Crime in Blackpool
Recorded crime in Blackpool is 2.0 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 10%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
144,191 residents in 94 neighbourhoods. 1% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 7.5/10Good
- 5-year change
- −10%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 10% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Blackpool, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 2.0× the England and Wales average. 151 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 68% of the harm here
- Burglary: 12% of the harm here
- Robbery: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 68% 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: 70 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 | 1.6 |
| Burglary | 8.2 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 70.4 |
| Drugs | 3.6 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.7 |
| Other crime | 3.3 |
| Other theft | 14.0 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.9 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 7.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 16.6 |
| Public order | 11.2 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.5 |
| Shoplifting | 9.2 |
What crimes are recorded in Blackpool
145.8 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Blackpool in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 20,817. Home Office recorded crime: 21,019 (1% apart).
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 | 265 | 1.8 | Down 26% |
| Cars broken into | 370 | 2.6 | Down 33% |
| Vehicle tampering | 168 | 1.2 | Down 7% |
| Vandalism to homes | 562 | 3.9 | Down 11% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 292 | 2.0 | Down 16% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 459 | 3.2 | Down 15% |
| Arson | 64 | 0.44 | About the same |
| Burglary of homes | 372 | 2.6 | Down 31% |
| Burglary of businesses | 305 | 2.1 | Down 24% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 213 | 1.5 | Down 3% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 117 | 0.81 | Up 15% |
| Robbery of people | 179 | 1.2 | Down 25% |
| Robbery of businesses | 55 | 0.38 | Down 31% |
| Violence with injury | 3,089 | 21.4 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 4,100 | 28.4 | Up 6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,757 | 19.1 | About the same |
| Sexual offences | 998 | 6.9 | Up 3% |
| Shoplifting | 1,352 | 9.4 | Down 17% |
| Bicycle theft | 140 | 0.97 | Down 16% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 189 | 1.3 | Down 12% |
| Drug dealing | 167 | 1.2 | Down 17% |
| Drug possession | 587 | 4.1 | Up 22% |
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.
Lancashire Police area: 1,124 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,305 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Blackpool.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Blackpool, 10% 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) | 11,039 | 9% | 9% | 64% | 12% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,930 | 6% | 8% | 32% | 46% | 8% |
| Other theft | 1,661 | 2% | 3% | 34% | 55% | 6% |
| Public order | 1,484 | 11% | 10% | 48% | 22% | 9% |
| Shoplifting | 1,451 | 24% | 6% | 18% | 42% | 11% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 987 | 5% | 1% | 13% | 77% | 6% |
| Burglary | 851 | 10% | 1% | 17% | 63% | 9% |
| Drugs | 729 | 25% | 43% | 11% | 1% | 19% |
| Other crime | 665 | 13% | 10% | 55% | 11% | 12% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 321 | 32% | 10% | 36% | 9% | 12% |
| Robbery | 268 | 9% | 1% | 44% | 37% | 9% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 201 | 1% | 3% | 32% | 58% | 5% |
| Bicycle theft | 146 | 1% | 1% | 23% | 69% | 5% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Blackpool
Postcode districts in Blackpool
Questions about crime in Blackpool
- Is Blackpool a safe place to live?
- Blackpool scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Blackpool?
- Down 10% over 5 years, from 23,272 recorded crimes a year to 20,892.
- What is the most common crime in Blackpool?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 70 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Blackpool?
- In Blackpool, 10% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 26% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Blackpool?
- Of 851 burglaries reported in Blackpool between September 2024 and August 2025, 10% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 63% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Blackpool?
- In Blackpool, the police recorded 265 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.8 per 1,000 residents, down 26% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Blackpool?
- 1,313 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Blackpool in 2025/26, 9.1 per 1,000 residents, 1.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Blackpool last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in Blackpool in 2025/26, against 3 the year before.