Crime in Leeds
Recorded crime in Leeds is 1.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 15%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
845,189 residents in 488 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 7.4/10Good
- 5-year change
- −15%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 15% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Leeds, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.5× the England and Wales average. 119 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 60% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
- Robbery: 7% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 16 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 | 1.7 |
| Burglary | 8.6 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 46.9 |
| Drugs | 3.4 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.1 |
| Other crime | 3.1 |
| Other theft | 9.8 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.9 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 8.3 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 11.2 |
| Public order | 12.2 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 9.3 |
What crimes are recorded in Leeds
114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Leeds in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 98,565. Home Office recorded crime: 96,900 (2% 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 | 1,808 | 2.1 | Down 17% |
| Cars broken into | 3,054 | 3.6 | Down 15% |
| Vehicle tampering | 1,034 | 1.2 | Down 21% |
| Vandalism to homes | 2,362 | 2.8 | Down 8% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 584 | 0.69 | Down 11% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 2,227 | 2.6 | Down 7% |
| Arson | 379 | 0.45 | Down 10% |
| Burglary of homes | 3,530 | 4.2 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of businesses | 1,641 | 1.9 | Down 13% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 10 | 0.01 | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 349 | 0.41 | Up 4% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 606 | 0.72 | Up 23% |
| Robbery of people | 1,133 | 1.3 | Down 13% |
| Robbery of businesses | 683 | 0.81 | Up 106% |
| Violence with injury | 8,233 | 9.7 | Down 4% |
| Violence without injury | 14,800 | 17.5 | Down 4% |
| Stalking and harassment | 14,815 | 17.5 | About the same |
| Sexual offences | 3,697 | 4.4 | About the same |
| Shoplifting | 10,093 | 11.9 | Down 4% |
| Bicycle theft | 978 | 1.2 | Down 5% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1,089 | 1.3 | Down 11% |
| Drug dealing | 874 | 1.0 | Up 39% |
| Drug possession | 2,529 | 3.0 | Up 9% |
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.
West Yorkshire Police area: 2,004 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (2,276 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Leeds.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
Policing under the elected mayor: Tracy Brabin (West Yorkshire) →
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Leeds, 9% 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) | 43,023 | 6% | 5% | 63% | 22% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 10,561 | 24% | 4% | 14% | 58% | 1% |
| Public order | 9,070 | 9% | 2% | 43% | 43% | 4% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7,398 | 5% | 2% | 30% | 61% | 2% |
| Other theft | 7,224 | 2% | 1% | 22% | 73% | 3% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6,281 | 3% | 0% | 9% | 85% | 3% |
| Burglary | 6,240 | 7% | 0% | 11% | 80% | 2% |
| Drugs | 3,214 | 26% | 41% | 15% | 3% | 16% |
| Other crime | 3,100 | 14% | 4% | 50% | 19% | 13% |
| Robbery | 1,739 | 12% | 0% | 23% | 61% | 4% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1,206 | 1% | 0% | 18% | 78% | 3% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1,011 | 38% | 5% | 25% | 9% | 22% |
| Bicycle theft | 871 | 2% | 0% | 5% | 90% | 2% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
Leeds, 2023 to 2025: 1,440 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 430 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 38 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.7 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 30% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Towns and cities in Leeds
Postcode districts in Leeds
Monthly report: Leeds Crime Figures for August 2026
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Leeds.
Questions about crime in Leeds
- Is Leeds a safe place to live?
- Leeds scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Leeds?
- Down 15% over 5 years, from 112,973 recorded crimes a year to 95,944.
- What is the most common crime in Leeds?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 47 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Leeds?
- In Leeds, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 43% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Leeds?
- Of 6,240 burglaries reported in Leeds between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 80% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Leeds?
- In Leeds, the police recorded 1,808 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.1 per 1,000 residents, down 17% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Leeds?
- 5,173 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Leeds in 2025/26, 6.1 per 1,000 residents, 1.3 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Leeds last year?
- 10 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Leeds in 2025/26, against 8 the year before.