Crime in Horncastle
Recorded crime in Horncastle is 0.7 times the East Lindsey average and 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 6%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Horncastle: about 7,659 residents in 6 neighbourhoods.
- Safety
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 5.5/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +6%more crimes
- vs the council
- 0.7×the East Lindsey average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Horncastle.
Crime over 5 years
Up 6% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Horncastle, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the East Lindsey average (0.7× the England and Wales average). 54 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 64% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 64% 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: 18 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in East Lindsey (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole East Lindsey council area, not only Horncastle. 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 | 170 | 1.2 | Down 7% |
| Cars broken into | 120 | 0.83 | Down 37% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 586 | 4.0 | About the same |
| Burglary of homes | 199 | 1.4 | About the same |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in LN9
In LN9, the postcode district at the centre of Horncastle, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 226 | 6% | 9% | 73% | 9% | 3% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 63 | 0% | 5% | 35% | 59% | 2% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 2% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
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 | 0.3 |
| Burglary | 3.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 22.6 |
| Drugs | 1.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 1.5 |
| Other theft | 4.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.1 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.2 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.8 |
| Public order | 4.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 |
| Shoplifting | 3.6 |
Postcode districts in Horncastle
Nearby towns
Council: East Lindsey
Questions about crime in Horncastle
- Is Horncastle a safe place to live?
- Horncastle scores 6 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.7 times the East Lindsey average.
- Is crime going up or down in Horncastle?
- Up 6% over 5 years, from 418 recorded crimes a year to 445.
- What is the most common crime in Horncastle?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 23 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Horncastle compare with East Lindsey?
- Crime severity in Horncastle is 0.7 times the East Lindsey average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Horncastle?
- In LN9, the postcode district at the centre of Horncastle, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 31% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Horncastle?
- In East Lindsey, the council area Horncastle is in, the police recorded 170 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.2 per 1,000 residents, down 7% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Horncastle?
- 586 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in East Lindsey, the council area Horncastle is in, 4.0 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Horncastle last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in East Lindsey, the council area Horncastle is in, against 3 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.