Crime in Lincoln decreased overall between January and December 2024 and the same period in 2025. The analysed Police.uk street-level dataset contained 16,072 crime and anti-social behaviour incidents in 2025, compared with 17,383 in 2024.
That represents 1,311 fewer recorded incidents, an overall reduction of approximately 7.5%.
Most categories moved down. Burglary, violence and sexual offences, shoplifting, criminal damage and arson, other theft and drug offences all recorded lower totals.
Anti-social behaviour was the main exception, increasing by more than 12%.
Key Point
Lincoln recorded 16,072 street-level crime and anti-social behaviour incidents in 2025, down 7.5% from 17,383 in 2024. Thirteen of the fourteen categories analysed decreased, while anti-social behaviour increased by 12.6%.
Crime in Lincoln: 2024 Compared With 2025
The Lincoln dataset shows a broad reduction across most recorded categories.
| Crime category | 2024 | 2025 | Numerical change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 5,883 | 5,164 | -719 | -12.2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 3,370 | 3,794 | +424 | +12.6% |
| Shoplifting | 2,614 | 2,348 | -266 | -10.2% |
| Public order | 1,270 | 1,208 | -62 | -4.9% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,292 | 1,140 | -152 | -11.8% |
| Other theft | 849 | 697 | -152 | -17.9% |
| Other crime | 352 | 347 | -5 | -1.4% |
| Vehicle crime | 336 | 327 | -9 | -2.7% |
| Burglary | 466 | 310 | -156 | -33.5% |
| Drugs | 381 | 260 | -121 | -31.8% |
| Bicycle theft | 211 | 197 | -14 | -6.6% |
| Robbery | 157 | 146 | -11 | -7.0% |
| Possession of weapons | 131 | 103 | -28 | -21.4% |
| Theft from the person | 71 | 31 | -40 | -56.3% |
| Total | 17,383 | 16,072 | -1,311 | -7.5% |
What Area Does the Lincoln Crime Data Cover?
This comparison uses monthly Lincolnshire Police street-level crime data covering January to December 2024 and January to December 2025.
Records were selected using the published Lower Layer Super Output Area, or LSOA, information for Lincoln. The same filtering methodology was used for both years to provide a consistent year-on-year comparison.
Police.uk street-level data includes crime categories, LSOA information and anonymised geographic locations. The locations shown within the dataset should therefore be treated as approximate rather than exact incident addresses.
How Much Crime Was Recorded in Lincoln?
The analysed dataset contained 16,072 incidents during 2025.
That equates to approximately:
- 1,339 incidents per month
- 309 incidents per week
- 44 incidents per day
The equivalent 2024 dataset contained 17,383 records, equivalent to approximately 48 incidents per day.
The reduction was not limited to one category.
Of the fourteen categories included in the comparison, thirteen recorded fewer incidents in 2025.
Only anti-social behaviour increased.
Did Crime in Lincoln Increase or Decrease?
Overall crime in Lincoln, when crime and anti-social behaviour records within the dataset are considered together, decreased by approximately 7.5%.
Several high-volume categories contributed to the reduction.
Violence and sexual offences fell by 719 records.
Shoplifting decreased by 266.
Burglary fell by 156, while criminal damage and arson and other theft each recorded 152 fewer incidents.
Drug offences decreased by 121.
The main counter-trend was anti-social behaviour, which increased by 424 incidents.
The figures therefore indicate a broad reduction in recorded crime categories alongside a clear increase in reported anti-social behaviour.
Violence and Sexual Offences Recorded the Largest Numerical Fall
Violence and sexual offences remained the largest individual category despite recording the largest numerical reduction.
The dataset contained:
- 5,883 incidents in 2024
- 5,164 incidents in 2025
That represents 719 fewer incidents, a reduction of approximately 12.2%.
Even after the reduction, this category represented almost one-third of all records within the 2025 Lincoln dataset.
The Police.uk classification covers a broad range of offences. These figures do not show how many incidents occurred within homes, public spaces, workplaces or commercial premises.
The total should therefore be treated as an indicator of recorded activity across Lincoln rather than a direct measurement of risk to local businesses.
Anti-Social Behaviour Increased by 12.6%
Anti-social behaviour was the only category in the comparison to increase.
Recorded incidents rose from 3,370 in 2024 to 3,794 in 2025.
That represents:
- 424 additional incidents
- an increase of approximately 12.6%
- an average of approximately 316 reports per month
Anti-social behaviour became the second-largest category within the 2025 dataset.
