Over the past few years, Yorkshire has hit the headlines as being one of the safest places to live and as being located in the area that is named the riskiest place to live in the country. This can be somewhat confusing. Let’s take a look at the facts.
Is Leeds A Safe Place To Live?
In a Compare the Market Survey, Leeds came 10th out of 30 cities in the rankings of the safest places to live. This ranking was based on a number of factors, including crime levels per population (22) and the number of burglaries. The Crime Grade Interactive Crime Map gives Leeds a B+ rating for its overall crime grade, with the violent crime grade receiving an A+ level (the best rating possible). It states that, on average, a crime occurs every 12 days, 15 hours in the city. It does, however, point out that without a security system, your home or business are around 300 times more likely to be targeted for a robbery.
In a survey by Confused.com , Leeds has been voted in the middle in the list of the UK’s most secure cities. This information was collected in a survey earlier this year by. The data took into account 32 different factors, including the number of police officers in the area, crimes per 1000 people, the number of CCTV cameras and resident safety. It ranked highly with residents who felt safe within the city and the number of police officers but was in the middle for most other figures out of the 32 cities studied.
However, it is important to note that the number of CCTV cameras in Leeds is not reported and therefore it cannot be compared to other cities. When it comes to the number of crimes in the area, Leeds is third highest on the list – meaning that residents of Leeds are more likely to be victims of crime than those in other cities such as Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham. The crime is above the national average.
Statistics from West Yorkshire Police show that over the last 12 months, from April 2020 to March 2021, the most common crimes in the city were violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour, public order offences, shoplifting and other theft.
What Are The Crime Rates In Leeds?
Statistics from West Yorkshire Police show that crime has been steadily declining over the past three years from a high in the October-December quarter in 2018 of over 4360 reported crimes to the January-March quarter of 2021, showing only 1441 reported crimes. Part of the reason for this could be the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, as crime rates in the city began to plummet from April 2020 onwards. The crime rates for the past 12 months are broken down by type of crime in the table below.
| Type of Crime | Number of Crimes April 2020 – March 2021 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1583 |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 967 |
| Public Order Offences | 955 |
| Shoplifting | 776 |
| Other theft | 594 |
| Vehicle Crime | 461 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 374 |
| Burglary | 355 |
| Drugs | 315 |
| Bicycle Theft | 269 |
| Theft from a Person | 210 |
| Robbery | 108 |
| Other Crime | 101 |
| Possession of Weapons | 85 |
Does Leeds Have A High Crime Rate?
Compared to other Northern cities, the total amount of reported crimes in Leeds is relatively low, lower than that of Liverpool and Manchester but higher than Newcastle. This, however, does not take into consideration the vast differences in population, so it is better to look at the cities’ exact numbers.
Which Areas Have The Highest Levels of Crime In Leeds?
As we have seen Leeds has a high crime rate, but to understand more about the crime that is being committed we need to look at where in Leeds it is happening.
The map below, produced by Leeds Observatory, shows us that the amount of crime is higher in the very heart of the city in comparison to the outer areas. The Yorkshire Evening Post at the end of last year published an article revealing the 20 wards within Leeds that had the highest levels of crime. Here are the top 10 locations in Leeds, followed by their crime rate per 1000 of the population:
- Little London & Woodhouse: 365.9.
- Hunslet and Riverside: 300.
- Beeston and Holbeck: 204.1.
- Armley: 202.7.
- Killingbeck and Seacroft: 193.4.
- Burmantofts and Richrmond Hill: 188.9.
- Giptop and Harehills: 185.5
- Middleton Park: 149.5
- Temple Newsam: 147.5.
- Farnley and Wortley: 146.9
What Is The Roughest Part Of Leeds?
When considering where the roughest parts of Leeds are, it is important to not only take into consideration the total number of crimes per area but also to look at the specific types of crime. For an area to be rough and dangerous, it is important to look at violent crimes as these are the crimes more likely to harm others. If we look at the Leeds area and focus only on violent crimes, the results show us that the city center and the calls area have the highest rates of violent crime. The results are based on violent crimes in the month of March 2021, as these are the most up-to-date figures published by the West Yorkshire Police.
Principles Of Crime Prevention From The West Yorkshire Police
It is very important that we take precautionary measures to ensure that we as individuals and as a community stay safe and help prevent criminal activity. Towards this aim of decreasing crime within the county of Leeds, the West Yorkshire Police have created a list of principles.
These principles can assist you in reducing the opportunity for crime to occur at your home, your place of work, your business or when you are out and about in the city. See the list below of the most important principles you should consider.
Target Removal
Make sure any valuables are out of sight in your home, at your business or on your person. This will help to deter criminals therefore helping to prevent the loss of your property and the likelydhood of damages
Reducing the Means
Reduce how easy it is for someone to steal from you by not leaving items unattended. If you are out ensure you keep your belongings close to your person.
Access Control
Control access to your home, business or vehicle by locking all doors and windows.
Surveillance
Improve the surveillance around your home and/or business. Consider install alarms or CCTV and when out make sure you watch your belongings at all times.
Conclusion
Every city has its safer parts and areas that are more dangerous, and Leeds is no exception, however in comparison to other English cities, it is a safer option. Understandably, businesses may want to protect themselves so that they or their staff are not the victims of crime. There are ways to reduce your likelihood of being targeted by criminals, and one such way is by hiring a security company. A security company can install CCTV cameras to monitor premises or provide security guards for a physical presence, deterring potential criminals. Security companies can also review your current security methods, making recommendations on how to make your business safer.
Huddersfield is another popular area in Yorkshire, check out our article to see how safe Huddersfield really is, or take a look at our other articles to see what the crime rate is like in the South of Yorkshire. Also, head over to our news page so that you can keep up to date with all the latest Yorkshire news.
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