Barkston Crime Rate

Barkston is a secure urban settlement with a crime rate of 53.8 per 1,000 residents, which is notably lower than the UK average of 91.7. This performance earns the area a safety score of 88/100, positioning it as a safe choice for residents. The crime trend in Barkston is currently stable, showing a minor year-over-year decrease of 4.7%. This consistency suggests a well-managed local environment where crime is not a growing concern. While Barkston sits slightly higher on the crime scale than some of its more rural neighbours, it remains a low-risk area by national standards, offering a balanced suburban lifestyle with strong safety fundamentals.

Crime in Barkston

Crime in Barkston is primarily characterized by violence and sexual offences, which make up 34.6% of all reports (18.6 per 1,000 residents). Anti-social behaviour is also a significant factor, accounting for 30.9% of the total, followed by other theft at 13.6%. These three categories together constitute the vast majority of local police activity.

When examining property crime as a whole—including burglary, theft, vehicle crime, and arson—Barkston has a rate of 13.9 per 1,000 people. This is significantly lower than the UK average property crime rate of 32.3. However, burglary is a notable component of the local profile, representing 6.2% of total crimes (3.3 per 1,000), which is higher than some neighbouring villages. Vehicle crime is relatively low at 2.5%. For residents, the data suggests that while the area is generally safe, there is a distinct need to be proactive about home security, particularly regarding burglary, which appears more frequently here than in surrounding low-crime settlements.

Crime Trends in Barkston

The crime trend in Barkston is currently classified as stable, with a modest -4.7% year-over-year decrease. This suggests that the local safety environment is consistent, with no major surges in criminal activity. Looking at the monthly data for Dec 2024 to Nov 2025, the crime rate per 1,000 residents shows some seasonal variation.

The year started with a rate of 5.3 in December, followed by a very quiet February (0.7). However, activity increased significantly during the spring and summer months, with peaks in May (8.0) and August (6.7). The latter half of the year saw a gradual decline, with November ending on a rate of 3.3. These fluctuations suggest that crime in Barkston may be influenced by seasonal factors or specific local events, but the overall annual volume remains low and predictable. For residents, this stability is a positive indicator of long-term safety in the area.

How To Keep Safe in Barkston

Violence and sexual offences are the most common crime type in Barkston. While the overall numbers are low, it is important to take sensible precautions to maintain personal safety.

1. Plan Your Routes: When walking at night, stick to well-lit main roads and avoid shortcuts through isolated areas.
2. Secure Your Home at Night: Since 47% of burglaries occur between midnight and 6am, ensure all ground-floor windows and doors are double-locked before going to bed.
3. Be Aware of ASB: Anti-social behaviour is high in the local stats; reporting such incidents to the police early can prevent them from escalating into more serious offences.
4. Theft Prevention: With 'other theft' being the third most common crime, keep personal items like phones and wallets secure and out of sight when in public areas.
5. Vehicle Security: Although vehicle crime is low, use visible deterrents like steering locks if you park on the street overnight, especially given the night-time crime patterns in the area.

Crime Timing in Barkston

Barkston exhibits very clear time-based patterns for different types of crime. During the morning (6am - 12pm) and afternoon (12pm - 6pm), the vast majority of criminal activity is theft-related, accounting for 74% and 70% of incidents respectively. This indicates that opportunistic theft is a significant daytime concern.

However, as the sun sets, the profile changes. Between 6pm and 12am, burglary begins to rise, making up 34% of crimes. The most critical period for property owners is the night (12am - 6am), where burglary surges to 47% of all recorded activity and vehicle crime reaches its peak at 15%. This suggests that while theft is a daytime issue, the more serious property crimes are heavily concentrated in the late-night hours when residents are most vulnerable. Homeowners should focus their security efforts on overnight protection to mitigate these specific risks.

Barkston's safety profile is interesting when compared to its neighbours. It is safer than Great Gonerby, which has a higher crime rate of 69.8 per 1,000, but it records more activity than Ancaster (33.1). For those seeking absolute seclusion, nearby Marston and West Willoughby both reported zero crimes. Barkston serves as a slightly busier hub than these smaller villages, which is reflected in its rate of 53.8. However, compared to the wider UK context, Barkston remains an exceptionally safe place to live, providing a secure environment within the South Kesteven region.

Protecting Your Property in Barkston

Barkston's property crime rate of 13.9 per 1,000 residents is relatively low, but the data reveals a specific concern: burglary. Burglary accounts for 6.2% of all crime in the area, and crucially, 47% of these incidents occur during the night (12am - 6am). This suggests that burglars in Barkston specifically target properties while residents are asleep. Traditional alarms and cameras are often reactive—they alert you only after a window is broken or an intruder is already inside.

For residents looking to stay ahead of this trend, scOS offers a proactive approach to home security. By using AI to monitor all your cameras simultaneously, scOS identifies suspicious activity at your property's boundary long before an entry is attempted. The system can autonomously engage deterrents like high-intensity lighting or audible warnings, destroying the element of surprise that night-time burglars rely on. In Barkston, where burglary risk is concentrated in the early hours, moving to a preventative system like scOS is the most effective way to ensure your home is never the target.