For commercial property operators, repeated anti-social behaviour may become operationally relevant where nuisance, congregation, intimidation, trespass or unauthorised access affects entrances, car parks, yards or vacant premises.
However, the city-wide figures do not show how many of these incidents directly involved commercial property.
Burglary Fell by Around One-Third
Burglary recorded one of the strongest reductions.
The number of incidents fell from 466 in 2024 to 310 in 2025.
That represents:
- 156 fewer burglaries
- a reduction of approximately 33.5%
The direction is clearly positive.
It does not mean burglary risk disappeared.
More than 300 burglary incidents remained within the Lincoln dataset during 2025, and the annual total does not establish how many involved residential premises compared with commercial property.
Individual exposure will depend on the property, location, operating hours, assets and security controls in place.
Shoplifting Fell by 10.2%
Shoplifting remained one of the largest recorded categories but also moved down during 2025.
The total fell from 2,614 incidents to 2,348.
That represents 266 fewer incidents, or a reduction of approximately 10.2%.
Shoplifting is primarily relevant to retail environments and should not be treated as a general measurement of theft risk across every commercial sector.
It is nevertheless important to Lincoln’s overall figures because the reduction contributed materially to the lower annual total.
Despite the decrease, almost 196 shoplifting incidents per month were still recorded on average during 2025.
Criminal Damage and Other Theft Also Decreased
Criminal damage and arson fell from 1,292 incidents in 2024 to 1,140 in 2025, a reduction of approximately 11.8%.
Other theft decreased from 849 to 697, representing a reduction of approximately 17.9%.
These categories can be relevant to commercial premises because damage or theft does not always require a successful building break-in.
External plant, materials, fuel, cables, storage areas, loading zones and unsecured equipment can all create exposure depending on the type of site.
The city-wide figures provide context, but they cannot determine the likelihood of an incident at an individual property.
Drug Offences Fell by 31.8%
Recorded drug offences decreased from 381 incidents in 2024 to 260 in 2025.
That represents a reduction of approximately 31.8%.
Drug offence statistics require careful interpretation because police activity and enforcement practices can influence the number of offences identified and recorded.
A fall in recorded drug offences therefore does not automatically mean underlying drug activity decreased by exactly the same percentage.
The data shows recorded incidents rather than every factor responsible for the change.
Vehicle Crime Remained Relatively Stable
Vehicle crime showed one of the smallest movements.
Lincoln recorded:
- 336 vehicle crime incidents in 2024
- 327 in 2025
That represents a reduction of only nine incidents, or approximately 2.7%.
In practical terms, recorded vehicle crime remained relatively stable compared with the larger movements elsewhere.
This distinction can matter to businesses operating vehicle compounds, construction sites, warehouses, industrial sites or premises containing commercial vans, trailers, plant and machinery.
The wider Lincoln trend does not establish the risk attached to a specific site.
A poorly controlled yard or car park can remain exposed even when the city-wide vehicle crime total is stable or falling.
Which Crime Categories Fell the Most?
The largest numerical reduction was recorded in violence and sexual offences, with 719 fewer incidents.
Shoplifting followed with 266 fewer records.
Burglary, criminal damage and arson, other theft and drugs also contributed materially to the overall reduction.
By percentage, several smaller categories experienced particularly large movements.
Theft from the person fell by 56.3%, from 71 incidents to 31.
Burglary decreased by 33.5%.
Drug offences fell by 31.8%, while possession of weapons decreased by approximately 21.4%.
Percentage changes in lower-volume categories should always be considered alongside the underlying numbers because relatively small numerical differences can create large percentage movements.
What Do the Crime in Lincoln Figures Mean for Commercial Sites?
The 7.5% overall reduction is positive, but it does not mean every commercial property in Lincoln became 7.5% safer.
The 2025 dataset still contained:
- more than 3,700 anti-social behaviour incidents
- more than 2,300 shoplifting incidents
- more than 1,100 criminal damage and arson records
- almost 700 other theft incidents
- 327 vehicle crime records
- 310 burglaries
Those figures provide city-level context.
They do not determine the exposure of an individual warehouse, construction project, vacant building, industrial site or storage yard.
Commercial risk depends on factors such as site layout, location, access points, perimeter condition, operating hours, lighting, occupancy and the value of assets left on site.
For example, a warehouse may require dedicated warehouse security because of stored stock, vehicles and loading areas.
An active development may face different risks and require construction site security because boundaries, access arrangements and valuable equipment can change as work progresses.
