Scunthorpe Crime Overview
Scunthorpe is the safest major town in Lincolnshire, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Lincolnshire's 599 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Scunthorpe in 2020 was 98 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Lincolnshire's overall crime rate, coming in 23% higher than the Lincolnshire rate of 75 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Scunthorpe is the 33rd most dangerous major town, and the 526th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, Scunthorpe had the worst crime rate in Lincolnshire for burglary, with 73 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.87 per 1,000 inhabitants. August 2020 was also a bad month for Scunthorpe residents, when it was Lincolnshire's most dangerous area for other theft, recording 73 crimes at a rate of 0.87 per 1,000 residents. Scunthorpe recorded 15 reports of robbery during September 2020, making its crime rate of 0.18 the worst for robbery in Lincolnshire that month.
The most common crimes in Scunthorpe are violence and sexual offences, with 3,172 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 38. This is 10% lower than 2019's figure of 3,480 offences and a difference of 3.69 from 2019's crime rate of 42. Scunthorpe's least common crime is theft from the person, with 34 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 62% from 2019's figure of 55 crimes.
Compare Scunthorpe to other towns and cities
See how Scunthorpe shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Scunthorpe and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Scunthorpe Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Scunthorpe This Year
| Scunthorpe | Lincolnshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 2,006 | 24.00 | 26,901 | 24.61 | 2.5% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 146 | 1.75 | 1,404 | 1.28 | 27% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 628 | 7.51 | 5,666 | 5.18 | 31% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 980 | 11.72 | 10,043 | 9.19 | 22% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 217 | 2.60 | 2,354 | 2.15 | 17% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 270 | 3.23 | 2,275 | 2.08 | 36% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 637 | 7.62 | 5,909 | 5.41 | 29% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 47 | 0.56 | 753 | 0.69 | 23% safer |
| Public Order | 953 | 11.40 | 8,414 | 7.70 | 32% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 79 | 0.95 | 484 | 0.44 | 54% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 614 | 7.35 | 6,014 | 5.50 | 25% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 34 | 0.41 | 301 | 0.28 | 32% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 414 | 4.95 | 3,702 | 3.39 | 32% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 3,172 | 37.95 | 34,660 | 31.71 | 16% more dangerous |
Crime in Scunthorpe Compared To Lincolnshire
Scunthorpe Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 24 | 21 | 26 | 24 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Burglary | 12 | 11 | 11 | 8 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.6 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.74 | 0.63 | 0.79 | 0.56 | Safer |
| Public Order | 6 | 9 | 12 | 11 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.95 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 11 | 14 | 13 | 7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.89 | 0.81 | 0.66 | 0.41 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 8 | 7 | 9 | 5.0 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 30 | 39 | 42 | 38 | Getting worse |
Changes In Scunthorpe's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Scunthorpe to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 45% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 27% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 18% safer |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 14% safer |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 14% safer |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 0.57% safer |
| Scunthorpe | 98.00 | - |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 4.7% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 9% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 26% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 29% more dangerous |
Crime in Scunthorpe's Neighbourhoods
Scunthorpe Central & Crosby is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Scunthorpe, followed by Scunthorpe Frodingham in second place, and Scunthorpe North as the third most dangerous area. Scunthorpe's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Scunthorpe Berkeley, Scunthorpe Bottesford, and Scunthorpe Lincoln Gardens.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scunthorpe Ashby | 648 | 102 | Fifth |
| Scunthorpe Berkeley | 446 | 69 | Seventh |
| Scunthorpe Bottesford | 409 | 45 | Eighth |
| Scunthorpe Central & Crosby | 2,005 | 208 | First |
| Scunthorpe Frodingham | 817 | 130 | Second |
| Scunthorpe Lakeside | 917 | 104 | Fourth |
| Scunthorpe Lincoln Gardens | 550 | 82 | Sixth |
| Scunthorpe North | 878 | 111 | Third |
Scunthorpe Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Scunthorpe for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Scunthorpe Bottesford (85) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (446) |
| Bicycle Theft | Scunthorpe Berkeley (1) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (57) |
| Burglary | Scunthorpe Lakeside (41) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (120) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Scunthorpe Berkeley (45) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (221) |
| Drugs | Scunthorpe Bottesford (10) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (52) |
| Other Crime | Scunthorpe Bottesford (16) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (63) |
| Other Theft | Scunthorpe Bottesford (28) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (144) |
| Possession of Weapons | Scunthorpe Ashby (2) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (16) |
| Public Order | Scunthorpe Bottesford (39) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (262) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Scunthorpe Berkeley (2) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (31) |
| Shoplifting | Scunthorpe Lincoln Gardens (1) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (251) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Scunthorpe Lakeside (2) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (13) |
| Vehicle Crime | Scunthorpe Bottesford (18) | Scunthorpe Frodingham (61) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Scunthorpe Bottesford (170) | Scunthorpe Central & Crosby (715) |
Crime in Scunthorpe During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Scunthorpe change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in September, when Scunthorpe saw a 1,400% increase in robbery. Scunthorpe saw a large fall in violence and sexual offences during December, when it fell by 100% compared to December in 2019. Vehicle Crime saw a fall in every month of Scunthorpe's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -14% | -4% | -6% | +17% | +23% | -24% | -10% | -13% | -7% | - |
| Bicycle Theft | +31% | -63% | -73% | -40% | -57% | -52% | -47% | -14% | +33% | - |
| Burglary | -34% | -65% | -66% | -7% | -2% | -13% | -44% | +5% | +7% | - |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +15% | -34% | -33% | -20% | +10% | -1% | -15% | -31% | -17% | - |
| Drugs | +40% | +75% | +56% | +580% | +109% | -6% | +44% | +100% | +100% | - |
| Other Crime | +39% | +33% | +4% | +19% | +35% | -31% | -16% | -36% | +11% | - |
| Other Theft | -21% | -26% | -25% | -28% | +12% | +14% | -26% | -24% | -5% | - |
| Possession of Weapons | -50% | +25% | -64% | - | - | -14% | -17% | -25% | -57% | - |
| Public Order | -24% | -27% | -4% | +10% | +15% | +42% | +26% | +13% | -11% | - |
| Robbery | -63% | -70% | -79% | -81% | +13% | -33% | +1,400% | -42% | -58% | - |
| Shoplifting | -40% | -58% | -81% | -71% | -38% | +19% | -8% | -64% | -36% | - |
| Theft From the Person | -40% | +100% | - | -70% | -67% | -50% | - | +100% | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -30% | -12% | -36% | -70% | -90% | -67% | -31% | -40% | -44% | - |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -8% | -18% | -16% | -2% | +9% | +6% | +5% | -2% | -10% | -100% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Scunthorpe
What police force serves Scunthorpe?
Scunthorpe's local territorial police force is the Lincolnshire Police.How dangerous is Scunthorpe?
Scunthorpe is the safest major town in Lincolnshire.What is Scunthorpe's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Scunthorpe are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Scunthorpe?
Scunthorpe's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021