Crime in Leeds fell by 2.6% between 2024 and 2025, according to our analysis of West Yorkshire Police street-level crime data.
The Police.uk street-level dataset analysed for this report contained 108,547 incidents in 2025, compared with 111,424 in 2024.
Several property-related categories moved down during the year. Burglary, vehicle crime, criminal damage and arson, and other theft all recorded lower totals.
The picture was not the same across every category. Violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour, robbery, drugs and possession of weapons all increased.
Key Point
Leeds recorded 108,547 street-level crime and anti-social behaviour incidents in 2025, down 2.6% from 111,424 in 2024. Vehicle crime recorded the largest numerical fall, while violence and sexual offences produced the largest numerical increase. Robbery had the largest percentage increase.
What Area Does the Leeds Crime Data Cover?
This comparison uses monthly West Yorkshire Police street-level crime files covering January to December 2024 and January to December 2025.
Records were included where the published Lower Layer Super Output Area, or LSOA, name began with “Leeds”.
The same filter was used for both years, covering 488 Leeds LSOAs and giving a consistent year-on-year comparison.
The figures should not be treated as an exact count of every offence committed within the Leeds local authority boundary.
Police.uk publishes crime information at street level and anonymises locations before release. A published map point may therefore be close to an incident rather than showing its exact address.
How Much Crime Was Recorded in Leeds?
The Leeds dataset contained 108,547 crime and anti-social behaviour records during 2025.
That is equal to approximately:
- 9,046 incidents per month
- 2,082 incidents per seven-day period
- 297 incidents per day
The equivalent 2024 dataset contained 111,424 records, averaging around 304 incidents per day.
There were 2,877 fewer incidents in 2025, giving an overall reduction of approximately 2.6%.
Eight categories decreased during the comparison period, while six increased.
Leeds Crime Statistics: 2024 Compared With 2025
| Crime category | 2024 | 2025 | Numerical change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 41,775 | 42,939 | +1,164 | +2.8% |
| Shoplifting | 10,512 | 10,317 | -195 | -1.9% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 8,963 | 9,250 | +287 | +3.2% |
| Public order | 9,458 | 8,763 | -695 | -7.3% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7,982 | 7,200 | -782 | -9.8% |
| Other theft | 7,554 | 7,199 | -355 | -4.7% |
| Vehicle crime | 7,545 | 5,808 | -1,737 | -23.0% |
| Burglary | 6,682 | 5,765 | -917 | -13.7% |
| Drugs | 3,057 | 3,294 | +237 | +7.8% |
| Other crime | 2,915 | 3,108 | +193 | +6.6% |
| Robbery | 1,581 | 1,812 | +231 | +14.6% |
| Theft from the person | 1,333 | 1,129 | -204 | -15.3% |
| Possession of weapons | 968 | 1,046 | +78 | +8.1% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,099 | 917 | -182 | -16.6% |
| Total | 111,424 | 108,547 | -2,877 | -2.6% |
Did Recorded Crime in Leeds Increase or Decrease?
The combined total fell by approximately 2.6%.
A large part of that reduction came from vehicle crime. There were 1,737 fewer vehicle crime records in 2025 than in the previous year.
Burglary, criminal damage and arson, public order, other theft and several smaller theft categories also moved down.
Other offences went in the opposite direction.
Violence and sexual offences increased by 1,164 incidents. Anti-social behaviour, robbery, drugs, other crime and possession of weapons also recorded higher totals.
The Leeds figures are therefore better described as a shift in the mix of recorded crime rather than an improvement across every category.
Violence and Sexual Offences Remained the Largest Category
Violence and sexual offences continued to account for the largest share of the Leeds dataset.
There were:
- 41,775 incidents in 2024
- 42,939 incidents in 2025
This was an increase of 1,164 incidents, or approximately 2.8%.
The category represented around 39.6% of all records analysed for 2025.
Police.uk uses this classification for a wide range of offences. The figures do not show how many incidents happened in homes, public places, workplaces or commercial premises.
The main point here is scale. Violence and sexual offences remained the dominant category and also recorded the largest increase in actual numbers.
