Crime and Safety in Leicester

Last updated: 07 Jun 2026

Page highlights:

Leicester is the most dangerous city in Leicestershire, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Leicestershire's 230 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Leicester in 2026 is 98 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Leicestershire's overall crime rate, coming in 44% higher than the Leicestershire rate of 68 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Leicester is among the top 20 most dangerous cities, and the 620th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In March 2024, Leicester had the worst crime rate in Leicestershire for robbery, with 53 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.13 per 1,000 daytime population. April 2024 was also a bad month for Leicester residents, when it was again Leicestershire's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 58 crimes at a rate of 0.14 per 1,000 daytime population.

The most common crimes in Leicester are violence and sexual offences, with 16,796 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 40. This is 2.3% lower than 2025's figure of 17,195 offences and a difference of 1.00 from 2025's crime rate of 41. Leicester's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 475 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 6% from 2025's figure of 448 crimes.

Leicester 2026 Crime Scorecard

Most Dangerous

Cities, Leicestershire

40% higher, regional crime rate

East Midlands

36% higher, national crime rate

England, Wales & NI

Local Crime in Context

As of April 2026, the crime rate in Leicester is 40% higher than the East Midlands and 36% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.

Leicester Crime Rate Over Time

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Leicester
East Midlands
England, Wales & NI

Leicester Crime Map

Incidents mapped in Leicester represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.

Use Crime Map

Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.

Open Crime Map
Design element, blobs on the right

See How Leicester Compares

You can compare Leicester's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.

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Introduction to Leicester's crime statistics

 

This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Leicester up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Leicester's 6,084 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:

  • Within a Five-Minute Walk
  • Within a Ten-Minute Walk
  • Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk

Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.

Overview map crime around Leicester

CrimeRate Insights

Looking into a specific address in Leicester? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.

Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.

That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.

Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.

Crime Risk Scores

Leicester • 12 Months Ending April 2026

 

The typical five-minute walk within Leicester has a crime risk score of 647. This is based on analysis of 6,084 nearby areas within Leicester, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.

Five Mins
647 crime risk score
Ten Mins
701 crime risk score
Fifteen Mins
744 crime risk score

Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Leicester's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.

Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Leicester, crime risk scores are typically around 647, while in Leicestershire they are average 453.

Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 701 (458 for Leicestershire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 744 (Leicestershire 462).

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Trends in Crime Risk

Leicester

 

Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.

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The 10-year trend indicates an increase of 8% in Leicester's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.

Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Leicester's crime risk score is down by 12%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.

Over the last year, Leicester's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 7%, indicating that the risk profile is going down. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.

Crime Rates and Indexes

Leicester

 

The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.

1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.

Highest Crime Rates

Leicester • 12 Months Ending April 2026

 

Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.

Public Order
2.00 CrimeRate Index
Criminal Damage and Arson
1.64 CrimeRate Index
Drugs
1.45 CrimeRate Index

Public Order offences have a crime rate of 12 reports per 1,000 people in Leicester, which is 2.00 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 4,933 crime reports logged by Leicestershire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.

For the same period, Leicestershire Police recorded 4,383 reports of Criminal Damage and Arson in Leicester, resulting in a crime rate of 10 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.64.

The crime rate for Drugs is 1.45 times the national average at 4.47 reports per 1,000. This is from 1,911 crime reports reported to Leicestershire Police.

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Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types

Leicester

 

Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.

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Criminal Damage and Arson offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.54 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Criminal Damage and Arson CrimeRate Index was 1.62 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 4.9% over this timeframe.

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Shoplifting offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.15 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 1.02 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 13% over this timeframe.

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Theft From the Person offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.58 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 0.92 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 37% over this timeframe.

Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types

Leicester

 

Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.

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Violence and Sexual Offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.30 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 1.50 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 13% over this timeframe.

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Possession of Weapons offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.29 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Possession of Weapons CrimeRate Index was 2.14 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 40% over this timeframe.

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Burglary offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.21 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 1.27 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 4.7% over this timeframe.

Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map

Leicester • 12 Months Ending April 2026

 

Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.

 
Leicester
Leicestershire
East Midlands
Crime TypeCountRateIndexCountRateIndexCountRateIndex
Anti-Social Behaviour6,65015.661.1114,01811.210.7982,28814.841.05
Bicycle Theft7201.692.321,1270.931.273,6050.660.90
Burglary1,5843.731.194,0993.291.0516,4282.970.95
Criminal Damage and Arson4,38310.301.648,9847.191.1436,7096.631.06
Drugs1,9114.471.452,9462.370.7714,1022.530.82
Other Crime7781.851.002,0261.630.8811,5492.091.13
Other Theft2,9967.061.246,3195.060.8928,0105.030.88
Possession of Weapons4751.121.328040.660.785,0770.921.08
Public Order4,93311.602.008,8917.111.2333,6216.061.04
Robbery5951.411.198320.650.555,2220.950.81
Shoplifting3,5068.261.167,8156.260.8841,7737.511.05
Theft From the Person5201.220.797950.630.412,8340.510.33
Vehicle Crime2,3965.621.315,1424.100.9520,3913.670.85
Violence and Sexual Offences16,79639.531.3035,10728.070.92169,27630.511.00
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Total Crime by Year

 
Leicester
Leicestershire
East Midlands
YearCountRateIndexCountRateIndexCountRateIndex
202641,59397.861.3684,88767.950.94388,59770.040.97
202543,931103.991.4089,98672.490.98391,36671.160.96
202445,907109.631.4594,03676.731.02401,13673.810.98
202348,420117.681.49100,42283.261.05420,11878.150.99
202245,908113.591.4893,29278.641.02404,38976.270.99
202139,48997.781.4380,63268.511.00361,49468.611.00
202040,16099.161.3481,21569.410.94388,88874.151.00
201942,756105.651.3986,58274.280.97375,24371.880.94
201840,06499.941.4180,83370.040.98331,94064.140.90
201732,52382.121.2867,17358.970.92297,38158.030.91
20169,38323.731.2419,53917.240.9087,91417.170.90
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Comparing Leicester to the UK's Major Cities

