Is Northampton safe? For most residents and visitors, yes, with ordinary town-centre care, but it records more crime per head than the rest of Northamptonshire: Northampton recorded 16,730 crimes in the 12 months to April 2026, a crime rate of 100.42 per 1,000 people. That is 57 per cent above the Northamptonshire average (63.92) and 43 per cent above the East Midlands (70.04), but 6.7 per cent fewer crimes than the year before. Northampton is the county’s largest town and its main shopping, nightlife and transport centre, and its rate sits close to Leicester and Bristol rather than to a typical county town. The figures describe recorded incidents, not the people who live here.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts, rates, categories and yearly rows from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Northamptonshire Police; Northampton page updated 7 June 2026, checked 3 November 2026); Peterborough and Oxford rates from the same CrimeRate release (checked 31 and 30 October 2026); neighbourhood teams and data gaps from data.police.uk, whose latest month is August 2026; town-centre schemes from West Northamptonshire Council (Purple Flag news, 9 February 2026; Northampton Town Centre Task Group 2026 plan, updated 16 January 2026). Percentages and shares are our own arithmetic. Updated 3 November 2026.
What is the crime rate in Northampton?
Northampton’s crime rate was 100.42 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate, from 16,730 recorded offences, not counting 4,464 reports of anti-social behaviour. CrimeRate puts Northampton 40 per cent above England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined, and gives it an index of 1.40, where 1.0 is the national average.
The latest year was a fall. Recorded crime dropped from 17,933 offences (108.59 per 1,000) in the 12 months to April 2025 to 16,730, down 6.7 per cent, and the rate fell 7.5 per cent (our arithmetic). The county fell less, by 4.9 per cent. A town rate well above its county is normal: Northampton is the county’s largest shopping, nightlife and transport centre, so many offences involve people who do not live there. CrimeRate’s rates use its own population base, so rates from different websites are not directly comparable. All rates on this page come from one source and method unless a table says otherwise.
Is Northampton the most dangerous place in Northamptonshire?
CrimeRate calls Northampton the most dangerous city in Northamptonshire and places it in the top 10 of the county’s 261 towns, villages and cities for the 12 months to April 2026. At 16,730 offences it accounts for 29.4 per cent of all crime recorded in Northamptonshire (56,896 offences, our arithmetic).
| Area | Crimes, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 | Index (1.0 = national average) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton | 16,730 | 100.42 | 1.40 |
| Northamptonshire | 56,896 | 63.92 | 0.89 |
| East Midlands | 388,597 | 70.04 | 0.97 |
Source: CrimeRate Northampton, 12 months to April 2026; crime totals exclude anti-social behaviour. CrimeRate’s town pages for Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough, and its Northamptonshire county page, still show their 2020 versions, so we do not rank the other towns here: their current figures are not published. What the current release does show is that the rest of the county, about 40,166 offences outside Northampton, has a much lower rate than the town (our arithmetic).
Is Northampton safe compared with other UK cities?
Northampton’s crime rate of 100.42 per 1,000 in the 12 months to April 2026 is within a few per cent of Leicester (97.87), Peterborough (103.76), Bristol (104.64) and Birmingham (105.05), and 7 per cent below Nottingham (107.74). It is about 26 per cent above Cardiff and 24 per cent above Oxford, while Westminster in central London is 24 per cent higher still (our arithmetic).
| Place | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 | Compared with Northampton |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster (London) | 125.00 | 24% higher |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 7% higher |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 7% higher |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 6% higher |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 5% higher |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 4% higher |
| Peterborough | 103.76 | 3% higher |
| Northampton | 100.42 | – |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 3% lower |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 16% lower |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 18% lower |
| Oxford | 80.69 | 20% lower |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 21% lower |
| East Midlands | 70.04 | 30% lower |
| Northamptonshire | 63.92 | 36% lower |
Source: CrimeRate Northampton city comparison, 12 months to April 2026; Peterborough from CrimeRate Cambridgeshire (checked 31 October 2026) and Oxford from CrimeRate Oxfordshire (checked 30 October 2026), same release. Northampton is a large town, not a city, but its rate puts it in the big-city group. For the nearest comparisons, read Leicester crime rate, is Nottingham safe?, is Peterborough safe? and is Milton Keynes safe?
What kind of crime is recorded in Northampton?
