Thornton Crime Overview

Thornton is among the top 10 safest small towns in Lancashire, and is the 101st most dangerous overall out of Lancashire's 241 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Thornton in 2020 was 36 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Lancashire's overall crime rate, coming in 101% lower than the Lancashire rate of 72 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Thornton is the 185th safest small town, and the 5,163rd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In June 2020, Thornton was the worst small town in Lancashire for possession of weapons, with 1 crime reported and a crime rate of 0.05 per 1,000 inhabitants. June 2020 was also a bad month for Thornton residents, when it was Lancashire's most dangerous small town for robbery, recording 1 crime at a rate of 0.05 per 1,000 residents. Thornton recorded 5 reports of other crime during May 2019, making its crime rate of 0.25 the worst small town for other crime in Lancashire that month.

The most common crimes in Thornton are violence and sexual offences, with 397 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 20. This is 10% higher than 2019's figure of 356 offences and a difference of 2.05 from 2019's crime rate of 18. Thornton's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 2 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 100% from 2019's figure of 4 crimes.

Compare Thornton to other towns and cities

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

Thornton Crime Map

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Crime in Thornton Compared To Lancashire

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Summary of Crimes in Thornton This Year

 ThorntonLancashire 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour75437.6688,46658.6356% safer
Bicycle Theft70.358670.5763% safer
Burglary412.057,4914.96142% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson1065.2913,6289.0371% safer
Drugs100.502,4861.65230% safer
Other Crime150.752,5911.72129% safer
Other Theft512.559,7706.48154% safer
Possession of Weapons20.109890.66560% safer
Public Order331.658,0945.36225% safer
Robbery40.207520.50150% safer
Shoplifting140.705,4113.59413% safer
Theft From the Person20.105550.37270% safer
Vehicle Crime402.006,2574.15108% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences39719.8350,36333.3868% safer

Thornton Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Penwortham53423.4654% safer
Burscough31933.079% safer
Poulton-le-Fylde62934.733.8% safer
Clayton-le-Woods55935.023.0% safer
Euxton47135.910.42% safer
Thornton72236.06-
Clitheroe65339.218% more dangerous
Longridge32839.9310% more dangerous
Up Holland30440.2210% more dangerous
Barnoldswick46443.5117% more dangerous
Padiham45845.1820% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Thornton

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Thornton

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Church RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Walker WayUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021BurglaryOn or near Trunnah GardensFurther investigation is not in the public interest
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Rixton GroveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Rixton GroveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Rixton GroveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Public orderOn or near Cranbourne GroveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Cheryl DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Public orderOn or near Bourne RoadLocal resolution
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near River RoadFurther investigation is not in the public interest
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Bancroft AvenueUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Grizedale CourtUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Grizedale CourtUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Chirk DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Orchard CloseAction to be taken by another organisation
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Saxon CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Blenheim DriveOffender given a caution
July 2021Public orderOn or near Pleasant GroveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Waring DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
July 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Beeches CourtUnable to prosecute suspect

Thornton Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour29192038Getting worse
Bicycle Theft0.450.250.150.35Getting worse
Burglary3.43.72.82.0Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson674.25Safer
Drugs0.350.550.350.50Getting worse
Other Crime0.651.41.40.75Safer
Other Theft3.04.03.02.6Safer
Possession of Weapons0.100.100.200.10Safer
Public Order1.42.51.81.6Safer
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.050.100.100.20Getting worse
Shoplifting2.52.42.30.70Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.200.30-0.10Safer
Vehicle Crime4.253.02.0Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences12221820Getting worse

Changes In Thornton's Crime Rates Over Time

Comparing Thornton to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Thornton36.06-
Barnet67.7147% more dangerous
Coventry77.4153% more dangerous
Croydon83.2257% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8158% more dangerous
Bristol86.2158% more dangerous
Leicester97.4463% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8765% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2866% more dangerous
Bradford133.0273% more dangerous
Leeds137.1074% more dangerous

Crime in Thornton's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Cleveleys East24332First
Thornton East & Carleton West25428Second

Crime in Thornton During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Thornton change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in November, when Thornton saw a 600% increase in vehicle crime. Thornton saw a large fall in shoplifting during April, when it fell by 90% compared to April in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour+71%+167%+127%+420%-23%-40%+65%+185%+123%+100%
Burglary+133%-+300%-75%-38%-50%-80%+50%+200%-33%
Criminal Damage and Arson+25%-20%-45%-20%--+450%+167%-11%+13%
Drugs--------+200%-
Other Crime-40%---33%-33%----+200%
Other Theft+67%-83%-33%-40%-70%+67%-63%+75%-+60%
Public Order+33%-33%-40%+200%-83%-25%-50%---
Shoplifting--90%-50%-33%--+50%-86%-60%-
Vehicle Crime+60%-25%-50%-67%-71%--75%-86%+600%-
Violence and Sexual Offences-3%-24%-40%+13%+42%+30%+17%+52%+43%+23%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Thornton

What police force serves Thornton?
Thornton's local territorial police force is the Lancashire Constabulary.
How dangerous is Thornton?
Thornton is among the top 10 safest small towns in Lancashire.
What is Thornton's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Thornton are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Thornton?
Thornton's least common crimes are possession of weapons.

Last updated: 05 Oct 2021