Derbyshire Dales Crime Rate August 2023 | Monthly Statistics

In August 2023, Derbyshire Dales recorded a crime rate of 5.9 per 1,000 residents, placing it 27.2% below the UK average of 8.1 per 1,000. This figure translates to a daily risk of roughly one crime for every 170 residents over the course of the month, a statistic that underscores the relative safety of the area compared to national benchmarks. The most common crimes were violence and sexual offences (30.5% of total), followed by anti-social behaviour (20.1%) and other theft (12.1%). These patterns align with the area’s character as a largely rural district with limited urban density, where violent crime is more concentrated than property crime. Seasonal factors may also play a role: August, a peak holiday month, sees increased tourism and temporary occupancy of homes, which could contribute to heightened burglary risks in unoccupied properties. However, the overall rate remains significantly lower than the UK average, reflecting the area’s lower population density and stronger community cohesion. The breakdown of violent crimes—specifically violence and sexual offences—suggests that interpersonal conflicts or targeted incidents may be more prevalent than opportunistic theft, a contrast to the UK average where property crime typically dominates. The relatively low rates of vehicle crime (0.3 per 1,000) and shoplifting (0.3 per 1,000) further indicate that the area’s retail and transport hubs are not major hotspots for such offences. These findings, while not definitive, are consistent with the profile of a rural district where crime prevention efforts may focus more on community engagement than on high-traffic commercial zones.

August 2023 saw notable fluctuations in specific crime categories. Anti-social behaviour increased by 21.4% (70 to 85 incidents), suggesting a rise in disturbances that may be linked to summer tourism or seasonal social patterns. Similarly, drugs-related offences surged by 87.5% (8 to 15 cases), a sharp increase that could reflect heightened enforcement activity or changes in local drug dynamics. Conversely, theft from the person plummeted by 69.6% (23 to 7 cases), a decline that may indicate improved security measures or reduced opportunities for petty theft in public spaces. The category of possession of weapons fell by 80.0% (5 to 1 case), a dramatic reduction that could signal effective policing or a genuine decline in such incidents. These shifts highlight a mixed picture: while violent crime and anti-social behaviour remain concerns, property-related offences and specific categories of crime have shown marked decreases. The UK comparison data further illustrates this contrast: violence and sexual offences in Derbyshire Dales (1.8 per 1,000) are 32% below the national average, while other theft (0.7 per 1,000) is 11% above the UK rate of 0.6 per 1,000. This divergence suggests that while the area is safer in terms of violent crime, certain property-related offences remain slightly elevated. For residents, the most tangible insight is the sharp drop in theft from the person, which could mean fewer incidents of pickpocketing or bag-snatching in public areas, a change that may influence personal safety precautions.

Compared to July 2023, the crime rate in Derbyshire Dales fell by 9.0% to 5.9 per 1,000 from 6.5 per 1,000, a decline that reflects a consistent trend of lower crime levels in the area. On a daily basis, the local figure of 14 crimes per day provides a concrete snapshot of the pace of incidents, though this number must be contextualised within the area’s population of 71,757. Over the course of August, the 1-in-170 residents figure for monthly exposure highlights that the likelihood of experiencing a crime is relatively low compared to the UK average, where the equivalent figure would be higher. This lower risk is amplified by the area’s demographic profile: as a rural district with fewer densely populated centres, the distribution of crimes is more spread out, and the per-capita impact is diluted. The previous month’s rate of 6.5 per 1,000, though still below the UK average, shows that the downward trend has accelerated in recent months. This could be attributed to a combination of factors, including seasonal lulls in tourism-related crime or the effectiveness of local policing strategies. However, the comparison also reveals that certain categories, such as anti-social behaviour and drugs-related offences, have shown volatility, indicating that while overall crime is decreasing, specific types of crime may require targeted interventions. For residents, the key takeaway is that the area remains one of the safest in the UK, with the daily crime rate and per-resident risk being lower than in more urban or densely populated regions.