Violence and sexual offences made up 41.1 per cent of crime recorded in Northampton in the 12 months to April 2026: 6,882 of 16,730 offences, a rate of 41.32 per 1,000, 45 per cent above the Northamptonshire rate. Shoplifting is second, at 2,126 offences (12.7 per cent), almost double the county rate. Robbery stands out most: 485 offences, 2.3 times the county rate and three times the East Midlands rate (our arithmetic).
| Category | Northampton, 12 months to April 2026 | Share of total | Northampton per 1,000 | Northamptonshire per 1,000 | East Midlands per 1,000 | Northampton vs county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 6,882 | 41.1% | 41.32 | 28.45 | 30.51 | +45% |
| Shoplifting | 2,126 | 12.7% | 12.78 | 6.59 | 7.51 | +94% |
| Public order | 1,257 | 7.5% | 7.53 | 4.60 | 6.06 | +64% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,236 | 7.4% | 7.42 | 5.19 | 6.63 | +43% |
| Other theft | 1,180 | 7.1% | 7.08 | 4.60 | 5.03 | +54% |
| Vehicle crime | 1,163 | 7.0% | 6.98 | 4.08 | 3.67 | +71% |
| Burglary | 745 | 4.5% | 4.47 | 3.01 | 2.97 | +49% |
| Drugs | 738 | 4.4% | 4.43 | 2.82 | 2.53 | +57% |
| Robbery | 485 | 2.9% | 2.91 | 1.25 | 0.95 | +133% |
| Possession of weapons | 317 | 1.9% | 1.90 | 1.14 | 0.92 | +67% |
| Other crime | 315 | 1.9% | 1.88 | 1.54 | 2.09 | +22% |
| Bicycle theft | 181 | 1.1% | 1.09 | 0.42 | 0.66 | +160% |
| Theft from the person | 105 | 0.6% | 0.63 | 0.23 | 0.51 | +174% |
| Anti-social behaviour (not in total) | 4,464 | – | 26.80 | 18.20 | 14.84 | +47% |
Source: CrimeRate Northampton, 12 months to April 2026. The 13 crime categories add up to exactly 16,730; shares and the last column are our arithmetic.
Two things stand out. First, Northampton is above the county in every category, but by very different amounts: violence is 45 per cent higher, while robbery, bicycle theft and theft from the person are more than double. Those three are street and town-centre crimes, and Northampton records 43.5 per cent of all robbery in Northamptonshire (485 of 1,114) with under a fifth of the county’s population. Second, theft from the person is rare in absolute terms (105 offences in a year), so its large percentage gap rests on small numbers. Over three years, CrimeRate shows violence and sexual offences down 15 per cent and criminal damage down 14 per cent, while shoplifting rose 60 per cent and public order 37 per cent.
Is crime in Northampton going up or down?
Crime in Northampton is going down: the town recorded 16,730 offences in the 12 months to April 2026, 6.7 per cent fewer than the year before and 10.0 per cent below the 2023 peak of 18,584. The rate, 100.42 per 1,000, is the lowest in the ten years shown and 12 per cent below the 2023 peak of 114.40 (our arithmetic).
| Year (12 months to April) | Northampton crimes | Northampton per 1,000 | Northamptonshire per 1,000 | East Midlands per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 16,326 | 103.07 | 67.50 | 58.03 |
| 2018 | 16,217 | 101.27 | 66.53 | 64.14 |
| 2019 | 17,581 | 108.81 | 73.05 | 71.88 |
| 2020 | 16,769 | 103.50 | 73.35 | 74.15 |
| 2021 | 17,161 | 106.22 | 73.61 | 68.61 |
| 2022 | 18,041 | 111.83 | 73.20 | 76.27 |
| 2023 | 18,584 | 114.40 | 74.24 | 78.15 |
| 2024 | 17,732 | 108.41 | 68.52 | 73.81 |
| 2025 | 17,933 | 108.59 | 67.74 | 71.16 |
| 2026 | 16,730 | 100.42 | 63.92 | 70.04 |
Source: CrimeRate Northampton, yearly rows to April 2026 (the partial 2016 row is left out). Over ten years Northampton’s count rose 2.5 per cent but its rate fell 2.6 per cent, while the East Midlands rate rose 21 per cent (our arithmetic). So Northampton has not got worse while the region has caught up a little, but the gap is still large: the town has been at least 41 per cent above the county rate in every year shown.
Which police teams cover Northampton?
Northamptonshire Police covers Northampton through eight neighbourhood teams listed on data.police.uk, from Castle and Riverside Park to Duston and Sixfields in the west and Kingsthorpe, Headlands and Boothville in the north.
| Neighbourhood team (data.police.uk) | ID |
|---|---|
| Castle | NN1 |
| Dallington Spencer | NN2 |
| St. George, Abington & Phippsville | NN3 |
| East Northampton | NN4 |
| Riverside Park | NN5 |
| Delapre and South Northampton | NN6 |
| Duston and Sixfields | NN7 |
| Northampton Kingsthorpe, Headlands & Boothville | NN8 |
Source: data.police.uk neighbourhoods API for Northamptonshire Police, checked 3 November 2026. The police.uk team pages with 12-month counts could not be read on the day of writing, so this page does not give per-team counts. You can contact any team through 101, the non-emergency number.
