damage and Arson-20%-25%-54%+15%-4%-12%-36%-23%-45%+50%
Drugs-75%-+167%--40%+400%-+25%--
Other Crime----+200%-33%-50%--75%-67%
Other Theft+30%-67%-82%-44%-25%-20%+50%-35%-71%+29%
Possession of Weapons-----+100%--50%--
Public Order+19%-29%-33%-28%+41%+84%-29%-45%-52%-58%
Robbery---+100%------
Shoplifting+50%--89%-43%-50%+71%-40%-24%-58%-21%
Theft From the Person-----+100%--50%--
Vehicle Crime---+200%+400%-+600%-75%+200%-
Violence and Sexual Offences-33%-41%-11%-17%+29%-5%-29%-22%-48%-50%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Whitehaven

What police force serves Whitehaven?
Whitehaven's local territorial police force is the Cumbria Constabulary.
How dangerous is Whitehaven?
Whitehaven is the second most dangerous small town in Cumbria.
What is Whitehaven's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Whitehaven are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Whitehaven?
Whitehaven's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).

Last updated: 05 Oct 2021