Passive Security and Active Site Control
Fencing, locks, lighting, CCTV, alarms and access-control systems can all contribute to commercial security.
They can deter, delay, record activity or generate an alert.
Their effectiveness depends on correct installation, maintenance, monitoring and what happens after suspicious activity is detected.
Active security provides a different layer.
A visible security presence can inspect vulnerable areas, conduct patrols, identify signs of interference, assess suspicious behaviour and escalate developing incidents.
This does not make passive security measures unnecessary.
For exposed or higher-risk premises, the more appropriate approach is often to consider how passive and active security measures support one another.
Where a site assessment identifies the need for physical patrols and a visible presence, security dog handler services can provide active out-of-hours site monitoring.
Deployment decisions should be based on the risks of the individual property rather than city-wide statistics alone.
When Might a Lincoln Business Review Its Security?
Additional security measures may be worth reviewing when:
- theft, trespass, vandalism or attempted entry has already occurred
- valuable plant, stock, vehicles, fuel, tools or materials remain on site overnight
- fencing or gates are repeatedly damaged or compromised
- CCTV does not provide adequate coverage of the entire site
- the premises are vacant or only partly occupied
- yards, loading areas or car parks remain exposed outside operating hours
- access arrangements regularly change
- suspicious activity repeatedly occurs during nights or weekends
- a successful intrusion could cause significant operational disruption
The appropriate level of security should be determined by the site’s actual exposure rather than by crime statistics alone.
Data Source and Methodology
This analysis uses Police.uk street-level crime and anti-social behaviour data supplied by Lincolnshire Police for January to December 2024 and January to December 2025.
The datasets include reporting force, anonymised geographic information, LSOA data, crime classification and outcome information.
The same Lincoln filtering methodology was applied to both annual datasets.
Percentage changes were calculated by comparing each 2025 category total with the equivalent 2024 total.
Anti-social behaviour is included because it forms part of the Police.uk street-level dataset, although it is recorded separately from formal crime categories.
Published street-level locations are anonymised and should therefore be understood as approximate locations rather than precise incident addresses.
The figures show recorded incidents.
They do not measure unreported crime, establish why individual categories changed or determine the precise security risk affecting an individual property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much crime in Lincoln was recorded in 2025?
The analysed Police.uk dataset contained 16,072 street-level crime and anti-social behaviour incidents in Lincoln during 2025.
Did crime in Lincoln increase in 2025?
No. The combined number of incidents decreased by approximately 7.5%, falling from 17,383 in 2024 to 16,072 in 2025.
What was the most commonly recorded crime category in Lincoln?
Violence and sexual offences was the largest category, with 5,164 recorded incidents in 2025.
Which category increased in Lincoln?
Anti-social behaviour was the only category in the comparison to increase. It rose from 3,370 incidents in 2024 to 3,794 in 2025, an increase of approximately 12.6%.
How many burglaries were recorded in Lincoln?
The dataset contained 310 burglary incidents in 2025, compared with 466 in 2024. That represents a reduction of approximately 33.5%.
Did vehicle crime decrease in Lincoln?
Yes, but only slightly. Vehicle crime decreased from 336 incidents in 2024 to 327 in 2025, a reduction of approximately 2.7%.
Did shoplifting decrease in Lincoln?
Yes. Shoplifting fell from 2,614 incidents in 2024 to 2,348 in 2025, a reduction of approximately 10.2%.
Are Police.uk crime locations exact?
No. Street-level locations are anonymised, so published coordinates indicate an approximate area rather than the precise address where an incident occurred.
Does falling crime in Lincoln mean a business needs less security?
Not necessarily. City-wide statistics provide context, while the risk affecting an individual business depends on its location, assets, occupancy, perimeter, access points, previous incidents and existing security controls.
Conclusion
Crime in Lincoln decreased considerably overall during 2025.
The analysed dataset contained 1,311 fewer incidents than in 2024, producing an overall reduction of approximately 7.5%.
Violence and sexual offences, burglary, shoplifting, criminal damage and arson, other theft, drugs and almost every other category recorded lower totals.
Anti-social behaviour was the important exception, increasing by 12.6%.
For businesses and commercial property operators, these figures provide useful local context but should not replace a site-specific risk assessment.
A warehouse, construction site, vacant property or industrial facility can remain exposed even when city-wide recorded crime is falling.
The relevant question is therefore not simply whether crime across Lincoln increased or decreased.
It is whether an individual site has appropriate measures to deter, detect and respond to unauthorised activity when the premises are quiet, unoccupied or difficult to monitor.