Crime and Safety in Sleaford
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Sleaford is among the top 10 most dangerous small towns in Lincolnshire, and is the 76th most dangerous overall out of Lincolnshire's 563 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Sleaford in 2026 is 63 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Lincolnshire's overall crime rate, coming in 15% lower than the Lincolnshire rate of 73 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Sleaford is the 175th most dangerous small town, and the 1,147th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In January 2026, Sleaford was the worst small town in Lincolnshire for theft from the person, with 2 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.09 per 1,000 daytime population. February 2026 was also a bad month for Sleaford residents, when it was Lincolnshire's most dangerous small town for drugs, recording 10 crimes at a rate of 0.43 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Sleaford are violence and sexual offences, with 696 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 30. This is 2.5% higher than 2025's figure of 679 offences and a difference of 0.68 from 2025's crime rate of 30. Sleaford's least common crime is theft from the person, with 6 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 200% from 2025's figure of 2 crimes.
Sleaford 2026 Crime Scorecard
Top 10 Most Dangerous
Small Towns, Lincolnshire
11% lower, regional crime rate
East Midlands
13% lower, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Sleaford is 11% lower than the East Midlands and 13% lower than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Sleaford Crime Rate Over Time
| Sleaford | |
| East Midlands | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Sleaford Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Sleaford 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.
See How Sleaford Compares
You can compare Sleaford'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.
Introduction to Sleaford's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Sleaford up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Sleaford's 557 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.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Sleaford? 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
Sleaford • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Sleaford has a crime risk score of 519. This is based on analysis of 557 nearby areas within Sleaford, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
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 Sleaford's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Sleaford, crime risk scores are typically around 519, while in Lincolnshire they are average 499.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 510 (475 for Lincolnshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 519 (Lincolnshire 473).
Trends in Crime Risk
Sleaford
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.
The 10-year trend indicates an increase of 70% in Sleaford'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 Sleaford's crime risk score is up by 19%. 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, Sleaford's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 4.7%, 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
Sleaford
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
Sleaford • 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.
Shoplifting offences have a crime rate of 10 reports per 1,000 people in Sleaford, which is 1.43 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 235 crime reports logged by Lincolnshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Lincolnshire Police recorded 9 reports of Possession of Weapons in Sleaford, resulting in a crime rate of 0.38 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.12.
The crime rate for Public Order is 1.04 times the national average at 6.05 reports per 1,000. This is from 139 crime reports reported to Lincolnshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Sleaford
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.
Robbery offences are trending upwards, though the CrimeRate Index three years ago is too low to measure, and the trend should be reviewed with caution.
Burglary offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.25 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 0.43 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 191% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Sleaford
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Drugs offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.39 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Drugs CrimeRate Index was 1.48 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 74% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.14 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 0.59 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 93% over this timeframe.
Criminal Damage and Arson offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.20 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Criminal Damage and Arson CrimeRate Index was 0.78 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 54% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Sleaford • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Sleaford | Lincolnshire | East Midlands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 459 | 19.94 | 1.41 | 19,781 | 16.43 | 1.16 | 82,288 | 14.84 | 1.05 |
| Bicycle Theft | 11 | 0.47 | 1.00 | 956 | 0.79 | 1.08 | 3,605 | 0.66 | 0.90 |
| Burglary | 47 | 2.02 | 0.71 | 4,138 | 3.43 | 1.10 | 16,428 | 2.97 | 0.95 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 96 | 4.18 | 0.67 | 9,068 | 7.54 | 1.20 | 36,709 | 6.63 | 1.06 |