CrimeRate does publish counts near Northampton’s parks for the same 12 months, which show where public-space incidents cluster. Victoria Park (340 records including anti-social behaviour) and the Racecourse (318) are far ahead of Abington Park (109) and Dallington Park (88). Each police record is placed at a nearby anonymised point, so these are counts near the park, not proof that every incident happened inside it.
| Park (CrimeRate) | Anti-social behaviour | Violence and sexual offences | Robbery | All records, 12 months to April 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Park | 102 | 89 | 15 | 340 |
| The Racecourse | 80 | 103 | 15 | 318 |
| Abington Park | 36 | 38 | 3 | 109 |
| Dallington Park | 30 | 36 | 1 | 88 |
| Eastfield Park | 21 | 32 | 3 | 73 |
| Kingsthorpe Park | 24 | 15 | 3 | 71 |
Source: CrimeRate Northampton, parks and leisure spaces table; the last column adds anti-social behaviour, drugs, public order, robbery, violence and all other records (our arithmetic).
When is crime most likely in Northampton?
Police street-level data for Northampton carries no time of day, so it cannot show which hours or months are riskiest on a given street, and CrimeRate’s current release gives no seasonal breakdown for the town. The council’s own work points to evenings and nights in the town centre: West Northamptonshire Council’s Town Centre Task Group lists safety and welfare in the evening and at night as one of its four priorities for 2026. For the national pattern by hour, day and season, see when crime is most likely in the UK.
Is Northampton safe at night?
Northampton town centre is generally safe at night with ordinary care: in February 2026 it kept its Purple Flag accreditation for a seventh year, an international award for town centres that manage a safe evening and night-time economy, with taxi marshals, Street Pastors, Northampton Guardians, Pubwatch, Safer Nights Out welfare support and coordinated CCTV named by West Northamptonshire Council. Its 2026 town-centre plan adds a wider Ask for Angela scheme, guidance for delivery riders, help point signs and a student safety route.
Plan your way home before a night out, keep to lit, busy streets between the town centre, the bus station and the railway station, and use the taxi marshal ranks or a licensed taxi. Northampton’s high robbery and theft-from-the-person rates are the main reasons to keep your phone out of sight on the street. Check the streets you will use in the postcode checker.
One gap matters at the station. Crimes on the railway are recorded by British Transport Police, and data.police.uk lists BTP crime data as not provided for every month from September 2025 to August 2026 (and from March 2025 in our earlier checks). Incidents inside Northampton station are therefore missing from recent police maps, including ours. Northamptonshire Police has no entries in the data.police.uk changelog for September 2025 to August 2026, so its street crime data is complete. Read how the police crime map works for the other limits.
Is Northampton a safe place to live?
For most residents, yes. Northampton’s town-wide rate of 100.42 per 1,000 is driven by the busy centre, and crimes at home are a small part of it: burglary is 4.5 per cent of recorded crime and vehicle crime 7.0 per cent in the 12 months to April 2026. Both are still higher than the county rate (burglary +49 per cent, vehicle crime +71 per cent), so locks, lighting and parking off the street are worth checking when you choose a home. Crime is also falling: the town recorded 1,203 fewer offences than the year before. Compare two postcodes before you decide, and read how to check crime in your area for the limits of any single number. The figures describe recorded incidents, not the people who live here.
How do I check a specific street or postcode in Northampton?
- Enter your postcode in the postcode checker to see 12 months of police-recorded crime and the trend by month.
- Add a second postcode, for example one near the town centre and one in Duston or Abington, to compare two areas side by side.
- Zoom into the UK crime map to see what was recorded near a street, park or station.
- Find your neighbourhood team (table above) and its priorities on police.uk, or call 101.
These figures describe areas, not addresses. Police data covers reported crime only, and each crime is shown at a nearby anonymised point. Read where our crime data comes from for the limits.
Want this on the walk home?
Safety App UK puts a live safety map built from official police data on your phone, with a map of police stations and Ask for Angela venues, routes that avoid high-risk areas and one-tap SOS to your trusted circle. It does not call the emergency services. Start with a 7-day free trial (for accounts that have not used one before; a payment method is needed), then £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year. Cancel any time in Google Play. Android only for now.
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Northampton crime FAQ
Is Northampton safe?
Broadly, yes. Northampton’s crime rate of 100.42 per 1,000 in the 12 months to April 2026 is 57 per cent above Northamptonshire’s (63.92) and similar to Leicester and Bristol, but crime fell 6.7 per cent in the latest year.
What is the crime rate in Northampton?
Northampton recorded 16,730 crimes in the 12 months to April 2026, a rate of 100.42 per 1,000 people (CrimeRate). That is 43 per cent above the East Midlands (70.04) and 40 per cent above England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.
Is Northampton safe at night?
Mostly, with ordinary town-centre care. Northampton kept its Purple Flag award for a safe night-time economy for a seventh year in February 2026, but crimes inside Northampton station are missing from police data for September 2025 to August 2026.
Is crime in Northampton going up?
No. Northampton recorded 16,730 offences in the 12 months to April 2026, down 6.7 per cent from 17,933 the year before and 10 per cent below the 2023 peak of 18,584.
Is Northampton safer than Leicester or Nottingham?
It is similar. Northampton’s 100.42 per 1,000 in the 12 months to April 2026 is about 3 per cent above Leicester (97.87) and 7 per cent below Nottingham (107.74).
Other towns and cities: Leicester, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Luton, Coventry and London. In an emergency call 999.