Crime in Breckland
Recorded crime in Breckland is 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 18%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
146,620 residents in 80 neighbourhoods.
- Safety
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 4.1/10Weak
- 5-year change
- −18%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 18% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Breckland, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the England and Wales average. 52 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 72% of the harm here
- Burglary: 10% of the harm here
- Drugs: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 72% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 11 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.2 |
| Burglary | 2.3 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 25.2 |
| Drugs | 2.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 2.0 |
| Other theft | 4.0 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.0 |
| Public order | 4.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 2.6 |
What crimes are recorded in Breckland
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 104 | 0.71 | Up 8% |
| Cars broken into | 90 | 0.61 | About the same |
| Vehicle tampering | 19 | 0.13 | Up 6% |
| Vandalism to homes | 245 | 1.7 | Up 7% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 71 | 0.48 | Down 30% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 177 | 1.2 | Down 19% |
| Arson | 37 | 0.25 | Down 33% |
| Burglary of homes | 85 | 0.58 | Up 44% |
| Burglary of businesses | 84 | 0.57 | Down 21% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 56 | 0.38 | Down 18% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 64 | 0.44 | Up 42% |
| Robbery of people | 15 | 0.10 | Down 21% |
| Robbery of businesses | 10 | 0.07 | - |
| Violence with injury | 992 | 6.8 | Down 9% |
| Violence without injury | 1,369 | 9.3 | Down 6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 797 | 5.4 | Up 13% |
| Sexual offences | 460 | 3.1 | About the same |
| Shoplifting | 564 | 3.8 | About the same |
| Bicycle theft | 51 | 0.35 | About the same |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 16 | 0.11 | Down 27% |
| Drug dealing | 70 | 0.48 | Down 20% |
| Drug possession | 189 | 1.3 | Down 13% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Norfolk Police area: 436 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (437 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Breckland.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
Towns and cities in Breckland
Postcode districts in Breckland
Questions about crime in Breckland
- Is Breckland a safe place to live?
- Breckland scores 6 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Breckland?
- Down 18% over 5 years, from 8,997 recorded crimes a year to 7,368.
- What is the most common crime in Breckland?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 25 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How many cars are stolen in Breckland?
- In Breckland, the police recorded 104 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.7 per 1,000 residents, up 8% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Breckland?
- 493 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Breckland in 2025/26, 3.4 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Breckland last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Breckland in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.