12 Months Ending Apr 2026

 

City NameCrime RateRate Difference
Cardiff79.5519% safer
Newcastle upon Tyne82.6916% safer
Sheffield84.0914% safer
Leicester97.86-
Bristol104.647% more dangerous
Birmingham105.057% more dangerous
Liverpool106.489% more dangerous
Leeds107.109% more dangerous
Nottingham107.7410% more dangerous
Westminster125.0028% more dangerous

Offences In and Around Leicester's Parks & Leisure Spaces

 

Limited to spaces in Leicester that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll Others
Milton Crescent Court Yard1411128
The Castle Green6343617
Church Fields4-3-1511
Andrews Football Club52724421
Hamilton Park4314-1217
St Mary's Open Space315-1211
Ocean Road Open Space42611511
Skampton Green312-25
Jesse Jackson Park12-911431
The Secret Garden----41
Riverside Football Ground1314-316
University Athletic Ground8-4-33
Shaykh Adam Square7221168
Prebend Gardens1562635751
Hamilton Park17---51
Northfields Playbarn2-1-84
Beaumont Park Sports Ground1--176
Belgrave Bowling Club4-221216
Beaumanor Road Allotments925-1914
Belgrave Gardens72312312
Holden Street Allotments72-167
Midland Co-operative Society Sports and Social Club-11-12
Uxbridge Road Allotments2---12
Cossington Street Sports Centre11-7-2011
Harrison Road Allotments312184
Reservoir Allotments1-2-59
Braunstone Leisure Centre3-1265
Stokes Drive Allotments----13
Groby Road Allotments12212-3326
The Rally Community Park3910291710778
Abbey Park3462046564
Fosse Road Recreation Ground2241123649
Rancliffe Gardens Allotments8112-1815
Westcotes Park61122220
Westcotes Bowling Club664-1627
Bede Park12431350225
Thirlmere Street Gardens1471215053
Uppingham Road Garden134412111
Craven Recreation Ground152612824
Wycombe Road Allotments--1-12
Uppingham Road Allotments511-2230
Humberstone Park11121045951
Goodwood Bowling Club111-12
Highfield's Adventure Playground6121107
Spinney Hill Park31302068872
Gwendolen Road Gardens2271142
Lily Marriott Garden3142159
Ethel Road Allotments1--1-4
Evington Park242743642
Rowley Fields Allotments-----2
Aylestone Leisure Centre1321024350
Aylestone Recreation Ground1214-279
Friar Lane and Epworth Football Club1--1-3
Aylestone Hall Gardens14621710
Wash Brook Nature Park3-331012
Elston Fields Recreation Ground5-6-711
Brookfield Rise Nature Garden213-227
Queens Road Allotments134-34
Church Lane Gardens5-3-57
Leicester Bowling Club----23
Humberstone Community Gardens6-1-73
Willowbrook Park2021513434
Castle Hill Country Park4051616964
Gilroes Cemetery314-99
Beaumont Park911-410
Red Hill Allotments3112311
Belgrave Cemetery-----4
Abbey Rise Allotments14-2-58
Beaumont Leys Lane Allotments-12-816
Belgrave Sports Ground4-221216
Watermead Country Park124431850
Watermead Ecological Park2---12
Oakland Avenue Allotments1----1
Rushey Fields Recreation Ground61311111
Appleton Park313-329
Western Park3011452240
Rancliffe Gardens912259
Braunstone Park5342088960
Bonney Road Allotments----37
Sandhurst Road Allotments2661625032
Westcotes Gardens91421531
Castle Gardens851262352
Nelson Mandela Park3-4-52
Victoria Park5192094977
Riverside Park115-116
Aylestone Allotments-12-165
Knighton Park717-1310
Saffron Hill Cemetery22--148
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Leisure Centre62851418
Big Local Willow Street Land and Multi Use Games Area2646-1817
Bennion Pools Nature Area4-1155
Morningside Arena41--23
Shady Lane Arboretum8-5-910

Recent Crimes in Leicester

The 20 most recent crime reports in Leicester.

 

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
April 2026Anti-social behaviourOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026BurglaryOn or near Abbotsford Road
April 2026DrugsOn or near Wynthorpe Rise
April 2026DrugsOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026Public orderOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026ShopliftingOn or near Supermarket
April 2026Theft from the personOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026Vehicle crimeOn or near Sickleholm Drive
April 2026Vehicle crimeOn or near Percy Road
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Wynthorpe Rise
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Abbotsford Road
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Wynthorpe Rise
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Horsefair Street
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Foundry Lane
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Parking Area
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Wynthorpe Rise
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Spencefield Drive

Methodology & Data Sources

Leicester Crime Report

 

Data Sources & Processing

Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.

Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Leicester during August 2026 will typically become available in October 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.

Leicester Data Points

For Leicester, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E43000015.

Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Leicester's daytime - or "workday" - population of 355,740 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.

All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.

Leicester geographic boundaries light outline
CrimeRate's boundaries for Leicester

Calculating Crime Rates

CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.

Crime Risk Score Calculations

CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.

Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.

Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.

The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Crime in Leicester

 

What police force serves Leicester?
Leicester's local territorial police force is the Leicestershire Police.

How dangerous is Leicester?
Leicester is the most dangerous city in Leicestershire.

What is Leicester's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Leicester are violence and sexual offences.

What is the least common crime in Leicester?
Leicester's least common crimes are possession of weapons.