| Drugs | 51 | 2.20 | 0.78 | 2,264 | 1.88 | 0.61 | 14,102 | 2.53 | 0.82 |
| Other Crime | 47 | 2.04 | 1.10 | 2,993 | 2.51 | 1.36 | 11,549 | 2.09 | 1.13 |
| Other Theft | 68 | 2.96 | 0.52 | 5,910 | 4.91 | 0.86 | 28,010 | 5.03 | 0.88 |
| Possession of Weapons | 9 | 0.38 | 1.12 | 823 | 0.67 | 0.79 | 5,077 | 0.92 | 1.08 |
| Public Order | 139 | 6.05 | 1.04 | 7,245 | 6.02 | 1.04 | 33,621 | 6.06 | 1.04 |
| Robbery | 17 | 0.74 | 0.85 | 932 | 0.75 | 0.64 | 5,222 | 0.95 | 0.81 |
| Shoplifting | 235 | 10.21 | 1.43 | 10,547 | 8.77 | 1.23 | 41,773 | 7.51 | 1.05 |
| Theft From the Person | 6 | 0.25 | 0.40 | 195 | 0.13 | 0.08 | 2,834 | 0.51 | 0.33 |
| Vehicle Crime | 21 | 0.91 | 0.23 | 3,526 | 2.94 | 0.68 | 20,391 | 3.67 | 0.85 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 696 | 30.24 | 0.99 | 39,656 | 32.96 | 1.08 | 169,276 | 30.51 | 1.00 |
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Total Crime by Year
Sleaford | Lincolnshire | East Midlands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 1,443 | 62.65 | 0.91 | 88,253 | 73.30 | 1.02 | 388,597 | 70.04 | 0.97 |
| 2025 | 1,627 | 70.83 | 1.00 | 89,282 | 74.88 | 1.01 | 391,366 | 71.16 | 0.96 |
| 2024 | 1,663 | 73.31 | 1.02 | 89,685 | 75.92 | 1.01 | 401,136 | 73.81 | 0.98 |
| 2023 | 1,503 | 67.55 | 0.89 | 93,738 | 79.88 | 1.01 | 420,118 | 78.15 | 0.99 |
| 2022 | 1,378 | 62.78 | 0.85 | 88,095 | 75.83 | 0.99 | 404,389 | 76.27 | 0.99 |
| 2021 | 1,087 | 50.18 | 0.77 | 80,226 | 69.59 | 1.01 | 361,494 | 68.61 | 1.00 |
| 2020 | 1,394 | 65.02 | 0.91 | 93,009 | 81.07 | 1.09 | 388,888 | 74.15 | 1.00 |
| 2019 | 1,414 | 66.28 | 0.89 | 89,834 | 78.51 | 1.03 | 375,243 | 71.88 | 0.94 |
| 2018 | 916 | 43.24 | 0.64 | 71,582 | 62.67 | 0.88 | 331,940 | 64.14 | 0.90 |
| 2017 | 740 | 35.34 | 0.58 | 66,002 | 58.18 | 0.91 | 297,381 | 58.03 | 0.91 |
| 2016 | 209 | 9.98 | 0.56 | 19,924 | 17.62 | 0.92 | 87,914 | 17.17 | 0.90 |
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Sleaford Compared to Nearby Small Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skegness | 3,453 | 149.49 | 139% more dangerous |
| Gainsborough | 3,040 | 130.89 | 109% more dangerous |
| Immingham | 844 | 78.44 | 25% more dangerous |
| Louth | 1,317 | 66.82 | 7% more dangerous |
| Mablethorpe and Sutton | 853 | 66.24 | 6% more dangerous |
| Holbeach | 791 | 61.50 | 1.8% safer |
| Sleaford | 1,443 | 62.65 | - |
| Barton-upon-Humber | 606 | 51.59 | 18% safer |
| Stamford | 1,128 | 49.55 | 21% safer |
| Bottesford | 427 | 39.86 | 36% safer |
| Bourne | 890 | 43.75 | 30% safer |
| North Hykeham | 684 | 35.68 | 43% safer |
Comparing Sleaford to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Sleaford | 62.65 | - |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 27% more dangerous |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 32% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 34% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 56% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 67% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 68% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 70% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 71% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 72% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 100% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
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You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Sleaford's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Sleaford that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northgate Sports Centre | 22 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 9 |
| Bristol Hall | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 |
| Sleaford Tennis Club | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | 1 |
| Greylees Orchard | 12 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 1 |
| Castle Field | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 |
| Gregson Green | 11 | - | 4 | - | 20 | 6 |
Recent Crimes in Sleaford
The 20 most recent crime reports in Sleaford.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Montrose Grove | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Kinross Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Montrose Grove | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Montrose Grove | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Cromwell Crescent | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near The Old Farm | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Arran Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Arran Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Canterbury Drive | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Rudkin Drive | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Arran Close | |
| April 2026 | Bicycle theft | On or near Sports/Recreation Area | |
| April 2026 | Burglary | On or near Shopping Area | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Montrose Grove | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Montrose Grove | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Sports/Recreation Area | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Croft Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Manor Place | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Norwich Close |
Methodology & Data Sources
Sleaford 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 Sleaford during July 2026 will typically become available in September 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.
Sleaford Data Points
For Sleaford, 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 E04005832.
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 Sleaford's daytime - or "workday" - population of 17,068 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.
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 Sleaford