Locacity has analysed 12 months of official Police.uk crime data to rank the North East of England's major towns and cities by crime rate. The analysis covers seven Built-Up Areas with a population of 75,000 or above, using ONS Census 2021 population data to calculate crimes per 1,000 residents.
Key Findings
Gateshead
Safest major urban area in the North East
128.6
Regional average crimes per 1,000 residents
Middlesbrough
Highest crime rate in the North East
Rankings — Crimes per 1,000 Residents
| Rank | Area | Crimes per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gateshead | 101.2 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 106.4 |
| 3 | Darlington | 110.5 |
| 4 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 116.8 |
| 5 | Stockton-on-Tees | 144.9 |
| 6 | Hartlepool | 150.3 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | 169.9 |
Source: Locacity analysis of Police.uk data (April 2025 – March 2026) and ONS Census 2021 population estimates.
Analysis
Gateshead emerged as the safest major urban area in the North East, recording 101.2 crimes per 1,000 residents. Sunderland ranked second at 106.4, followed by Darlington (110.5) and Newcastle upon Tyne (116.8). Notably, every major urban area in the North East recorded more than 100 crimes per 1,000 residents — reflecting the region's consistently elevated crime levels relative to the rest of England and Wales.
Middlesbrough recorded the highest crime rate at 169.9 crimes per 1,000 residents — 68% higher than Gateshead and one of the highest rates recorded in any Locacity regional analysis. Hartlepool ranked second from bottom at 150.3, followed by Stockton-on-Tees at 144.9.
The North East records the highest regional average of any region in England and Wales analysed by Locacity, at 128.6 crimes per 1,000 residents — above Yorkshire and the Humber (120.2), the North West (105.1), London (106.2), East Midlands (115.9), South East (89.6), West Midlands (85.9) and South West (91.0).
The North East's regional average of 128.6 crimes per 1,000 residents is the highest of any region in England and Wales analysed by Locacity — 27% above the national average of 101.5 (excludes Greater Manchester, where data is not published through Police.uk).
The findings carry real implications for the property market. According to a Churchill Home Insurance survey, around 29,000 property sales fall through every year across England and Wales due to buyers’ concerns about local crime — representing an estimated £6.6 billion in lost property transactions annually. Understanding crime levels before committing to a purchase has never been more important.
However, these figures represent averages across entire urban areas. Crime levels can vary significantly from one street to the next within the same town or city — making street-level analysis essential for anyone making a property decision.
What this means for homebuyers and renters
Regional rankings provide a useful starting point, but they only tell part of the story. A Locacity report gives you a detailed, street-level picture of crime around a specific property — including the area immediately surrounding your home, nearby schools, transport hubs, and 999 police and ambulance response times.
Methodology
- • Analysis covers seven Built-Up Areas (BUAs) in the North East with a population of 75,000 or above, as defined by the Office for National Statistics.
- • Crime data sourced from Police.uk open data service (April 2025 – March 2026).
- • Population data sourced from ONS Census 2021.
- • BUA boundaries sourced from ONS Built-Up Areas (December 2022) boundary data.
- • Crime coordinates in Police.uk data are approximated to the nearest street in accordance with Police.uk anonymisation policy; a small number of crimes near BUA boundaries may therefore be assigned to an adjacent area.
- • Greater Manchester Police does not publish data through Police.uk and is excluded from all Locacity analysis.