Darwen Crime Overview
Darwen is among the top 5 most dangerous medium-sized towns 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 Darwen in 2020 was 88 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Lancashire's overall crime rate, coming in 17% higher than the Lancashire rate of 72 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Darwen is the 63rd most dangerous medium-sized town, and the 758th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Darwen was the worst medium-sized town in Lancashire for burglary, with 35 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.3 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2020 was also a bad month for Darwen residents, when it was Lancashire's most dangerous medium-sized town for other crime, recording 11 crimes at a rate of 0.41 per 1,000 residents. Darwen recorded 2 reports of robbery during January 2020, making its crime rate of 0.07 the worst medium-sized town for robbery in Lancashire that month.
The most common crimes in Darwen are violence and sexual offences, with 1,134 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 42. This is 4.0% higher than 2019's figure of 1,089 offences and a difference of 1.66 from 2019's crime rate of 40. Darwen's least common crime is theft from the person, with 3 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 267% from 2019's figure of 11 crimes.
Compare Darwen to other towns and cities
See how Darwen shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Darwen and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Darwen Crime Map
Crime in Darwen Compared To Lancashire
Summary of Crimes in Darwen This Year
| Darwen | Lancashire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 1,943 | 71.57 | 88,466 | 58.63 | 18% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 7 | 0.26 | 867 | 0.57 | 119% safer |
| Burglary | 203 | 7.48 | 7,491 | 4.96 | 34% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 308 | 11.34 | 13,628 | 9.03 | 20% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 34 | 1.25 | 2,486 | 1.65 | 32% safer |
| Other Crime | 61 | 2.25 | 2,591 | 1.72 | 24% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 200 | 7.37 | 9,770 | 6.48 | 12% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 20 | 0.74 | 989 | 0.66 | 11% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 182 | 6.70 | 8,094 | 5.36 | 20% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 12 | 0.44 | 752 | 0.50 | 14% safer |
| Shoplifting | 107 | 3.94 | 5,411 | 3.59 | 9% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 3 | 0.11 | 555 | 0.37 | 236% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 110 | 4.05 | 6,257 | 4.15 | 2.5% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,134 | 41.77 | 50,363 | 33.38 | 20% more dangerous |
Darwen Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ormskirk | 1,040 | 39.60 | 121% safer |
| Leyland | 2,369 | 59.98 | 46% safer |
| Skelmersdale | 2,234 | 65.88 | 33% safer |
| Chorley | 3,048 | 81.04 | 8% safer |
| Morecambe | 3,093 | 87.16 | 0.62% safer |
| Darwen | 2,381 | 87.70 | - |
| Nelson | 2,999 | 95.63 | 8% more dangerous |
| Accrington | 3,891 | 109.26 | 20% more dangerous |
| Fleetwood | 2,965 | 113.14 | 22% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in Darwen
View crime percentage over time forDarwen Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 55 | 37 | 46 | 72 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.66 | 0.48 | 0.44 | 0.26 | Safer |
| Burglary | 13 | 13 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 15 | 14 | 14 | 11 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.2 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 0.70 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 2.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.18 | 0.41 | 0.70 | 0.74 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 2.5 | 10 | 7 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.52 | 0.44 | 0.41 | 0.44 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3.9 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.74 | 0.92 | 0.41 | 0.11 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 7 | 7 | 9 | 4.0 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 31 | 45 | 40 | 42 | Getting worse |
Changes In Darwen's Crime Rates Over Time
Offences in Darwen's Green Spaces
We only display green spaces in Darwen that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others | Crimes per Hectare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksnape Playing Fields | 6 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0.34 |
| Darwen Cricket and Sports Club | 3 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2.3 |
Comparing Darwen to the UK's Major Cities
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 30% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 13% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 5% safer |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 2.2% safer |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 1.7% safer |
| Darwen | 87.70 | - |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 10% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 15% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 18% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 34% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 36% more dangerous |
Crime in Darwen's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen Town | 827 | 130 | First |
| East Darwen | 575 | 101 | Second |
| North Darwen | 557 | 83 | Third |
| South Darwen & Whitehall | 416 | 49 | Fourth |
Darwen Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Darwen for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | South Darwen & Whitehall (299) | Darwen Town (650) |
| Bicycle Theft | South Darwen & Whitehall (1) | East Darwen (2) |
| Burglary | North Darwen (36) | South Darwen & Whitehall (86) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | South Darwen & Whitehall (55) | Darwen Town (103) |
| Drugs | South Darwen & Whitehall (1) | Darwen Town (17) |
| Other Crime | North Darwen (10) | East Darwen (18) |
| Other Theft | South Darwen & Whitehall (33) | Darwen Town (72) |
| Possession of Weapons | South Darwen & Whitehall (4) | Darwen Town (6) |
| Public Order | South Darwen & Whitehall (14) | Darwen Town (82) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | North Darwen (1) | Darwen Town (5) |
| Shoplifting | South Darwen & Whitehall (1) | Darwen Town (87) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | North Darwen (1) | Darwen Town (2) |
| Vehicle Crime | East Darwen (18) | North Darwen (41) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | South Darwen & Whitehall (178) | Darwen Town (367) |
Crime in Darwen During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Darwen change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in August, when Darwen saw a 700% increase in other crime. Darwen saw a large fall in vehicle crime during May, when it fell by 95% compared to May in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -7% | +94% | +111% | +205% | +51% | +28% | +31% | +34% | +64% | +86% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | +200% | - | - | - |
| Burglary | +5% | +21% | -19% | +30% | -31% | -24% | -73% | -49% | -38% | +133% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -36% | -26% | -46% | -23% | -8% | +7% | -47% | -42% | +10% | +4% |
| Drugs | -50% | - | +67% | +500% | -83% | +300% | -67% | +100% | - | - |
| Other Crime | -17% | -25% | +50% | -20% | -38% | +700% | +300% | - | +267% | +250% |
| Other Theft | -19% | -72% | +20% | -9% | -5% | -19% | -46% | -55% | +36% | -42% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | -50% | - | +200% | - | - | -50% | - | -50% |
| Public Order | -38% | -54% | -28% | +25% | -16% | +73% | +120% | +54% | +67% | -44% |
| Robbery | - | +100% | -50% | - | +100% | - | - | - | - | -67% |
| Shoplifting | -50% | -67% | -38% | -50% | -8% | -13% | -44% | -80% | -65% | -70% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | -75% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -20% | -42% | -95% | -47% | -73% | -54% | -78% | -26% | -65% | -50% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -7% | -23% | +28% | +21% | +1% | +30% | +12% | -11% | +14% | -19% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Darwen
What police force serves Darwen?
Darwen's local territorial police force is the Lancashire Constabulary.How dangerous is Darwen?
Darwen is among the top 5 most dangerous medium-sized towns in Lancashire.What is Darwen's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Darwen are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Darwen?
Darwen's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 07 May 2021