King's Lynn Crime Overview

King's Lynn is the second most dangerous medium-sized town in Norfolk, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Norfolk's 546 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in King's Lynn in 2020 was 104 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Norfolk's overall crime rate, coming in 33% higher than the Norfolk rate of 70 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, King's Lynn is the 31st most dangerous medium-sized town, and the 432nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In January 2017, King's Lynn had the worst crime rate in Norfolk for bicycle theft, with 26 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.54 per 1,000 inhabitants. June 2017 was also a bad month for King's Lynn residents, when it was Norfolk's most dangerous area for possession of weapons, recording 9 crimes at a rate of 0.19 per 1,000 residents.

The most common crimes in King's Lynn are violence and sexual offences, with 2,262 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 47. This is 18% higher than 2019's figure of 1,849 offences and a difference of 8.55 from 2019's crime rate of 38. King's Lynn's least common crime is robbery, with 34 offences recorded in 2020, an increase of 29% from 2019's figure of 24 crimes.

Compare King's Lynn to other towns and cities

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

King's Lynn Crime Map

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Crime in King's Lynn Compared To Norfolk

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Summary of Crimes in King's Lynn This Year

 King's LynnNorfolk 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour1,28326.5915,14016.6837% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft1212.518750.9662% more dangerous
Burglary1332.762,4982.750.36% more dangerous
Criminal Damage and Arson61512.747,0357.7539% more dangerous
Drugs3196.612,5992.8657% more dangerous
Other Crime1653.422,3202.5625% more dangerous
Other Theft3096.404,1824.6128% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons641.335790.6452% more dangerous
Public Order55611.527,1627.8932% more dangerous
Robbery340.703380.3747% more dangerous
Shoplifting3517.273,1663.4952% more dangerous
Theft From the Person410.853570.3954% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime701.451,8782.0743% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences2,26246.8730,14133.2029% more dangerous

King's Lynn Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns

Medium-Sized TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Thetford2,59296.588% safer
King's Lynn5,040104.44-
Great Yarmouth7,374135.1523% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in King's Lynn

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Recent Crimes in King's Lynn

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Somersby CloseInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Bransby CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Bransby CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Burkitt StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Public orderOn or near Burney RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Birchgrove RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near Birchgrove RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Birchgrove RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Birchgrove RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Birchgrove RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Bicycle theftOn or near Whisson CloseInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near RiversideUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Albion StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Public orderOn or near Albion StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Albion StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Other theftOn or near High StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Theft from the personOn or near High StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near King John AvenueUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Parking AreaUnable to prosecute suspect

King's Lynn Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour37312727Safer
Bicycle Theft4.64.13.52.5Safer
Burglary4.64.82.92.8Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson13131013Getting worse
Drugs4.84.867Getting worse
Other Crime2.22.52.93.4Getting worse
Other Theft8866Safer
Possession of Weapons0.811.01.41.3Getting worse
Public Order911812Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.770.890.500.70Safer
Shoplifting111187Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.951.20.950.85Safer
Vehicle Crime3.43.41.51.4Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences33413847Getting worse

Changes In King's Lynn's Crime Rates Over Time

Offences in King's Lynn's Green Spaces

We only display green spaces in King's Lynn that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll OthersCrimes per Hectare
Gaywood Park3----00.31
St James Park13126111103.6

Comparing King's Lynn to the UK's Major Cities

Medium-Sized TownCrime RateRate Difference
Barnet67.7154% safer
Coventry77.4135% safer
Croydon83.2225% safer
Sheffield85.8122% safer
Bristol86.2121% safer
Leicester97.447% safer
Birmingham102.871.5% safer
King's Lynn104.44-
Liverpool107.282.6% more dangerous
Bradford133.0221% more dangerous
Leeds137.1024% more dangerous

Crime in King's Lynn's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Fairstead & Springwood77885Second
Gaywood Chase & Old Gaywood787108First
Gaywood North Bank33045Third

Crime in King's Lynn During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in King's Lynn change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in August, when King's Lynn saw a 1,800% increase in bicycle theft. King's Lynn saw a large fall in theft from the person during December, when it fell by 88% compared to December in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour-16%+46%+14%-1%+27%-14%+27%+2%-36%-39%
Bicycle Theft-65%-80%-81%--+1,800%+29%-48%+117%+100%
Burglary-7%-25%-26%+25%+63%-29%-14%-31%-36%+100%
Criminal Damage and Arson+27%-24%-18%+79%-+170%+10%+85%+58%+41%
Drugs-13%+5%+65%+14%+24%+48%+16%+42%+84%-5%
Other Crime+38%-+50%-58%+100%+44%-13%-+14%+50%
Other Theft-10%-59%-47%+16%+146%+63%-7%+210%-21%+50%
Possession of Weapons-17%-86%-25%-29%-25%+13%-33%+80%+125%-86%
Public Order+22%+17%+6%+61%+116%+67%+71%+50%+22%+24%
Robbery+300%+100%+100%-75%--+150%--50%-
Shoplifting-24%-41%-82%-37%+10%+4%-26%+16%-35%+39%
Theft From the Person-20%-80%--20%-+150%--25%--88%
Vehicle Crime-13%-63%-64%--+300%+100%+67%-29%+33%
Violence and Sexual Offences+2%-9%-13%+2%+98%+76%+21%+29%+34%-1%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in King's Lynn

What police force serves King's Lynn?
King's Lynn's local territorial police force is the Norfolk Constabulary.
How dangerous is King's Lynn?
King's Lynn is the second most dangerous medium-sized town in Norfolk.
What is King's Lynn's most common crime?
The most common crimes in King's Lynn are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in King's Lynn?
King's Lynn's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).

Last updated: 31 Dec 2021