Crime and Safety in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Heckmondwike is among the top 10 most dangerous small towns in West Yorkshire, and is the 24th most dangerous overall out of West Yorkshire's 118 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Heckmondwike in 2026 is 99 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to West Yorkshire's overall crime rate, coming in 2.9% higher than the West Yorkshire rate of 96 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Heckmondwike is the 101st most dangerous small town, and the 732nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In October 2023, Heckmondwike had the worst crime rate in West Yorkshire for robbery, with 4 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.30 per 1,000 daytime population. July 2021 was also a bad month for Heckmondwike residents, when it was West Yorkshire's most dangerous area for public order, recording 29 crimes at a rate of 2.2 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Heckmondwike are violence and sexual offences, with 610 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 45. This is 3.9% lower than 2025's figure of 635 offences and a difference of 1.91 from 2025's crime rate of 47. Heckmondwike's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 4 offences recorded in 2026, a decrease of 33% from 2025's figure of 6 crimes.
Heckmondwike 2026 Crime Scorecard
Top 10 Most Dangerous
Small Towns, West Yorkshire
16% higher, regional crime rate
Yorkshire and The Humber
38% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Heckmondwike is 16% higher than Yorkshire and The Humber and 38% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Heckmondwike Crime Rate Over Time
| Heckmondwike | |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Heckmondwike Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Heckmondwike 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 Heckmondwike Compares
You can compare Heckmondwike'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 Heckmondwike's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Heckmondwike up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Heckmondwike's 347 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 Heckmondwike? 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
Heckmondwike • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Heckmondwike has a crime risk score of 750. This is based on analysis of 347 nearby areas within Heckmondwike, 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 Heckmondwike's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Heckmondwike, crime risk scores are typically around 750, while in West Yorkshire they are average 638.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 811 (666 for West Yorkshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 847 (West Yorkshire 702).
Trends in Crime Risk
Heckmondwike
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 0.47% in Heckmondwike'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 Heckmondwike's crime risk score is down by 15%. 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, Heckmondwike's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 9%, 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
Heckmondwike
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
Heckmondwike • 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.
Possession of Weapons offences have a crime rate of 1.25 reports per 1,000 people in Heckmondwike, which is 2.19 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 17 crime reports logged by West Yorkshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, West Yorkshire Police recorded 136 reports of Public Order in Heckmondwike, resulting in a crime rate of 10 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.75.
The crime rate for Violence and Sexual Offences is 1.49 times the national average at 45 reports per 1,000. This is from 610 crime reports reported to West Yorkshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Heckmondwike
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.
Vehicle Crime offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.91 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Vehicle Crime CrimeRate Index was 0.68 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 181% over this timeframe.
Theft From the Person offences are trending upwards, though the CrimeRate Index three years ago is too low to measure, and the trend should be reviewed with caution.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Heckmondwike
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.55 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 2.13 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 27% over this timeframe.
Public Order offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.40 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 2.70 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 48% over this timeframe.
Criminal Damage and Arson offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.80 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Criminal Damage and Arson CrimeRate Index was 1.68 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 7% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Heckmondwike • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Heckmondwike | West Yorkshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 161 | 12.00 | 0.85 | 28,357 | 10.30 | 0.73 | 77,875 | 12.35 | 0.87 |
| Bicycle Theft | 4 | 0.29 | 1.53 | 1,587 | 0.59 | 0.81 | 4,306 | 0.68 | 0.93 |
