Barnoldswick Crime Rate

Barnoldswick is a notably safe settlement, featuring an overall crime rate of 68.5 per 1,000 people per year. This is substantially lower than the UK national average of 93.1, resulting in an impressive safety score of 85/100. Compared to the national safety benchmark of 78, Barnoldswick offers a high degree of security for its residents. However, the area has seen a 17.5% increase in reported crimes over the past year. This increasing trend, while starting from a low base, indicates a need for continued community awareness. The detailed analysis below explores the types of crime most prevalent in the area and how they vary by time of day, providing a comprehensive view of the local safety landscape.

Crime Breakdown in Barnoldswick

In Barnoldswick, the crime landscape is uniquely balanced between anti-social behaviour and violence and sexual offences, each accounting for 33.5% of total reports. Criminal damage and arson follow as the third most significant type at 10.0%. For residents, property crime is an important metric. The overall property crime rate in Barnoldswick—including burglary, vehicle crime, and various forms of theft—is 17.1 per 1,000 people. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 32.9, indicating that Barnoldswick is relatively safe from property-related offences. Burglary specifically accounts for 4.0% of total crime, while vehicle crime stands at 2.6%. While these figures are low, the presence of criminal damage and theft suggests that opportunistic crime still occurs, particularly during the afternoon when theft is most common. Residents should maintain consistent security to protect their homes and assets.

Crime Trends in Barnoldswick

The crime rate in Barnoldswick has shown a 17.5% increase over the past year. Monthly data reveals a somewhat irregular pattern; the highest crime rate was recorded in April 2025 at 8.7 per 1,000 residents, with November 2024 also seeing a high rate of 7.7. The lowest rate occurred in October 2025 at 3.5. This pattern suggests that crime in Barnoldswick was higher in the late autumn and early spring, with a notable decline as the year progressed towards the following autumn. The overall upward trend, while starting from a low base, indicates that residents should remain proactive about their security measures and stay informed about local safety developments.

How To Keep Safe in Barnoldswick

Anti-social behaviour and violence and sexual offences are the most common crime types in Barnoldswick, followed by criminal damage. Maintaining safety in this quiet town involves a few key practices.

1. Secure Outdoor Assets: With criminal damage being a top three crime type, ensure that outbuildings, sheds, and garden furniture are secured and not easily accessible to passers-by.
2. Vigilance in Public: When walking through town, especially during the evening, stay in well-lit areas and be aware of your surroundings to avoid anti-social behaviour.
3. Property Maintenance: Use motion-activated lighting around the perimeter of your home to deter anti-social behaviour and discourage loitering near your property.
4. Community Connectivity: Stay in touch with neighbours and participate in local social media groups to stay informed about any unusual activity or recent incidents in the Barnoldswick area.
5. Vehicle Security: Always park in secure, well-lit locations and ensure no valuables are left on display, as vehicle crime accounts for 25% of incidents during the night.

Crime in Barnoldswick follows a distinct temporal pattern. Theft-related offences are most common during the day, accounting for 39% of morning crimes and 42% of afternoon incidents. As the day transitions into evening and night, the nature of crime shifts. Anti-social behaviour and other offences become more prominent in the evening, while the relative percentage of burglary and vehicle crime peaks during the night-time hours (12am - 6am). Burglary reaches 23% and vehicle crime 25% during these hours. These patterns indicate that while daytime requires vigilance against theft, the night-time hours are when residential properties and vehicles are most at risk of more serious property crimes.

In the context of the surrounding Pendle area, Barnoldswick is a very safe town. Its crime rate of 68.5 per 1,000 is much lower than the major urban centres of Colne (147.2) and Nelson (125.7). However, it is slightly more active than its immediate neighbour Earby (56.2) and the rural villages of Sough (49.8) and Foulridge (43.2). This positioning shows that Barnoldswick offers a secure residential environment that is far removed from the higher crime densities of the larger nearby towns while remaining a central hub for its own local community.

Barnoldswick’s property crime rate of 17.1 per 1,000 is enviable, yet the 17.5% year-over-year increase in total crime suggests that residents should not be complacent. Traditional security systems, like basic alarms or standard CCTV, are primarily reactive—they alert you or provide evidence only after a crime has been committed. scOS changes this dynamic by offering a proactive, AI-powered operating system that focuses on prevention. By monitoring all camera feeds simultaneously with intelligent boundary detection, scOS can identify a potential intruder the moment they step onto your property. This is particularly effective given that most burglars make a decision about a target in under a minute. scOS can autonomously activate lights or speakers, destroying the element of surprise and deterring the threat before any damage is done. For those in Barnoldswick who value their peace of mind, scOS offers a professional-grade alternative to DIY systems that merely record the crime.