Crime and Safety in Newark
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Newark is the most dangerous medium-sized town in Nottinghamshire, and is among the top 10 most dangerous overall out of Nottinghamshire's 236 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Newark in 2026 is 108 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Nottinghamshire's overall crime rate, coming in 37% higher than the Nottinghamshire rate of 78 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Newark is among the top 20 most dangerous medium-sized towns, and the 370th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In March 2025, Newark had the worst crime rate in Nottinghamshire for shoplifting, with 93 crimes reported and a crime rate of 2.6 per 1,000 daytime population. July 2022 was also a bad month for Newark residents, when it was again Nottinghamshire's most dangerous area for shoplifting, recording 80 crimes at a rate of 2.3 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Newark are violence and sexual offences, with 1,336 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 37. This is 4.0% higher than 2025's figure of 1,285 offences and a difference of 1.35 from 2025's crime rate of 35. Newark's least common crime is theft from the person, with 24 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 9% from 2025's figure of 22 crimes.
Newark 2026 Crime Scorecard
Most Dangerous
Medium-Sized Towns, Nottinghamshire
54% higher, regional crime rate
East Midlands
50% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Newark is 54% higher than the East Midlands and 50% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Newark Crime Rate Over Time
| Newark | |
| East Midlands | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Newark Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Newark 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 Newark Compares
You can compare Newark'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 Newark's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Newark up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Newark's 838 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 Newark? 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
Newark • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Newark has a crime risk score of 500. This is based on analysis of 838 nearby areas within Newark, 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 Newark's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Newark, crime risk scores are typically around 500, while in Nottinghamshire they are average 469.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 559 (475 for Nottinghamshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 607 (Nottinghamshire 487).
Trends in Crime Risk
Newark
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 a decrease of 0.92% in Newark'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 Newark's crime risk score is up by 7%. 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, Newark's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 7%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Newark
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
Newark • 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 21 reports per 1,000 people in Newark, which is 3.00 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 780 crime reports logged by Nottinghamshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Nottinghamshire Police recorded 481 reports of Criminal Damage and Arson in Newark, resulting in a crime rate of 13 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 2.10.
The crime rate for Possession of Weapons is 2.08 times the national average at 1.77 reports per 1,000. This is from 65 crime reports reported to Nottinghamshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Newark
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.
Burglary offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.50 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 0.83 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 81% over this timeframe.
Criminal Damage and Arson offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.81 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Criminal Damage and Arson CrimeRate Index was 1.83 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 1.1% over this timeframe.
Possession of Weapons offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 2.29 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Possession of Weapons CrimeRate Index was 2.43 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 6% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Newark
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Public Order offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.15 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.70 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 32% over this timeframe.
Theft From the Person offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.92 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 0.23 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 300% over this timeframe.
Shoplifting offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 2.86 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 4.48 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 36% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Newark • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Newark | Nottinghamshire | East Midlands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 966 | 26.50 | 1.88 | 20,414 | 15.50 | 1.10 | 82,288 | 14.84 | 1.05 |
