Westmorland and Furness Crime Rate January 2025 | Monthly Statistics

Westmorland and Furness, a largely rural and semi-urban district in Cumbria, reported a crime rate of 5.5 per 1,000 residents in January 2025—22.5% below the UK average of 7.1. This performance places the area significantly ahead of the national picture, a trend that has persisted across recent months. The most common crimes were violence and sexual offences (47.8% of all incidents), followed by criminal damage and arson (9.6%) and public order offences (7.7%). The dominance of violent crime in the area’s profile contrasts with the UK average, where property crimes often constitute a larger share. This may reflect local characteristics such as the district’s mix of remote rural areas and small towns, which can foster community interactions that either mitigate or exacerbate certain types of crime. January’s seasonal context—shorter days, post-holiday periods, and reduced retail footfall—likely influenced patterns, with outdoor crimes declining as expected. However, the high proportion of violent crime suggests that factors such as social cohesion, local policing strategies, or demographic composition may play a role. The area’s shoplifting rate was 52% below the UK average, a figure that could be attributed to lower retail density compared to urban centres. This data underscores the importance of tailoring crime prevention efforts to the specific needs of rural and semi-urban communities, where traditional urban policing models may not apply directly.

January 2025 saw notable fluctuations in specific crime categories. Robbery incidents surged by 200%, rising from one to three cases, a sharp increase that may reflect post-holiday vulnerabilities or isolated incidents. Concurrently, burglary rose by 21.7% (46 to 56), potentially linked to seasonal factors such as colder weather reducing outdoor activity and increasing indoor target opportunities. Anti-social behaviour also increased by 21.4% (56 to 68), which could indicate heightened tensions during the post-Christmas period. Conversely, theft from the person dropped by 50% (from six to three), likely tied to reduced foot traffic in retail areas following the holiday season. Other crime and other theft both declined significantly, by 37.1% and 33% respectively, due to seasonal closures or altered patterns of criminal activity. Shoplifting in the area was 52% below the UK average, a stark contrast to the national trend and influenced by the region’s lower retail density compared to urban centres.

Westmorland and Furness recorded 5.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in January 2025, a 4.2% decrease from December’s 5.7 rate. This aligns with the area’s consistent trend of outperforming the UK average, which stood at 7.1 per 1,000. On a daily basis, the area saw approximately 41 crimes reported each day, a figure that contextualises the pace of incidents within the local population. When considering the monthly exposure, one crime occurred for every 182 residents over the course of January—a statistic that highlights the relatively low frequency of crime in the area compared to national benchmarks. The population context further reinforces this: with 230,185 residents, the distribution of incidents remains spread out, suggesting a lower concentration of crime in any single neighbourhood. This pattern is consistent with the area’s geographic and demographic profile, which includes a mix of rural and semi-urban landscapes that may contribute to dispersed crime patterns rather than concentrated hotspots.