| Burglary | 49 | 3.65 | 1.17 | 14,188 | 5.18 | 1.65 | 27,843 | 4.41 | 1.41 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 119 | 8.87 | 1.41 | 20,740 | 7.54 | 1.20 | 47,570 | 7.55 | 1.20 |
| Drugs | 42 | 3.12 | 1.01 | 10,751 | 3.90 | 1.26 | 19,757 | 3.14 | 1.02 |
| Other Crime | 54 | 4.03 | 2.37 | 9,197 | 3.34 | 1.81 | 18,290 | 2.91 | 1.57 |
| Other Theft | 117 | 8.70 | 1.53 | 18,533 | 6.75 | 1.19 | 36,443 | 5.78 | 1.02 |
| Possession of Weapons | 17 | 1.25 | 2.19 | 2,561 | 0.93 | 1.09 | 5,827 | 0.93 | 1.09 |
| Public Order | 136 | 10.13 | 1.75 | 23,622 | 8.57 | 1.48 | 47,514 | 7.55 | 1.30 |
| Robbery | 13 | 0.94 | 1.06 | 3,718 | 1.35 | 1.14 | 7,156 | 1.13 | 0.96 |
| Shoplifting | 98 | 7.29 | 1.02 | 20,448 | 7.41 | 1.04 | 48,695 | 7.71 | 1.08 |
| Theft From the Person | 7 | 0.51 | 0.77 | 2,229 | 0.81 | 0.52 | 3,568 | 0.57 | 0.37 |
| Vehicle Crime | 69 | 5.13 | 1.19 | 15,694 | 5.69 | 1.32 | 30,637 | 4.87 | 1.13 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 610 | 45.40 | 1.49 | 122,302 | 44.42 | 1.46 | 239,898 | 38.04 | 1.25 |
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Total Crime by Year
Heckmondwike | West Yorkshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 1,335 | 99.31 | 1.42 | 265,570 | 96.48 | 1.34 | 537,504 | 85.27 | 1.18 |
| 2025 | 1,596 | 119.07 | 1.67 | 277,491 | 101.23 | 1.37 | 553,826 | 88.44 | 1.19 |
| 2024 | 1,609 | 121.05 | 1.66 | 287,194 | 105.62 | 1.40 | 576,330 | 93.00 | 1.23 |
| 2023 | 1,874 | 142.17 | 1.84 | 312,915 | 116.19 | 1.47 | 611,034 | 99.55 | 1.26 |
| 2022 | 1,736 | 133.30 | 1.80 | 294,530 | 110.60 | 1.44 | 574,808 | 94.84 | 1.23 |
| 2021 | 1,436 | 110.53 | 1.67 | 250,751 | 94.53 | 1.38 | 501,180 | 83.02 | 1.21 |
| 2020 | 1,491 | 114.40 | 1.59 | 275,554 | 104.15 | 1.40 | 549,148 | 91.15 | 1.23 |
| 2019 | 1,458 | 111.33 | 1.52 | 287,851 | 109.31 | 1.43 | 568,297 | 94.66 | 1.24 |
| 2018 | 1,375 | 104.50 | 1.52 | 256,214 | 97.73 | 1.37 | 514,090 | 85.73 | 1.21 |
| 2017 | 1,177 | 89.69 | 1.48 | 226,333 | 86.57 | 1.35 | 456,998 | 76.46 | 1.20 |
| 2016 | 368 | 28.11 | 1.54 | 67,845 | 26.03 | 1.36 | 133,274 | 22.31 | 1.17 |
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Heckmondwike Compared to Nearby Small Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trident | 3,421 | 147.11 | 48% more dangerous |
| Knottingley | 1,340 | 129.24 | 30% more dangerous |
| South Kirkby and Moorthorpe | 1,533 | 125.18 | 26% more dangerous |
| Featherstone | 2,279 | 113.14 | 14% more dangerous |
| Hemsworth | 1,664 | 108.33 | 9% more dangerous |
| Heckmondwike | 1,335 | 99.31 | - |
| Cleckheaton | 1,440 | 97.56 | 1.8% safer |
| Yeadon | 1,471 | 94.70 | 4.6% safer |
| Clayton | 825 | 85.82 | 14% safer |
| Elland | 1,446 | 85.22 | 14% safer |
| Todmorden | 1,433 | 85.12 | 14% safer |
| South Elmsall | 672 | 80.93 | 19% safer |
Comparing Heckmondwike to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 20% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 17% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 15% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 1.5% safer |
| Heckmondwike | 99.31 | - |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 5% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 6% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 7% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 8% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 8% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 26% 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 Heckmondwike's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Heckmondwike 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Green | 30 | 4 | 16 | - | 14 | 23 |
| Heckmondwike Cemetery | 4 | - | 7 | - | 28 | 22 |
| John Curwen Academy Playing Fields | 1 | - | - | - | 5 | 12 |
| Heckmondwike Bowling Club | 3 | - | 3 | - | 17 | 9 |
Recent Crimes in Heckmondwike
The 20 most recent crime reports in Heckmondwike.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Russell Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Bridge Street | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Moor View | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Churchill Grove | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Parker Street | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Churchill Grove | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Lonsbrough Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Leeside Road | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Westfield Road | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Oliver Road | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Brunswick Place | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Church Lane | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near A638 | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Francis Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Indus Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Churchill Grove | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Queen Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Francis Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Walkley Lane | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near A638 |
Methodology & Data Sources
Heckmondwike 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 Heckmondwike 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.
Heckmondwike Data Points
For Heckmondwike, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2022 release of their Built Up Areas dataset, using the BUA22CD column value E63000927.
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 Heckmondwike's daytime - or "workday" - population of 10,722 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 Heckmondwike