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 21 reports of other theft during December 2020, making its crime rate of 1.2 the worst small town for other theft 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

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Crime in Colne Compared To Lancashire

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Summary of Crimes in Colne This Year

 ColneLancashire 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour1,40478.3488,46658.6325% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft30.178670.57235% safer
Burglary1347.487,4914.9634% more dangerous
Criminal Damage and Arson22512.5613,6289.0328% more dangerous
Drugs402.232,4861.6526% more dangerous
Other Crime432.402,5911.7228% more dangerous
Other Theft20311.339,7706.4843% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons130.739890.6610% more dangerous
Public Order985.478,0945.362.0% more dangerous
Robbery60.337520.5052% safer
Shoplifting1216.755,4113.5947% more dangerous
Theft From the Person100.565550.3734% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime683.796,2574.159% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences75942.3550,36333.3821% more dangerous

Colne Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Great Harwood72365.7946% safer
Oswaldtwistle74868.3941% safer
Brierfield64471.5334% safer
Bacup1,15684.5614% safer
Clayton-le-Moors69685.2313% safer
Colne1,72396.14-

Crime Over Time in Colne

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Recent Crimes in Colne

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
November 2021BurglaryOn or near Sir William Hartley CourtInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Dudley StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Dudley StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near High StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Hanover StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Hanover StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Theft from the personOn or near Sutherland StreetFurther investigation is not in the public interest
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Chatham StreetAction to be taken by another organisation
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Chatham StreetAction to be taken by another organisation
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near The SidingsInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Petrol StationUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Theft from the personOn or near Clarence StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near SupermarketLocal resolution
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near SupermarketFurther investigation is not in the public interest
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near SupermarketFurther investigation is not in the public interest
November 2021Other theftOn or near Noyna StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Mary StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near St Stephen'S WayInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Midgley StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Other theftOn or near Venables AvenueInvestigation complete; no suspect identified

Colne Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour56424478Getting worse
Bicycle Theft0.670.670.280.17Safer
Burglary1213107Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson13141213Safer
Drugs0.891.31.72.2Getting worse
Other Crime1.12.42.02.4Getting worse
Other Theft14161511Safer
Possession of Weapons0.170.330.500.73Getting worse
Public Order3.01195Safer
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.390.390.330.33Safer
Shoplifting181797Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.841.20.390.56Safer
Vehicle Crime9963.8Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences27474042Getting worse

Changes In Colne's Crime Rates Over Time

Comparing Colne to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Barnet67.7142% safer
Coventry77.4124% safer
Croydon83.2216% safer
Sheffield85.8112% safer
Bristol86.2112% safer
Colne96.14-
Leicester97.441.3% more dangerous
Birmingham102.877% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2810% more dangerous
Bradford133.0228% more dangerous
Leeds137.1030% more dangerous

Crime in Colne's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Colne Horsfield47997Second
Colne Vivary Bridge49683Third
Colne Waterside705135First

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.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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: 31 Dec 2021