Leicester Crime Overview
Leicester is the most dangerous city in Leicestershire, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Leicestershire's 237 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Leicester in 2020 was 97 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Leicestershire's overall crime rate, coming in 27% higher than the Leicestershire rate of 71 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Leicester is among the top 20 most dangerous cities, and the 536th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Leicester had the worst crime rate in Leicestershire for bicycle theft, with 40 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.10 per 1,000 inhabitants. December 2020 was also a bad month for Leicester residents, when it was Leicestershire's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 167 crimes at a rate of 0.40 per 1,000 residents. Leicester recorded 340 reports of criminal damage and arson during December 2020, making its crime rate of 0.82 the worst for criminal damage and arson in Leicestershire that month.
The most common crimes in Leicester are violence and sexual offences, with 17,022 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 41. This is 9% higher than 2019's figure of 15,420 offences and a difference of 3.85 from 2019's crime rate of 37. Leicester's least common crime is theft from the person, with 342 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 78% from 2019's figure of 610 crimes.
Compare Leicester to other towns and cities
See how Leicester shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Leicester and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Leicester Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Leicester This Year
| Leicester | Leicestershire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 6,523 | 15.70 | 12,753 | 12.03 | 23% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 727 | 1.75 | 1,154 | 1.09 | 38% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 2,249 | 5.41 | 4,513 | 4.26 | 21% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 4,278 | 10.29 | 8,501 | 8.02 | 22% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 1,577 | 3.80 | 2,645 | 2.49 | 34% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 912 | 2.19 | 1,837 | 1.73 | 21% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 2,872 | 6.91 | 5,978 | 5.64 | 18% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 409 | 0.98 | 637 | 0.60 | 39% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 5,303 | 12.76 | 9,360 | 8.83 | 31% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 550 | 1.32 | 720 | 0.68 | 48% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 1,375 | 3.31 | 2,848 | 2.69 | 19% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 342 | 0.82 | 539 | 0.51 | 38% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 2,873 | 6.91 | 6,044 | 5.70 | 18% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 17,022 | 40.96 | 31,032 | 29.27 | 29% more dangerous |
Crime in Leicester Compared To Leicestershire
Leicester Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 22 | 18 | 16 | 16 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Burglary | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.8 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.98 | Safer |
| Public Order | 6 | 9 | 11 | 13 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.3 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3.3 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.1 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.82 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 27 | 35 | 37 | 41 | Getting worse |
Changes In Leicester's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Leicester to the UK's Major Cities
Crime in Leicester's Neighbourhoods
Leicester City Centre is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Leicester, followed by New Parks & Stokeswood in second place, and Braunstone Park West as the third most dangerous area. Leicester's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Crown Hills, Knighton, and Spinney Hill Road.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey Park | 1,310 | 116 | 14th |
| Aylestone North & Saffron Fields | 903 | 137 | Eighth |
| Aylestone South | 870 | 110 | 16th |
| Belgrave North East | 525 | 63 | 30th |
| Belgrave North West | 798 | 87 | 21st |