| Bicycle Theft | 106 | 2.90 | 3.97 | 1,121 | 0.86 | 1.18 | 3,605 | 0.66 | 0.90 |
| Burglary | 164 | 4.49 | 1.43 | 4,042 | 3.08 | 0.98 | 16,428 | 2.97 | 0.95 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 481 | 13.18 | 2.10 | 10,294 | 7.82 | 1.25 | 36,709 | 6.63 | 1.06 |
| Drugs | 85 | 2.32 | 0.75 | 3,806 | 2.90 | 0.94 | 14,102 | 2.53 | 0.82 |
| Other Crime | 147 | 4.02 | 2.17 | 4,302 | 3.29 | 1.78 | 11,549 | 2.09 | 1.13 |
| Other Theft | 243 | 6.66 | 1.17 | 7,726 | 5.87 | 1.03 | 28,010 | 5.03 | 0.88 |
| Possession of Weapons | 65 | 1.77 | 2.08 | 1,682 | 1.27 | 1.49 | 5,077 | 0.92 | 1.08 |
| Public Order | 273 | 7.49 | 1.29 | 7,248 | 5.50 | 0.95 | 33,621 | 6.06 | 1.04 |
| Robbery | 65 | 1.77 | 1.50 | 1,898 | 1.43 | 1.21 | 5,222 | 0.95 | 0.81 |
| Shoplifting | 780 | 21.39 | 3.00 | 14,082 | 10.71 | 1.50 | 41,773 | 7.51 | 1.05 |
| Theft From the Person | 24 | 0.65 | 0.46 | 1,067 | 0.81 | 0.52 | 2,834 | 0.51 | 0.33 |
| Vehicle Crime | 161 | 4.40 | 1.02 | 5,554 | 4.21 | 0.98 | 20,391 | 3.67 | 0.85 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,336 | 36.61 | 1.20 | 40,476 | 30.74 | 1.01 | 169,276 | 30.51 | 1.00 |
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Total Crime by Year
Newark | Nottinghamshire | East Midlands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 3,930 | 107.65 | 1.50 | 103,298 | 78.49 | 1.09 | 388,597 | 70.04 | 0.97 |
| 2025 | 4,030 | 111.52 | 1.51 | 97,463 | 74.60 | 1.01 | 391,366 | 71.16 | 0.96 |
| 2024 | 3,932 | 109.91 | 1.46 | 100,090 | 77.50 | 1.03 | 401,136 | 73.81 | 0.98 |
| 2023 | 3,959 | 111.82 | 1.43 | 104,108 | 81.43 | 1.03 | 420,118 | 78.15 | 0.99 |
| 2022 | 3,649 | 104.09 | 1.36 | 100,566 | 79.70 | 1.04 | 404,389 | 76.27 | 0.99 |
| 2021 | 3,598 | 103.92 | 1.52 | 87,058 | 69.37 | 1.01 | 361,494 | 68.61 | 1.00 |
| 2020 | 4,325 | 125.45 | 1.70 | 103,580 | 82.71 | 1.12 | 388,888 | 74.15 | 1.00 |
| 2019 | 4,250 | 124.42 | 1.63 | 107,727 | 86.11 | 1.13 | 375,243 | 71.88 | 0.94 |
| 2018 | 3,724 | 110.49 | 1.57 | 98,265 | 78.72 | 1.11 | 331,940 | 64.14 | 0.90 |
| 2017 | 3,305 | 98.95 | 1.56 | 83,249 | 66.98 | 1.05 | 297,381 | 58.03 | 0.91 |
| 2016 | 988 | 29.64 | 1.57 | 22,725 | 18.35 | 0.96 | 87,914 | 17.17 | 0.90 |
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Newark Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | 3,930 | 107.65 | - |
| Worksop | 4,938 | 106.37 | 1.2% safer |
| Sutton in Ashfield | 3,901 | 101.14 | 6% safer |
| Kirkby-in-Ashfield | 1,872 | 86.89 | 19% safer |
| Hucknall | 2,899 | 78.04 | 28% safer |
| Beeston | 3,632 | 64.24 | 40% safer |
| Arnold | 2,164 | 52.28 | 51% safer |
| Carlton | 2,733 | 52.25 | 51% safer |
| West Bridgford | 2,053 | 49.66 | 54% safer |
Comparing Newark to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 26% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 23% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 22% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 9% safer |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 2.8% safer |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 2.4% safer |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 1.1% safer |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 0.51% safer |
| Newark | 107.65 | - |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 0.08% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 16% more dangerous |
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Offences In and Around Newark's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Newark 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community and Activity Village | 2 | - | 1 | - | 6 | 5 |
| Newark Sports and Fitness Centre | 3 | - | 1 | - | 4 | 10 |
| Newark Cricket Ground | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Friary Gardens | 6 | 2 | 6 | - | 8 | 15 |
| Beaumond Gardens | 81 | 7 | 16 | 5 | 43 | 97 |
| Fountain Gardens | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Sconce and Devon Park | 16 | - | 5 | - | 12 | 24 |
| Magnus Community Sports Centre | 5 | - | 5 | - | 6 | 3 |
| St Mary's Gardens | 19 | - | 2 | - | 20 | 13 |
| The Heights Play Area | 1 | - | - | - | 6 | 0 |
| Cleveland Green | 13 | 1 | 1 | - | 26 | 18 |
| Millgate Otter Park | 8 | - | - | - | 4 | 15 |
Recent Crimes in Newark
The 20 most recent crime reports in Newark.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Chain Lane | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Chain Lane | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Chain Lane | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Langdale Close | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Clinton Street | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Castle Gate | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Chain Lane | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Water Lane | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Marigold Way | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Parliament Court | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near William Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Clinton Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Chain Lane |
Methodology & Data Sources
Newark 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 Newark during June 2026 will typically become available in August 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.
Newark Data Points
For Newark, 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 E04013148.
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 Newark's daytime - or "workday" - population of 32,331 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 Newark