Crime and Safety in Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Barnsley is the safest major town in South Yorkshire, and is the 38th most dangerous overall out of South Yorkshire's 109 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Barnsley in 2026 is 90 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to South Yorkshire's overall crime rate, coming in 3.8% higher than the South Yorkshire rate of 87 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Barnsley is the 33rd most dangerous major town, and the 704th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In April 2026, Barnsley was the worst major town in South Yorkshire for criminal damage and arson, with 241 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.0 per 1,000 daytime population. January 2025 was also a bad month for Barnsley residents, when it was South Yorkshire's most dangerous major town for possession of weapons, recording 35 crimes at a rate of 0.15 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Barnsley are violence and sexual offences, with 8,976 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 39. This is 0.65% higher than 2025's figure of 8,918 offences and a difference of 0.27 from 2025's crime rate of 38. Barnsley's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 70 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 21% from 2025's figure of 58 crimes.
Barnsley 2026 Crime Scorecard
Safest
Major Towns, South Yorkshire
6% higher, regional crime rate
Yorkshire and The Humber
25% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Barnsley is 6% higher than Yorkshire and The Humber and 25% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Barnsley Crime Rate Over Time
| Barnsley | |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Barnsley Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Barnsley 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 Barnsley Compares
You can compare Barnsley'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 Barnsley's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Barnsley up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Barnsley's 5,835 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 Barnsley? 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
Barnsley • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Barnsley has a crime risk score of 631. This is based on analysis of 5,835 nearby areas within Barnsley, 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 Barnsley's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Barnsley, crime risk scores are typically around 631, while in South Yorkshire they are average 590.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 682 (621 for South Yorkshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 722 (South Yorkshire 651).
Trends in Crime Risk
Barnsley
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 28% in Barnsley'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 Barnsley's crime risk score is down by 5%. 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, Barnsley's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 1.1%, 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
Barnsley
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
Barnsley • 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.
Burglary offences have a crime rate of 5.48 reports per 1,000 people in Barnsley, which is 1.75 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 1,271 crime reports logged by South Yorkshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, South Yorkshire Police recorded 2,390 reports of Criminal Damage and Arson in Barnsley, resulting in a crime rate of 10 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.64.
The crime rate for Public Order is 1.37 times the national average at 7.96 reports per 1,000. This is from 1,846 crime reports reported to South Yorkshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Barnsley
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, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.20 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 0.78 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 54% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Barnsley
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Public Order offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.29 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.73 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 25% over this timeframe.
Shoplifting offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.86 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 1.36 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 37% over this timeframe.
