Peterlee Crime Overview

Peterlee is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in Durham, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Durham's 185 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Peterlee in 2020 was 137 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Durham's overall crime rate, coming in 35% higher than the Durham rate of 89 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Peterlee is among the top 20 most dangerous small towns, and the 182nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In March 2020, Peterlee was the worst small town in Durham for bicycle theft, with 2 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.10 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2020 was also a bad month for Peterlee residents, when it was Durham's most dangerous small town for burglary, recording 16 crimes at a rate of 0.81 per 1,000 residents. Peterlee recorded 44 reports of criminal damage and arson during December 2020, making its crime rate of 2.2 the worst small town for criminal damage and arson in Durham that month.

The most common crimes in Peterlee are violence and sexual offences, with 1,112 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 57. This is 11% higher than 2019's figure of 986 offences and a difference of 6.41 from 2019's crime rate of 50. Peterlee's least common crime is robbery, with 5 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 60% from 2019's figure of 8 crimes.

Compare Peterlee to other towns and cities

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

Peterlee Crime Map

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Crime in Peterlee Compared To Durham

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Summary of Crimes in Peterlee This Year

 PeterleeDurham 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour89745.6031,72436.5420% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft130.664710.5418% more dangerous
Burglary1266.414,4935.1819% more dangerous
Criminal Damage and Arson47223.9911,04112.7247% more dangerous
Drugs633.202,2782.6218% more dangerous
Other Crime884.472,3492.7139% more dangerous
Other Theft1668.445,2986.1028% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons110.565510.6312% safer
Public Order1859.407,2378.3411% more dangerous
Robbery50.253690.4372% safer
Shoplifting32016.274,9175.6665% more dangerous
Theft From the Person130.664180.4827% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime1286.513,2883.7942% more dangerous
Violence and Sexual Offences1,11256.5334,32239.5430% more dangerous

Peterlee Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Seaham1,65180.4371% safer
Brandon and Byshottles1,63582.9766% safer
Spennymoor1,93288.7555% safer
Crook89592.9748% safer
Murton946121.0313% safer
Peterlee2,702137.35-
Shildon1,411141.983.3% more dangerous
Ferryhill1,357144.194.7% more dangerous
Bishop Auckland2,596157.9613% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Peterlee

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Peterlee

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
November 2021Public orderOn or near Clifton SquareInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near Clifton SquareInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near Clifton SquareInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Malvern CloseInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021BurglaryOn or near Garside GroveInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Kemp RoadLocal resolution
November 2021Vehicle crimeOn or near Cheviot PlaceInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near Jude PlaceUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Other crimeOn or near Moray CloseOffender given a caution
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Clare RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Berkshire RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Little EdenInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021DrugsOn or near Stainton WayFurther investigation is not in the public interest
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near Pedestrian SubwayFormal action is not in the public interest
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Stafford PlaceUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021BurglaryOn or near Kirkstone AvenueInvestigation complete; no suspect identified

Peterlee Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour46445046Safer
Bicycle Theft1.10.811.50.66Safer
Burglary128106Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson23292624Safer
Drugs3.12.12.53.2Getting worse
Other Crime4.354.34.5Safer
Other Theft1211118Safer
Possession of Weapons0.760.510.710.56Safer
Public Order1113119Safer
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.760.610.410.25Safer
Shoplifting15151416Getting worse
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.970.810.510.66Safer
Vehicle Crime7777Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences54545057Getting worse

Changes In Peterlee's Crime Rates Over Time

Comparing Peterlee to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Barnet67.71103% safer
Coventry77.4177% safer
Croydon83.2265% safer
Sheffield85.8160% safer
Bristol86.2159% safer
Leicester97.4441% safer
Birmingham102.8734% safer
Liverpool107.2828% safer
Bradford133.023.3% safer
Leeds137.100.18% safer
Peterlee137.35-

Crime in Peterlee's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Peterlee East1,323155First
Peterlee South877137Second
Peterlee West800110Third

Crime in Peterlee During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Peterlee change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in September, when Peterlee saw a 293% increase in shoplifting. Peterlee saw a large fall in shoplifting during May, when it fell by 92% compared to May in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour+3%-19%+17%-13%-17%-35%+12%+19%-33%-24%
Bicycle Theft-33%-+100%----80%-67%--50%
Burglary-28%-68%--69%-50%-57%-21%-50%--29%
Criminal Damage and Arson-12%-35%-42%-44%+42%-5%+5%+5%-29%+22%
Drugs-13%+40%-+33%+67%-67%-80%+233%+67%+150%
Other Crime+200%-50%+100%+75%+40%-38%+150%-67%-25%-
Other Theft-44%-25%-21%+15%+31%-50%-35%-35%-37%-19%
Possession of Weapons-+100%--------
Public Order-25%-36%-20%-42%+7%-42%-14%---
Robbery-50%---50%------
Shoplifting-45%-79%-92%-13%+283%+153%+293%+86%+14%-
Theft From the Person--------+100%-
Vehicle Crime--56%-63%-70%-20%-77%+138%-37%+22%+17%
Violence and Sexual Offences+24%-15%+41%-20%+85%-16%+1%-+46%+20%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Peterlee

What police force serves Peterlee?
Peterlee's local territorial police force is the Durham Constabulary.
How dangerous is Peterlee?
Peterlee is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in Durham.
What is Peterlee's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Peterlee are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Peterlee?
Peterlee's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).

Last updated: 31 Dec 2021