Knottingley Crime Overview
Knottingley is the most dangerous small town in West Yorkshire, and is among the top 10 most dangerous overall out of West Yorkshire's 121 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Knottingley in 2020 was 128 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to West Yorkshire's overall crime rate, coming in 19% higher than the West Yorkshire rate of 104 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Knottingley is among the top 20 most dangerous small towns, and the 223rd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In July 2020, Knottingley was the worst small town in West Yorkshire for criminal damage and arson, with 21 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.5 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2020 was also a bad month for Knottingley residents, when it was West Yorkshire's most dangerous small town for burglary, recording 13 crimes at a rate of 0.93 per 1,000 residents. Knottingley recorded 30 reports of public order during August 2020, making its crime rate of 2.2 the worst small town for public order in West Yorkshire that month.
The most common crimes in Knottingley are violence and sexual offences, with 779 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 56. This is 4.2% higher than 2019's figure of 746 offences and a difference of 2.36 from 2019's crime rate of 53. Knottingley's least common crime is theft from the person, with 8 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 12% from 2019's figure of 9 crimes.
Compare Knottingley to other towns and cities
See how Knottingley shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Knottingley and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Knottingley Crime Map
Crime in Knottingley Compared To West Yorkshire
Summary of Crimes in Knottingley This Year
| Knottingley | West Yorkshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 355 | 25.44 | 48,240 | 20.68 | 19% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 9 | 0.65 | 1,762 | 0.76 | 17% safer |
| Burglary | 110 | 7.88 | 15,102 | 6.47 | 18% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 249 | 17.85 | 25,487 | 10.93 | 39% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 55 | 3.94 | 8,343 | 3.58 | 9% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 49 | 3.51 | 6,613 | 2.84 | 19% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 117 | 8.39 | 16,370 | 7.02 | 16% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 12 | 0.86 | 2,120 | 0.91 | 6% safer |
| Public Order | 225 | 16.13 | 30,328 | 13.00 | 19% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 14 | 1.00 | 2,443 | 1.05 | 5% safer |
| Shoplifting | 48 | 3.44 | 11,647 | 4.99 | 45% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 8 | 0.57 | 2,040 | 0.87 | 53% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 109 | 7.81 | 13,660 | 5.86 | 25% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 779 | 55.83 | 107,157 | 45.94 | 18% more dangerous |
Knottingley Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Kirkby and Moorthorpe | 1,269 | 109.27 | 17% safer |
| Hemsworth | 1,592 | 112.62 | 14% safer |
| Cleckheaton | 1,271 | 112.92 | 13% safer |
| Featherstone | 1,980 | 114.19 | 12% safer |
| South Elmsall | 871 | 115.84 | 10% safer |
| Knottingley | 1,784 | 127.87 | - |
Crime Over Time in Knottingley
View crime percentage over time forKnottingley Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 46 | 30 | 33 | 25 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.86 | 1.0 | 0.86 | 0.65 | Safer |
| Burglary | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 19 | 21 | 26 | 18 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 3.9 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.5 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.36 | 0.79 | 0.86 | 0.86 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 12 | 12 | 18 | 16 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.43 | 1.4 | 0.57 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 8 | 7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.57 | 0.57 | 0.65 | 0.57 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 34 | 49 | 53 | 56 | Getting worse |
Changes In Knottingley's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Knottingley to the UK's Major Cities
Crime in Knottingley's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knottingley | 725 | 116 | First |
Crime in Knottingley During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Knottingley change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Knottingley saw a 500% increase in drugs. Knottingley saw a large fall in vehicle crime during May, when it fell by 81% compared to May in 2019. Rates of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson both fell year-on-year for every month during Knottingley's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -38% | +14% | -38% | -6% | -7% | -16% | -15% | -21% | -30% | -40% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | +200% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | +25% | -54% | -8% | -9% | -27% | +38% | -58% | - | +30% | +125% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -43% | -39% | -58% | -28% | -46% | -36% | -30% | +29% | -48% | -56% |
| Drugs | +200% | +100% | +500% | +100% | +400% | - | +200% | - | - | - |
| Other Crime | - | +20% | +100% | +100% | -57% | +133% | +20% | - | -13% | -40% |
| Other Theft | -23% | -50% | +40% | +8% | -50% | -64% | -47% | +21% | - | -29% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | -50% | - | - | - | +100% | - | - | -67% | - |
| Public Order | -35% | -22% | +85% | +35% | -50% | - | -23% | +53% | -55% | +43% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | - | -50% | - |
| Shoplifting | -67% | - | - | - | -27% | +200% | -67% | +350% | - | - |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | +200% | -54% | -81% | +17% | -20% | +57% | -29% | -44% | - | +63% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -14% | +22% | +18% | +32% | -7% | -1% | +6% | +3% | -25% | -18% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Knottingley
What police force serves Knottingley?
Knottingley's local territorial police force is the West Yorkshire Police.How dangerous is Knottingley?
Knottingley is the most dangerous small town in West Yorkshire.What is Knottingley's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Knottingley are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Knottingley?
Knottingley's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 07 May 2021