Darlington Crime Overview
Darlington is the third most dangerous major town in the North East, and among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of the UK's major towns. The overall crime rate in Darlington in 2020 was 89 crimes per 1,000 people.
In March 2019, Darlington was the second-worst major town in the North East for bicycle theft, with 28 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.26 per 1,000 inhabitants. April 2019 was also a bad month for Darlington residents, when it was the North East's second-most dangerous major town for drugs, recording 76 crimes at a rate of 0.71 per 1,000 residents. Darlington recorded 15 reports of theft from the person during December 2015, making its crime rate of 0.14 the second-worst major town for theft from the person in the North East that month.
The most common crimes in Darlington are violence and sexual offences, with 4,270 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 40. This is 15% lower than 2019's figure of 4,926 offences and a difference of 6.14 from 2019's crime rate of 46. Darlington's least common crime is robbery, with 38 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 74% from 2019's figure of 66 crimes.
Darlington Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Darlington This Year
| Darlington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 3,413 | 31.96 |
| Bicycle Theft | 98 | 0.92 |
| Burglary | 594 | 5.56 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,124 | 10.52 |
| Drugs | 294 | 2.75 |
| Other Crime | 253 | 2.37 |
| Other Theft | 617 | 5.78 |
| Possession of Weapons | 61 | 0.57 |
| Public Order | 961 | 9.00 |
| Robbery | 38 | 0.36 |
| Shoplifting | 608 | 5.69 |
| Theft From the Person | 57 | 0.53 |
| Vehicle Crime | 491 | 4.60 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 4,270 | 39.98 |
Darlington Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 38 | 34 | 32 | 32 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.92 | Safer |
| Burglary | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 2.8 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.4 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.50 | 0.58 | 0.70 | 0.57 | Safer |
| Public Order | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | Safer |
| Robbery | 0.58 | 0.56 | 0.62 | 0.36 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person | 0.77 | 0.76 | 0.71 | 0.53 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 38 | 42 | 46 | 40 | Safer |
Comparing Darlington to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Towns | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 71.50 | 24% safer |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 20% safer |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 19% safer |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 15% safer |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 12% safer |
| London | 80.70 | 10% safer |
| Darlington | 88.63 | - |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 0.44% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 3.2% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 3.6% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 14% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 16% more dangerous |
Crime in Darlington During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Darlington change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in June, when Darlington saw a 400% increase in robbery. Darlington saw a large fall in theft from the person during November, when it fell by 86% compared to November in 2019. Other Theft saw a fall in every month of Darlington's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +15% | +41% | +37% | +16% | -9% | +1% | -20% | +1% | -12% |
| Bicycle Theft | -79% | -33% | -29% | -25% | +67% | -40% | -36% | -20% | -10% |
| Burglary | +22% | +39% | -19% | -4% | -19% | -39% | +3% | +17% | -22% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -3% | -47% | -39% | -31% | +16% | -23% | -9% | -5% | +1% |
| Drugs | -39% | -50% | -30% | -4% | +90% | -19% | +40% | -9% | -30% |
| Other Crime | -38% | -5% | +27% | -17% | +90% | +142% | -31% | +43% | +13% |
| Other Theft | -30% | -42% | -13% | -16% | -10% | -36% | -29% | -31% | -26% |
| Possession of Weapons | +20% | +50% | -45% | +25% | -33% | -29% | +71% | -33% | +150% |
| Public Order | +33% | +3% | +32% | -20% | +53% | +22% | -20% | -26% | -27% |
| Robbery | -60% | -40% | -25% | +400% | -83% | +200% | -44% | -50% | -80% |
| Shoplifting | +24% | -64% | -65% | -57% | -35% | -29% | +17% | -49% | -56% |
| Theft From the Person | -50% | -60% | -44% | - | -46% | +133% | +167% | -20% | -86% |
| Vehicle Crime | -20% | -10% | -31% | -21% | -50% | -65% | +4% | -29% | -2% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +3% | -19% | -7% | -21% | +6% | -14% | -4% | -2% | -15% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Darlington
What police force serves Darlington?
Darlington's local territorial police force is the Durham Constabulary.How dangerous is Darlington?
Darlington is the third most dangerous major town in the North East.What is Darlington's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Darlington are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Darlington?
Darlington's least common crime is robbery.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021