Anti-Social Behaviour Increased by 3.2%
Anti-social behaviour rose from 8,963 incidents in 2024 to 9,250 in 2025.
That was an increase of 287 records, equivalent to approximately 3.2%.
It remained one of the largest categories in the Leeds dataset.
Anti-social behaviour can include a wide range of incidents, from nuisance and intimidating behaviour to repeated activity around public areas and private property.
For businesses, the relevance can depend heavily on where that activity takes place.
Problems around entrances, car parks, vacant buildings or access routes may require attention even when they have not yet resulted in burglary or theft.
The city-wide figures do not show how many incidents affected commercial sites.
Robbery Had the Largest Percentage Increase
Robbery rose from 1,581 incidents to 1,812.
This represents an increase of approximately 14.6%, the largest percentage rise among the categories analysed.
The percentage needs some context because robbery remains a much smaller category than violence and sexual offences, shoplifting or anti-social behaviour.
Even after the increase, robbery accounted for only a small proportion of the overall Leeds total.
This is why numerical and percentage changes should be considered together.
Burglary Recorded a Substantial Reduction
Burglary fell from 6,682 incidents in 2024 to 5,765 in 2025.
That was a reduction of 917 incidents, or approximately 13.7%.
The fall is significant.
It does not, however, tell us whether burglary risk changed equally across different parts of Leeds or across different types of property.
A warehouse, construction site, vacant building or storage compound can have a very different risk profile from a residential property.
Access, occupancy, perimeter condition, lighting, surrounding activity and the value of assets on site can all affect exposure.
Theft-Related Categories Also Declined
Several other theft categories recorded lower totals.
Shoplifting fell slightly, from 10,512 incidents to 10,317.
Other theft decreased from 7,554 to 7,199.
Theft from the person fell from 1,333 to 1,129.
Bicycle theft decreased from 1,099 to 917.
These categories describe different types of offending and should not be treated as one single risk.
Shoplifting is mainly relevant to retail environments, while other theft can cover a much broader range of situations.
The reductions show a general downward movement across several theft categories, although the remaining volumes were still substantial.
Vehicle Crime Fell by 23.0%
Vehicle crime recorded the largest numerical reduction in the Leeds comparison.
Incidents fell from 7,545 in 2024 to 5,808 in 2025.
That was:
- 1,737 fewer incidents
- a reduction of approximately 23.0%
- an average of around 484 recorded incidents per month during 2025
The fall made a major contribution to the lower overall crime total.
For businesses with staff parking, commercial fleets, vans, plant or machinery, the remaining level of vehicle crime may still be relevant.
Risk at a particular site depends on factors such as lighting, access control, perimeter security, visibility and how long vehicles are left unattended.
Criminal Damage, Public Order and Weapons Offences
Criminal damage and arson fell from 7,982 incidents to 7,200, a reduction of approximately 9.8%.
Public order offences also decreased, falling from 9,458 to 8,763.
Possession of weapons moved in the opposite direction.
The category increased from 968 records in 2024 to 1,046 in 2025, a rise of approximately 8.1%.
These movements again show why the annual total should not be read as a single measure of risk.
Different offences changed at different rates.
Which Months Recorded the Most Crime in Leeds?
The highest monthly total in 2025 was recorded in July, when the dataset contained 9,967 incidents.
The lowest total was recorded in February, with 8,009 incidents.
Monthly totals were:
| Month | Recorded incidents |
|---|---|
| January | 8,214 |
| February | 8,009 |
| March | 9,304 |
| April | 9,169 |
| May | 9,642 |
| June | 9,537 |
| July | 9,967 |
| August | 9,502 |
| September | 8,959 |
| October | 9,290 |
| November | 8,686 |
| December | 8,268 |
Recorded incidents were generally higher through late spring and summer than at the beginning and end of the year.
One year of monthly data is not enough to prove a seasonal pattern.
Several years would need to show a similar movement before drawing a stronger conclusion.
What Could the Figures Mean for Leeds Businesses?
The overall reduction does not mean every Leeds business or commercial property became safer during 2025.
Some categories closely connected with property and assets remained common.