Drugs offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.78 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Drugs CrimeRate Index was 1.24 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 37% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Barnsley • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Barnsley | South Yorkshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 3,896 | 16.80 | 1.19 | 26,700 | 16.86 | 1.19 | 77,875 | 12.35 | 0.87 |
| Bicycle Theft | 70 | 0.30 | 0.41 | 795 | 0.50 | 0.68 | 4,306 | 0.68 | 0.93 |
| Burglary | 1,271 | 5.48 | 1.75 | 7,325 | 4.62 | 1.48 | 27,843 | 4.41 | 1.41 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 2,390 | 10.30 | 1.64 | 13,544 | 8.55 | 1.36 | 47,570 | 7.55 | 1.20 |
| Drugs | 652 | 2.82 | 0.91 | 4,941 | 3.12 | 1.01 | 19,757 | 3.14 | 1.02 |
| Other Crime | 946 | 4.08 | 2.21 | 5,189 | 3.30 | 1.78 | 18,290 | 2.91 | 1.57 |
| Other Theft | 1,297 | 5.61 | 0.99 | 8,713 | 5.49 | 0.96 | 36,443 | 5.78 | 1.02 |
| Possession of Weapons | 244 | 1.05 | 1.24 | 1,857 | 1.17 | 1.38 | 5,827 | 0.93 | 1.09 |
| Public Order | 1,846 | 7.96 | 1.37 | 11,818 | 7.46 | 1.29 | 47,514 | 7.55 | 1.30 |
| Robbery | 272 | 1.17 | 0.99 | 2,064 | 1.30 | 1.10 | 7,156 | 1.13 | 0.96 |
| Shoplifting | 1,628 | 7.02 | 0.98 | 13,959 | 8.83 | 1.24 | 48,695 | 7.71 | 1.08 |
| Theft From the Person | 80 | 0.34 | 0.22 | 874 | 0.53 | 0.34 | 3,568 | 0.57 | 0.37 |
| Vehicle Crime | 1,283 | 5.52 | 1.28 | 9,918 | 6.27 | 1.46 | 30,637 | 4.87 | 1.13 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 8,976 | 38.67 | 1.27 | 56,798 | 35.86 | 1.18 | 239,898 | 38.04 | 1.25 |
Download | |||||||||
Total Crime by Year
Barnsley | South Yorkshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 20,955 | 90.32 | 1.25 | 137,795 | 87.00 | 1.21 | 537,504 | 85.27 | 1.18 |
| 2025 | 22,349 | 96.74 | 1.31 | 142,062 | 90.64 | 1.22 | 553,826 | 88.44 | 1.19 |
| 2024 | 23,415 | 102.12 | 1.35 | 147,112 | 95.02 | 1.26 | 576,330 | 93.00 | 1.23 |
| 2023 | 25,012 | 110.14 | 1.39 | 154,648 | 101.06 | 1.28 | 611,034 | 99.55 | 1.26 |
| 2022 | 23,307 | 103.54 | 1.35 | 145,166 | 96.23 | 1.25 | 574,808 | 94.84 | 1.23 |
| 2021 | 20,722 | 92.55 | 1.35 | 128,797 | 85.77 | 1.25 | 501,180 | 83.02 | 1.21 |
| 2020 | 21,292 | 95.36 | 1.29 | 138,295 | 92.12 | 1.24 | 549,148 | 91.15 | 1.23 |
| 2019 | 21,630 | 97.23 | 1.28 | 139,154 | 92.74 | 1.22 | 568,297 | 94.66 | 1.24 |
| 2018 | 21,191 | 95.41 | 1.34 | 135,249 | 90.22 | 1.27 | 514,090 | 85.73 | 1.21 |
| 2017 | 17,369 | 78.45 | 1.23 | 115,638 | 77.26 | 1.21 | 456,998 | 76.46 | 1.20 |
| 2016 | 4,428 | 20.06 | 1.05 | 30,755 | 20.56 | 1.08 | 133,274 | 22.31 | 1.17 |
Download | |||||||||
Barnsley Compared to Nearby Major Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
Comparing Barnsley to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 12% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 8% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 7% safer |
| Barnsley | 90.32 | - |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 8% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 16% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 16% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 18% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 19% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 19% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 38% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
To download charts and tables, you must subscribed to CrimeRate Pro
You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Barnsley's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Barnsley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Ashgates Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | 1 |
| Royston Park | 21 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 28 |
| Broomhill Park | 5 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Phoenix Park | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Redbrook Road Allotments | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | 2 |
| Longfields | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Hemingfield Green | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | 6 |
| Ardsley Park | 3 | 1 | - | - | 7 | 2 |
| Darton Lane Allotments | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 | 5 |
| Penny Pie Park | 6 | 1 | 8 | - | 26 | 18 |
| Snape Hill Road North Allotments | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Highfield Park | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Bolton Brickyard Ponds | 7 | - | 1 | - | 5 | 6 |
