Stockton-on-Tees Crime Rate

Stockton-on-Tees has an overall crime rate of 123.4 per 1,000 people, which is higher than the UK average of 91.7. This results in a safety score of 72/100 for the local authority area. Despite the higher-than-average crime rate, the trend is currently stable, showing a slight decrease of 1.4% year-over-year. This data, covering the period from December 2024 to November 2025, reflects the challenges of a busy, mixed-use urban and industrial region. The following analysis provides a detailed breakdown of the crime types and trends across Stockton-on-Tees to help residents and visitors understand the local safety environment.

About Stockton-on-Tees

Stockton-on-Tees is a large market town and local authority area with a diverse demographic and economic landscape. The area is characterised by a mix of historic town centres, modern residential developments, and significant industrial zones along the River Tees. Major employers in the chemical, engineering, and service sectors contribute to a busy daytime population. The presence of large retail hubs like Teesside Park and a vibrant nightlife in the town centre influences the local crime statistics, attracting both visitors and transient populations. Economic factors, including areas of both high affluence and significant deprivation, also play a role in the regional crime profile. Transport links, including major A-roads and rail connections, make it a key hub in the North East, further contributing to the volume of activity and the associated crime rates. Understanding these factors helps put the area's safety score and crime statistics into a broader regional context.

Crime in Stockton-on-Tees

Violence and sexual offences are the most common crimes in Stockton-on-Tees, accounting for 33.8% of the total with 8,616 incidents. This is followed by anti-social behaviour (19.9%) and criminal damage and arson (9.0%). Property crime, which includes burglary, robbery, theft, and vehicle crime, occurs at a rate of 40.2 per 1,000 residents. This is higher than the UK average of 32.3, suggesting that property-related offences are a significant concern for the local authority. Burglary and vehicle crime both occur at a rate of 4.7 per 1,000, while shoplifting is a notable factor at 10.6 per 1,000. For residents and homeowners, these figures indicate that while personal safety and anti-social behaviour are high-priority issues, securing homes and vehicles against theft and damage is equally essential in this busy urban region.

Crime Trends in Stockton-on-Tees

The crime trend in Stockton-on-Tees is currently stable, with a minor 1.4% decrease in total offences compared to the previous year. Monthly data from December 2024 to November 2025 shows that the crime rate remained relatively consistent, with most months seeing between 10.1 and 11.8 crimes per 1,000 people. There was a noticeable rise in the spring and summer, with peaks in May (11.0), June (10.8), and July (11.8). The year ended with a steady rate of 10.9 in November. This pattern suggests that crime activity is fairly uniform throughout the year, with a slight seasonal increase during the warmer months. For residents, this stability means that the local safety environment is predictable, though the overall volume of crime remains a factor to be mindful of.

Compared to other major areas in the North East, Stockton-on-Tees is a very active hub. Its crime rate of 123.4 per 1,000 is significantly higher than the reported rates for Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington, and Redcar and Cleveland, all of which showed zero crimes in this specific data set. It also has a higher activity level than Sunderland and County Durham. This positions Stockton-on-Tees as a central urban area where crime is more concentrated, making it a key focus for regional safety and policing efforts compared to its immediate neighbours.

Home Security in Stockton-on-Tees

With a property crime rate of 40.2 per 1,000, Stockton-on-Tees faces a higher risk of theft, burglary, and vehicle crime than the national average. In such an environment, traditional reactive security measures, which simply record a crime as it occurs, may not be enough to provide true peace of mind. For homeowners in this busy local authority, a proactive approach is essential to effectively deter criminals and prevent property loss.

scOS offers an AI-powered home security operating system that is designed to stop crime before it happens. By using multi-camera intelligence to monitor your property's boundaries in real-time, scOS can identify potential threats and activate autonomous responses—such as lights and speakers—to deter intruders at the critical 60-second decision point. This proactive detection is particularly valuable in an area with Stockton's crime profile, as it transforms your home into a "hard target." Instead of just having footage of a burglary, scOS ensures that the burglary is prevented, keeping your home and family safe in a region where property crime is a persistent challenge.

How To Keep Safe in Stockton-on-Tees

The most common crime in Stockton-on-Tees is violence and sexual offences, followed by anti-social behaviour. To stay safe across the local authority area, residents and visitors should follow these broader safety tips:

1. Be aware of your surroundings when in busy town centres or near major transport hubs, especially during the evening and night when social activity is at its peak.
2. When enjoying the local nightlife, stay with friends and use licensed transport to get home, as personal safety incidents are more common in high-density social areas.
3. Secure your home and vehicle at all times; with a property crime rate above the national average, visible deterrents and good locking habits are essential.
4. Report any instances of anti-social behaviour to the local council or police to help them identify and manage hotspots more effectively.
5. If you are a business owner, invest in robust security and staff training to mitigate the risk of shoplifting, which is a significant factor in the area's crime profile.