| Belgrave South | 535 | 56 | 32nd |
| Braunstone Park East | 1,051 | 127 | 11th |
| Braunstone Park West | 1,042 | 149 | Third |
| Clarendon Park & Stoneygate South | 1,200 | 102 | 18th |
| Colchester Road | 651 | 83 | 23rd |
| Crown Hills | 537 | 54 | 33rd |
| Dane Hills & Western Park | 722 | 101 | 19th |
| Evington | 480 | 58 | 31st |
| Eyres Monsell | 1,072 | 134 | Ninth |
| Highfields South | 913 | 81 | 25th |
| Kirby Frith | 1,075 | 133 | Tenth |
| Knighton | 320 | 46 | 35th |
| Leicester City Centre | 3,921 | 339 | First |
| Leicester City South | 1,876 | 138 | Seventh |
| Leicester Forest East | 409 | 67 | 28th |
| New Parks & Stokeswood | 1,424 | 177 | Second |
| Newfoundpool | 1,082 | 126 | 12th |
| North Evington & Rowlatts Hill | 1,245 | 115 | 15th |
| Northfields & Merrydale | 802 | 95 | 20th |
| Rowley Fields & Faircharm | 862 | 107 | 17th |
| Rushey Mead North | 617 | 80 | 26th |
| Rushey Mead South | 451 | 66 | 29th |
| Saffron Lane | 1,053 | 140 | Sixth |
| Spinney Hill Road | 724 | 51 | 34th |
| St Matthews & Highfields North | 959 | 82 | 24th |
| Stocking Farm & Mowmacre | 1,627 | 144 | Fifth |
| Stoneygate North | 888 | 67 | 27th |
| Thurnby Lodge | 920 | 87 | 22nd |
| West End & Westcotes | 2,129 | 144 | Fourth |
| West Knighton | 1,083 | 123 | 13th |
Leicester Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Leicester for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Colchester Road (58) | Leicester City Centre (583) |
| Bicycle Theft | Rushey Mead South (1) | Leicester City Centre (200) |
| Burglary | Spinney Hill Road (30) | Leicester City Centre (186) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Spinney Hill Road (58) | Braunstone Park West (174) |
| Drugs | Belgrave North East (9) | West Knighton (124) |
| Other Crime | Stoneygate North (8) | Braunstone Park West (41) |
| Other Theft | Belgrave North East (19) | Leicester City Centre (441) |
| Possession of Weapons | Leicester Forest East (1) | Leicester City Centre (45) |
| Public Order | Knighton (30) | Leicester City Centre (632) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Belgrave North East (2) | Leicester City Centre (78) |
| Shoplifting | Knighton (1) | Leicester City Centre (464) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Northfields & Merrydale (1) | Leicester City Centre (106) |
| Vehicle Crime | Spinney Hill Road (38) | Abbey Park (207) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Knighton (107) | Leicester City Centre (1,246) |
Crime in Leicester During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Leicester change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in December, when Leicester saw a 58% increase in other crime. Leicester saw a large fall in theft from the person during November, when it fell by 72% compared to November in 2019. Rates of bicycle theft and criminal damage and arson both fell year-on-year for every month during Leicester's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -6% | +38% | +2% | -8% | -6% | -10% | +11% | -10% | +11% | +2% |
| Bicycle Theft | -25% | -42% | -29% | -36% | -30% | -48% | -21% | - | -7% | -2% |
| Burglary | -12% | -37% | -38% | -38% | -37% | -30% | -31% | -26% | -14% | -30% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -9% | -29% | -29% | -19% | -6% | -2% | -16% | -14% | +9% | -7% |
| Drugs | -13% | +27% | -20% | +37% | +23% | +21% | +4% | +10% | +39% | -2% |
| Other Crime | -29% | +14% | +3% | +10% | +19% | +43% | -19% | -3% | -6% | +58% |
| Other Theft | -6% | -21% | -37% | -23% | -35% | -22% | -18% | -12% | -35% | -33% |
| Possession of Weapons | -34% | -50% | -29% | -35% | +20% | +18% | - | - | -9% | -13% |
| Public Order | +14% | +14% | +19% | +41% | +21% | +40% | +18% | +13% | +16% | +19% |
| Robbery | -21% | -57% | -15% | -24% | +18% | -34% | -29% | +17% | -23% | -44% |
| Shoplifting | -46% | -62% | -55% | -54% | -57% | -52% | -30% | -23% | -32% | -46% |
| Theft From the Person | -66% | -67% | -55% | -18% | -33% | -40% | -12% | -49% | -72% | -11% |
| Vehicle Crime | -5% | -35% | -41% | -54% | -45% | -43% | -27% | -2% | -32% | -37% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +4% | -10% | +9% | +19% | +12% | +20% | +19% | +26% | +16% | +10% |
Frequently Asked Questions About 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 crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021