| Arundel View Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | 7 |
| Newstead Road Allotments | 6 | - | 4 | - | 18 | 26 |
| Rabbit Ings Country Park | 10 | - | 1 | - | 6 | 13 |
| Bretton Country Park | 3 | - | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| Yorkshire Sculpture Park | 5 | - | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| Barnsley Road Allotments | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Herbert Ibberson Memorial Garden | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 5 |
| Common Lane Allotments | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| The Green | 11 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Dearne Valley Park | 42 | 1 | 27 | 8 | 110 | 92 |
| Jermyn Croft Allotments | 2 | - | 2 | - | 9 | 5 |
| Barnsley Cemetery | 11 | 3 | 8 | - | 38 | 26 |
| Swanee Fields | 59 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 99 | 56 |
| Ardsley Cemetery | 2 | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Worsbrough Dale Park | 4 | - | 6 | 1 | 31 | 42 |
| Cudworth North Cemetery | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 |
| Miners' Welfare Recreation Ground | 2 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 6 |
| Cudworth Welfare Park | 24 | - | 5 | 4 | 11 | 22 |
| Miners' Welfare Park | 6 | 1 | 2 | - | 35 | 14 |
| Melville Street Allotments | 24 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 21 |
| Wood Street Allotments | 6 | - | 3 | - | 7 | 6 |
| Wombwell Park | 11 | - | 3 | - | 16 | 9 |
| Summer Lane Allotments | 16 | 1 | - | - | 25 | 25 |
| Hemingfield and Jump Cemetery | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| Thurnscoe Park | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 21 |
| King Street Allotments | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 16 |
| Welfare Park | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Lower Ashgates Allotments Two | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | 1 |
| Elsecar Park | 8 | - | - | - | 6 | 2 |
| School Street Allotments | 2 | - | 1 | - | 12 | 9 |
| Hope Street Allotments | - | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| West End Crescent Allotments | 4 | - | 2 | - | 23 | 16 |
| Royston Leisure Centre | 5 | - | - | - | 6 | 4 |
| Wood Lane Allotments | 2 | - | 1 | - | 10 | 0 |
| New Lodge Community Park | 5 | 3 | 5 | - | 48 | 21 |
| Wilthorpe Park | 7 | - | - | - | 11 | 6 |
| Rockingham Street Allotments | - | - | - | - | 3 | 2 |
| Cresswell Street Allotments | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Sugden's Recreation Ground | 4 | 1 | - | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Guest Road Allotments | 2 | - | 3 | - | 7 | 8 |
| St Mary's Garden | 3 | 2 | 4 | - | 7 | 4 |
| Body Planners | 4 | - | 3 | - | 14 | 13 |
| Town End Park | 22 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 21 |
| Lamb Lane Allotments | - | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| Burton Bank Allotments | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 15 |
| Eldon Street North Allotments | 9 | 1 | - | 1 | 12 | 17 |
| Harborough Hill Road Allotments | 6 | 1 | 9 | - | 25 | 11 |
| Northfields Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | 3 |
| South Street Allotments | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Shaw Lane Allotments | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | 2 | 3 |
| Raley Street Allotments | 5 | 1 | 2 | - | 9 | 20 |
| Racecommon Road Allotments | 1 | - | 3 | 5 | 12 | 102 |
| Locke Park | 21 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 101 |
| Highstone Lane Allotments | 4 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 7 |
| Tower Street Allotments | - | - | - | - | 7 | 7 |
| Pindar Oaks Allotments | 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 23 |
| Victoria Street Allotments | 6 | - | 1 | - | 11 | 3 |
| Kendray Park | 11 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 40 | 26 |
| Swanee Road Allotments | 2 | 1 | - | - | 15 | 6 |
| Hunningley Lane Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Ward Green Community Park | 5 | - | 4 | - | 29 | 19 |
| St Thomas's Cemetery | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 18 |
| Park Road Allotments | - | 1 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 47 |
| Walbrook Allotments | - | - | 1 | - | 12 | 20 |
| Worsbrough Country Park | 1 | - | 1 | - | 6 | 12 |
| Kendray Recreation Ground | 48 | 2 | 6 | - | 29 | 20 |
| Thicket Lane Allotments | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Miners' Welfare Recreation Ground | 2 | - | 1 | - | 8 | 6 |
| Sheffield Road Allotments | - | - | - | - | 6 | 2 |