The 2025 dataset included:
- 7,200 criminal damage and arson incidents
- 7,199 other theft incidents
- 5,808 vehicle crime incidents
- 5,765 burglary incidents
These figures do not show how many offences involved businesses.
They do show that theft, damage and vehicle-related crime remained a significant part of the wider Leeds crime picture.
For an individual business, the more important issue is the condition of the site itself.
A warehouse with secure access, good lighting and regular occupancy may face a very different level of exposure from an isolated compound containing equipment or materials.
Construction sites, storage yards, industrial premises and vacant buildings can also become more vulnerable outside normal working hours.
Passive Security and Active Site Control
Physical security measures such as fencing, locks, gates, alarms, CCTV and lighting all have an important role.
They can make entry more difficult, provide evidence and alert someone when activity is detected.
Their effectiveness depends on the condition of the equipment and what happens after an alert.
A damaged fence may provide little protection.
A camera can record an incident without physically challenging it.
An alarm is only as useful as the response that follows.
Active security provides an on-site presence able to patrol agreed areas, check gates and perimeter sections, identify unusual activity and report concerns.
A security dog handler may form part of this approach where a site needs a visible presence during periods when it would otherwise be empty or lightly occupied.
The decision should be based on the individual site rather than the Leeds crime total alone.
When Might a Leeds Site Require Additional Security Cover?
Additional security may be worth considering where:
- theft, trespass or vandalism has already occurred
- fencing or perimeter sections are damaged or difficult to monitor
- valuable tools, plant, vehicles, fuel or materials remain on site
- CCTV has blind spots or relies on a delayed response
- a building is vacant or awaiting redevelopment
- access points are difficult to control outside operating hours
- the site borders open land, public footpaths or easily accessible areas
- previous incidents have happened during nights, weekends or shutdown periods
Construction sites can be particularly difficult to secure because access arrangements and perimeter conditions often change as work progresses.
Vacant properties have a different problem. Once a building is known to be empty, repeated trespass can become more difficult to control if early incidents are not addressed.
The level of security should match the actual exposure of the site.
Data Source and Methodology
This analysis uses West Yorkshire Police street-level crime and anti-social behaviour CSV files published through Police.uk.
The comparison covers:
- January to December 2024
- January to December 2025
Records were included where the published LSOA name began with “Leeds”.
The same filtering method was applied to all 24 monthly datasets.
The totals include the Police.uk categories shown in the comparison table, including anti-social behaviour.
Percentage changes were calculated by comparing each 2025 category with the corresponding 2024 total.
The figures have several limitations.
Street-level locations are anonymised.
Some offences may not be assigned to a specific Leeds LSOA.
The data does not consistently show whether an incident affected a home, commercial premises or public space.
Changes in reporting and policing activity can also affect recorded totals.
The figures are useful for comparing broad year-on-year trends. They should not be used as a direct measure of risk for an individual property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many crimes were recorded in Leeds in 2025?
The Leeds dataset contained 108,547 street-level crime and anti-social behaviour records during 2025.
Did recorded crime in Leeds increase in 2025?
No. The overall total fell by approximately 2.6% compared with 2024.
What was the largest crime category in Leeds?
Violence and sexual offences was the largest category, accounting for 42,939 records.
Which category increased the most in Leeds?
Violence and sexual offences recorded the largest increase in actual numbers.
Robbery recorded the largest percentage increase.
Which category decreased the most?
Vehicle crime recorded the largest numerical reduction, with 1,737 fewer incidents.
Did burglary decrease in Leeds?
Yes. Burglary fell by approximately 13.7% between 2024 and 2025.
Did vehicle crime decrease?
Yes. Vehicle crime fell by approximately 23.0%.
Did anti-social behaviour increase?
Yes. Anti-social behaviour increased by approximately 3.2%.
Are Police.uk crime locations exact?
No. Published street-level locations are anonymised and represent approximate locations rather than precise addresses.
Do lower city-wide figures mean a Leeds business needs less security?
Not necessarily.
Risk to an individual property depends on its location, access, occupancy, perimeter, assets, previous incidents and existing security arrangements.