Colne Crime Overview
Colne is the most dangerous small town in Lancashire, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Lancashire's 241 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Colne in 2020 was 96 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Lancashire's overall crime rate, coming in 25% higher than the Lancashire rate of 72 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Colne is the 67th most dangerous small town, and the 572nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Colne was the worst small town in Lancashire for burglary, with 14 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.78 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2020 was also a bad month for Colne residents, when it was Lancashire's most dangerous small town for criminal damage and arson, recording 22 crimes at a rate of 1.2 per 1,000 residents. Colne recorded 5 reports of drugs during November 2020, making its crime rate of 0.28 the worst small town for drugs in Lancashire that month.
The most common crimes in Colne are violence and sexual offences, with 759 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 42. This is 6% higher than 2019's figure of 716 offences and a difference of 2.40 from 2019's crime rate of 40. Colne's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 3 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 67% from 2019's figure of 5 crimes.
Compare Colne to other towns and cities
See how Colne shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Colne and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Colne Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Colne This Year
| Colne | Lancashire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 1,404 | 78.34 | 88,466 | 58.63 | 25% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 3 | 0.17 | 867 | 0.57 | 235% safer |
| Burglary | 134 | 7.48 | 7,491 | 4.96 | 34% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 225 | 12.56 | 13,628 | 9.03 | 28% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 40 | 2.23 | 2,486 | 1.65 | 26% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 43 | 2.40 | 2,591 | 1.72 | 28% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 203 | 11.33 | 9,770 | 6.48 | 43% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 13 | 0.73 | 989 | 0.66 | 10% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 98 | 5.47 | 8,094 | 5.36 | 2.0% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 6 | 0.33 | 752 | 0.50 | 52% safer |
| Shoplifting | 121 | 6.75 | 5,411 | 3.59 | 47% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 10 | 0.56 | 555 | 0.37 | 34% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 68 | 3.79 | 6,257 | 4.15 | 9% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 759 | 42.35 | 50,363 | 33.38 | 21% more dangerous |
Crime in Colne Compared To Lancashire
Colne Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Harwood | 723 | 65.79 | 46% safer |
| Oswaldtwistle | 748 | 68.39 | 41% safer |
| Brierfield | 644 | 71.53 | 34% safer |
| Bacup | 1,156 | 84.56 | 14% safer |
| Clayton-le-Moors | 696 | 85.23 | 13% safer |
| Colne | 1,723 | 96.14 | - |
Colne Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 56 | 42 | 44 | 78 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.67 | 0.67 | 0.28 | 0.17 | Safer |
| Burglary | 12 | 13 | 10 | 7 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | Safer |
| Drugs | 0.89 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 14 | 16 | 15 | 11 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.17 | 0.33 | 0.50 | 0.73 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 3.0 | 11 | 9 | 5 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.39 | 0.39 | 0.33 | 0.33 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 18 | 17 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.84 | 1.2 | 0.39 | 0.56 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3.8 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 27 | 47 | 40 | 42 | Getting worse |
Changes In Colne's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Colne to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 42% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 24% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 16% safer |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 12% safer |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 12% safer |
| Colne | 96.14 | - |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 1.3% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 7% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 10% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 28% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 30% more dangerous |
Crime in Colne's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colne Horsfield | 479 | 97 | Second |
| Colne Vivary Bridge | 496 | 83 | Third |
| Colne Waterside | 705 | 135 | First |
Crime in Colne During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Colne change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in November, when Colne saw a 400% increase in drugs. Colne saw a large fall in shoplifting during April, when it fell by 92% compared to April in 2019. Shoplifting saw a fall in every month of Colne's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +24% | +67% | +115% | +239% | +28% | +148% | +114% | +105% | +80% | +96% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | -52% | - | -60% | +100% | +15% | -71% | +18% | +90% | -53% | +100% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -44% | +36% | -40% | -67% | -34% | +44% | +69% | +39% | +47% | +114% |
| Drugs | +33% | -20% | - | -50% | - | -33% | -25% | +300% | +400% | - |
| Other Crime | -57% | - | +300% | -20% | -80% | - | +200% | +300% | -50% | +67% |
| Other Theft | -50% | -74% | -45% | -5% | -15% | -5% | -30% | +7% | - | +5% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | - | - | +50% | - | +100% | - | - | - |
| Public Order | -73% | -47% | -30% | -18% | -33% | - | -33% | +17% | -10% | -63% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | -44% | -92% | -30% | -25% | -50% | +29% | -12% | -44% | -54% | -41% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -50% | -73% | - | - | +29% | -55% | +17% | +9% | -50% | -33% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -29% | -14% | -4% | -7% | +41% | +59% | -22% | +2% | +45% | +37% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Colne
What police force serves Colne?
Colne's local territorial police force is the Lancashire Constabulary.How dangerous is Colne?
Colne is the most dangerous small town in Lancashire.What is Colne's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Colne are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Colne?
Colne's least common crime is bicycle theft.Last updated: 01 Apr 2021