Sleaford Crime Overview

Sleaford is among the top 5 safest small towns in Lincolnshire, and is the 80th most dangerous overall out of Lincolnshire's 599 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Sleaford in 2020 was 59 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Lincolnshire's overall crime rate, coming in 27% lower than the Lincolnshire rate of 75 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Sleaford is the 333rd most dangerous small town, and the 2,188th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In June 2020, Sleaford was the worst small town in Lincolnshire for drugs, with 14 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.72 per 1,000 inhabitants. June 2020 was also a bad month for Sleaford residents, when it was Lincolnshire's most dangerous small town for other crime, recording 5 crimes at a rate of 0.26 per 1,000 residents. Sleaford recorded 3 reports of possession of weapons during September 2020, making its crime rate of 0.15 the worst small town for possession of weapons in Lincolnshire that month.

The most common crimes in Sleaford are violence and sexual offences, with 548 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 28. This is 18% lower than 2019's figure of 647 offences and a difference of 5.07 from 2019's crime rate of 33. Sleaford's least common crime is theft from the person, with 1 offence recorded in 2020, a decrease of 300% from 2019's figure of 4 crimes.

Compare Sleaford to other towns and cities

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

Sleaford Crime Map

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Crime in Sleaford Compared To Lincolnshire

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Summary of Crimes in Sleaford This Year

 SleafordLincolnshire 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour50525.8526,90124.614.8% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft70.361,4041.28256% safer
Burglary392.005,6665.18159% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson1165.9410,0439.1955% safer
Drugs532.712,3542.1521% more dangerous
Other Crime241.232,2752.0869% safer
Other Theft743.795,9095.4143% safer
Possession of Weapons130.677530.693.0% safer
Public Order1186.048,4147.7027% safer
Robbery50.264840.4469% safer
Shoplifting1175.996,0145.508% more dangerous
Theft From the Person10.053010.28460% safer
Vehicle Crime351.793,7023.3989% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences54828.0534,66031.7113% safer

Sleaford Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Bottesford17116.01268% safer
Bourne77144.5732% safer
North Hykeham82250.2117% safer
Holbeach59454.837% safer
Sleaford1,15058.87-
Barton-upon-Humber69259.300.73% more dangerous
Stamford1,23459.761.5% more dangerous
Immingham67267.9213% more dangerous
Mablethorpe and Sutton91572.4319% more dangerous
Louth1,29074.0821% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Sleaford

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Sleaford

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Jubilee GroveUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Other theftOn or near Stone WayInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near Ashfield RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Lomax DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Robertson DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Other theftOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Tower ViewUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near Shopping AreaUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near East GateUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near North GateInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Vehicle crimeOn or near Parking AreaInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near SupermarketUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near SupermarketUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Dawson RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Boston RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Vehicle crimeOn or near Eagle DriveInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near Grantham RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Clinton DriveInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Petrol StationInvestigation complete; no suspect identified

Sleaford Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour29222026Getting worse
Bicycle Theft1.40.611.00.36Safer
Burglary3.33.752.0Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson7876Safer
Drugs1.61.82.82.7Getting worse
Other Crime0.721.31.81.2Safer
Other Theft5673.8Safer
Possession of Weapons0.360.560.460.67Getting worse
Public Order1.82.986Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.310.360.610.26Safer
Shoplifting84.4106Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.610.610.200.05Safer
Vehicle Crime2.72.42.61.8Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences12263328Getting worse

Changes In Sleaford's Crime Rates Over Time

Comparing Sleaford to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Sleaford58.87-
Barnet67.7113% more dangerous
Coventry77.4124% more dangerous
Croydon83.2229% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8131% more dangerous
Bristol86.2132% more dangerous
Leicester97.4440% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8743% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2845% more dangerous
Bradford133.0256% more dangerous
Leeds137.1057% more dangerous

Crime in Sleaford's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Sleaford East84787First
Sleaford West30331Second

Crime in Sleaford During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Sleaford change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in June, when Sleaford saw a 180% increase in drugs. Sleaford saw a large fall in burglary during April, when it fell by 90% compared to April in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour-53%+87%+120%+108%+33%+42%+67%-14%+13%+4%
Bicycle Theft-+100%--67%------
Burglary-22%-90%--50%-50%+125%-88%-60%-86%-
Criminal Damage and Arson-16%-82%-50%+36%-50%+100%+13%-55%-50%+17%
Drugs-83%+67%-29%+180%-50%-33%--25%-57%-
Other Crime-17%--+150%---25%-83%-50%-33%
Other Theft+89%-43%-80%-76%-80%-60%-38%-13%-30%+14%
Possession of Weapons-67%-----67%+50%---
Public Order-36%-27%--43%-17%-53%-31%-33%+14%+14%
Robbery---------+100%
Shoplifting-75%-56%-60%-89%-53%-45%-8%+25%+33%-10%
Vehicle Crime-50%-89%+67%-33%---50%+50%-50%-50%
Violence and Sexual Offences-29%-35%-30%+43%-19%-24%-25%-16%-38%+18%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Sleaford

What police force serves Sleaford?
Sleaford's local territorial police force is the Lincolnshire Police.
How dangerous is Sleaford?
Sleaford is among the top 5 safest small towns in Lincolnshire.
What is Sleaford's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Sleaford are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Sleaford?
Sleaford's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).

Last updated: 31 Dec 2021