| Chapel Street Allotments | - | - | - | - | 5 | 3 |
| Regent Street Allotments | 5 | - | 2 | - | 6 | 12 |
| Church View Allotments | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| King George's Field | 5 | - | 2 | - | 16 | 11 |
| Hoyland Leisure Centre | - | - | 4 | - | 10 | 6 |
| George Street Allotments | 11 | - | 2 | - | 7 | 6 |
| Robert Street Allotments | 7 | 2 | 5 | - | 9 | 8 |
| Barnsley Road Allotments | 6 | 1 | - | - | 9 | 4 |
| Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 33 |
| Pinfold Allotments | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| Darfield Road Allotments | 2 | - | - | - | 2 | 1 |
| Coal Pit Lane Allotments | 5 | 1 | - | - | 7 | 8 |
| Acorn Way Allotments | - | 2 | 2 | - | 7 | 8 |
| Scar Lane Allotments | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Cumberland Drive Allotments | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| John Street Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 5 | 4 |
| Salterbrook Road Allotments | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| East Street Allotments | 5 | - | 1 | 2 | 8 | 35 |
| Pitt Street Allotments | 23 | - | 3 | - | 16 | 14 |
| Norville Crescent Allotments | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Roebuck Hill Allotments | 4 | - | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| Millhouses Street Allotments | 6 | - | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| Strafford Avenue Allotments | - | - | 1 | - | 6 | 2 |
| Gooseacre Avenue Allotments | 2 | - | - | - | 6 | 5 |
| Togo Street Allotments | 4 | - | - | - | 6 | 7 |
| Windsor Street Allotments | 20 | 1 | 2 | - | 17 | 18 |
| George Street Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 8 | 12 |
| Carr Field Lane Allotments | 2 | - | 1 | - | 7 | 10 |
| Doncaster Road Allotments | 6 | 2 | 3 | - | 24 | 28 |
| Garden Street Allotments | 1 | 1 | 5 | - | 18 | 23 |
| Barnburgh Road North Allotments | - | - | - | - | 6 | 10 |
| Dearne Cricket Club | 1 | - | 1 | - | 3 | 3 |
| Goldthorpe Green Allotments | 4 | - | 2 | - | 10 | 3 |
| Barnburgh Lane South Allotments | - | - | - | - | 4 | 2 |
| Green Lane Allotments | 3 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Wath Road Allotments | 2 | - | 1 | - | 7 | 4 |
| Dearne Road Allotments | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 24 |
| Furlong Road East Allotments | 6 | 1 | - | - | 11 | 17 |
| Mexborough Road Allotments | 2 | - | - | - | 3 | 7 |
| Metrodome Leisure Complex | 4 | - | 8 | - | 23 | 7 |
| Loxley Community Garden | 1 | - | - | - | 12 | 4 |
| Miners Welfare Recreation Ground | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 9 |
| Everill Close Play Area | 5 | - | 1 | - | 6 | 3 |
| Midland Road Allotments | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 13 | 3 |
| St George's Memorial Garden | 2 | 10 | 3 | - | 3 | 2 |
Recent Crimes in Barnsley
The 20 most recent crime reports in Barnsley.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Shortwood Court | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Rushworth Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Pickhill'S Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Cliffedale Crescent | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Lund Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Lund Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Hawshaw Lane | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Low Croft | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Hawshaw Lane | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Churchfield Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Fox Croft | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Meadowland Rise | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Church Lane | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Knoll Beck Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Rushworth Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near East Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Highfield Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Lundhill Drive | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Meadowland Rise | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Roger Road |
Methodology & Data Sources
Barnsley 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 Barnsley 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.
Barnsley Data Points
For Barnsley, 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 E43000251.
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 Barnsley's daytime - or "workday" - population of 184,812 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 Barnsley