Derbyshire Dales Crime Rate December 2024 | Monthly Statistics

Derbyshire Dales maintained a crime rate significantly below the UK average in December 2024, with 4.4 crimes per 1,000 residents compared to the national figure of 7.1. This 38% deficit reflects a consistently lower crime profile than the UK as a whole, a pattern that has persisted across multiple data sets. The most prevalent crime type was violence and sexual offences, accounting for 39.2% of all recorded crimes, followed by anti-social behaviour (11.4%) and criminal damage and arson (10.1%). These figures align with the area’s character as a largely rural district with limited urban centres, where violent crime is less concentrated than in major cities. The seasonal context of December—characterised by dark evenings, holiday-related activity, and the absence of some residents during the festive period—may partly explain the elevated share of violence and property crimes. However, the overall low rate suggests that community cohesion and lower population density in Derbyshire Dales likely contribute to this comparative safety. Violent crime in the area remains 34% below the UK average, a gap that has narrowed slightly from previous months but still reflects a distinct trend. The dominance of anti-social behaviour and property crimes over theft from the person or burglary underscores the area’s unique dynamics, with fewer opportunities for opportunistic crimes in sparsely populated regions. This contrast with urban areas, where theft and burglary often dominate, highlights the influence of geography on crime patterns.

December 2024 saw notable fluctuations in specific crime categories, with anti-social behaviour surging by 100% compared to the previous month, rising from zero to 36 incidents. This spike may be linked to the festive season and increased social gatherings in the area’s villages and towns. Concurrently, criminal damage and arson doubled, moving from 16 to 32 cases—a stark increase that could reflect heightened vandalism during holiday periods or the absence of usual monitoring in empty homes. Possession of weapons also rose sharply by 200%, from one to three incidents, a figure that, while small, warrants attention given the rarity of such crimes in rural areas. In contrast, other crime fell by 41.7% (12 to 7), and drug-related offences dropped by 40% (10 to 6), indicating reduced illicit activity during the holiday season or improved community policing efforts. Burglary also declined by 29.4% (17 to 12), a trend consistent with lower residential occupancy during December. The data also reveals that Derbyshire Dales’ violent crime rate is 34% below the UK average, and anti-social behaviour is 47% below national levels, reinforcing the area’s position as a safer region. These figures provide residents with a clear benchmark for understanding local crime trends relative to the broader UK context.

Derbyshire Dales’ crime rate in December 2024 rose by 29% compared to the previous month, moving from 3.4 to 4.4 per 1,000 residents. While this increase is notable, the area remains far below the UK average, with a 38% deficit in overall crime. On a daily basis, 10 crimes were recorded across the 31 days of December, a figure that translates to roughly one reported crime for every 227 residents over the course of the month. This monthly exposure rate, while higher than some other rural areas, still places Derbyshire Dales in the lower quartile of UK local authority districts for crime frequency. The population context is critical here: with 71,757 residents, the 316 total crimes recorded equate to an average of 0.0044 crimes per person, a rate that is exceptionally low for a region with significant open spaces and limited urban infrastructure. The increase in anti-social behaviour and criminal damage may reflect the challenges of managing public spaces in a sparsely populated area during the holiday season, but the overall low rate of crime suggests that community networks and local governance play a role in mitigating risks. Residents should note that while December saw a rise in certain categories, the area’s crime profile remains fundamentally distinct from more densely populated regions, where property crime and theft from the person are more common.