Recorded crime
Bolton recorded crime
Offences police recorded across the Bolton area in the 12 months to March 2026, and the rate for every 1,000 residents. Official figures.
Offences per 1,000 residents
98.0
84.7 for England and Wales. 30,380 offences in the 12 months to March 2026.
- Offences
- 30,380
- England and Wales
- 84.7 per 1,000
Official figures: Home Office police recorded crime, published by the ONS
Summary
Recorded crime in Bolton: police recorded 30,380 offences (excluding fraud) in the Bolton area in the 12 months to March 2026, which is 98.0 for every 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole it is 84.7 per 1,000. The largest group was violence against the person, at 44% of the offences recorded. These are Home Office figures for the whole local authority area, not for a postcode district, and a city centre with few residents and many visitors reads high because the rate divides by residents only.
Data from Home Office police recorded crime, published by the ONS, the 12 months to March 2026 (Year ending March 2026 edition).
Read this first
This page uses official Home Office figures for the whole Bolton area, not a postcode-district table. The police's street-level feed (data.police.uk) holds only 3 records across 6 Bolton districts for July 2026, because it carries only a small part of what the Greater Manchester force area recorded. A table built on that would show a gap in the data, not a quiet city, so we do not show it.
The figures below are a count and a rate for a 12-month period across a whole local authority. They say nothing about one street, and they cannot be added to or compared with the street-level data used for other cities.
Our take · opinion, not advice
Our take on Bolton recorded crime: official figures for the whole area, not the street
Because the police.uk feed is missing most Bolton records, the figure to use is the Home Office one: 30,380 offences recorded in the Bolton area over the 12 months to March 2026, 98.0 per 1,000 residents, above the England and Wales rate of 84.7.
For sellers, a rate for the whole area tells a buyer little about one road, so be ready to explain that and to describe your own street honestly, including what is good about it.
Sell houseFor buyers, a whole-area rate is context, not a verdict on any street: violence against the person made up 44% of what was recorded, and your road may look quite different.
Go in person at different hours, check the police’s street-level map for the exact postcode, and leave disclosure questions to your conveyancer.
The free OfferCheck for any Bolton postcode sets recorded crime beside flood, planning, council tax and sold prices, each with its source.
Check My PostcodeOur opinion, drawn from the figures on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.
Key figures
Bolton crime at a glance
Whole-area totals for the 12 months to March 2026, from Home Office police recorded crime, published by the ONS.
Offences
30,380
Excluding fraud, 12 months
Per 1,000 residents
98.0
Bolton area
England and Wales
84.7
Per 1,000 residents
Largest group
Violence
44% of offences
Offences by group
Bolton offences, April 2025 to March 2026
30,380 offences (excluding fraud), 98.0 per 1,000 residents.
Offence groups
Bolton offences by group
Violence against the person was the largest group, with 13,243 offences: 44% of the 30,380 total.
See the figures
| Offence group | Offences | Share | Per 1,000 residents | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 30,380 | 100% | 98.0 | 84.7 |
| Violence against the person | 13,243 | 44% | 42.7 | 31.8 |
| Theft offences | 6,501 | 21% | 21.0 | 26.5 |
| Public order offences | 3,200 | 11% | 10.3 | 7.3 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 2,348 | 8% | 7.6 | 7.4 |
| Drug offences | 1,838 | 6% | 5.9 | 3.7 |
| Sexual offences | 1,232 | 4% | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 1,068 | 4% | 3.4 | 2.1 |
| Possession of weapons offences | 519 | 2% | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Robbery | 431 | 1% | 1.4 | 1.4 |
Home Office police recorded crime, published by the ONS, April 2025 to March 2026
Rate per 1,000
Each group against England and Wales
Violence against the person runs at 42.7 offences per 1,000 residents in the Bolton area, against 31.8 for England and Wales.
Each row: this area, then England and Wales, per 1,000 residents.
Home Office police recorded crime, published by the ONS, April 2025 to March 2026
The nine groups do not overlap and add up to the total. Burglary, vehicle offences and shoplifting are counted inside theft offences. Residents are mid-2024 estimates rounded to 100 by ONS.
Reading the numbers
What the numbers show
In the 12 months to March 2026, police recorded 30,380 offences (excluding fraud) in the Bolton area, which is 98.0 for every 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole the figure is 84.7 per 1,000.
The largest group was violence against the person, with 13,243 offences, 44% of the total.
A rate divides offences by the people who live in the area. Where many people work, shop or go out but few live, as in a city centre, the rate divides by residents only, so it reads higher than the same offences would in a residential area; treat the comparison with England and Wales as context for Bolton, not a verdict.
Looking at one postcode district?
Use the police's own street-level map for the exact postcode, or open the area report for a district.
Questions, answered
Bolton recorded crime: your questions
How many crimes were recorded in Bolton?
What kinds of crime were recorded in Bolton?
Why does this page not show crime by postcode district?
Can I compare Bolton's rate with another city?
Source and method
Where these figures come from
Home Office police recorded crime, published by the Office for National Statistics. Dataset: Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables, Year ending March 2026 edition, released 23 July 2026, covering April 2025 to March 2026. Figures are for the Bolton Community Safety Partnership area (the Bolton local authority), Greater Manchester police force area. Rates are per 1,000 residents, using mid-2024 population estimates, rounded to 100 by ons. England and Wales only. Offences excluding fraud. Rates are per 1,000 resident population. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
These come from each force's return to the Home Office, not from data.police.uk, which is why they exist where the street-level feed is incomplete. Recorded crime is only crime that was reported and recorded, and recording practice differs between forces.
Your Property Check is an information service, not a substitute for your own enquiries.