Ranked: The uni cities with the most burglaries

Let’s all move to Norfolk


Sat at home, far from your beloved uni house that you’re probably paying to be apart from, I’m sure it’s crossed your mind just how safe that toaster you left behind is. Well wonder no more: we’ve got the definitive ranking of each uni town, in order of how many crimes were committed per 1,000 people, including burglaries.

All the stats listed are from June 2018-June 2019 and are taken from the Police websites for Scotland, Northern IrelandEngland and Wales.

1. Manchester

Coming in first it’s the land of Oasis and signet rings. Manchester recorded 164 crimes per 1,000 residents last year, 15 more than anywhere else. It’s also top for burglaries, with nearly 14 per 1,000 residents. One saving grace is there were only three bike thefts per 1,000 people, presumably because it’s hard to take them on public transport (0161 thank God for the trams). Surprisingly for a uni town of Manchester’s reputation there were just four reported drug crimes per 1,000 people, which perhaps reveals more about how sneaky Mancs can be.

2. Newcastle

Geordieland comes in a fair way behind, with a shade under 140 crimes per 1,000 people. It does much better than Manchester on Burglaries, just eight per 1,000 residents. Newcastle has marginally fewer Bikes stolen, too, with two per 1,000 people, though there are almost five drug cases per 1,000 people.

3. Nottingham

Keeping with the big city theme, Nottingham comes in next. At 135, It’s only five reported crimes per 1,000 people – better than Newcastle with very similar stats on bike theft (three) and burglary (eight). However, it tops the table so far on reported drug crime, with eight per 1,000 people.

4. Leeds

Trailing Nottingham by 0.03 crimes per 1,000 people is Leeds. There are hardly any bikes theft, just one per 1,000 residents, and reported drug crime is way down at three. Burglaries really bring Leeds into its own though, coming in second only to Manchester with 12 per 1,000 residents.

5. Lincoln

Then we have Lincoln, coming in at 130 crimes per 1,000 people. Burglaries are way down at six per 1,000 residents, but it rivals Nottingham on reported drug crime with seven, and a fairly ordinary four bike crimes per 1,000 people.

6. Southampton

Finally we move down south. At 127 crimes per 1,000 people, Southampton just about falls behind out Lincoln, but alarmingly there are 10 burglaries, whilst both drug crime and bike theft stay down at three and four respectively.

7. Cambridge

Cambridge recorded 122 crimes per 1,000 people, with nine burglaries and just two reported drug crimes. These may sound like fairly ordinary stats, but Cambridge really comes onto its own on bike crime, with a whopping 23 bike thefts per 1,000 residents, giving them a 10-bike lead over Oxford in the only real Varsity.

8. Southwark

Plenty of KCL and UCL students call Southwark home as well as both UAL and South Bank Uni, Southwark racked up 120 crimes per 1,000 residents, scoring particularly badly on burglaries with 10. There were seven recorded drug crimes, and just five bike thefts per 1,000.

9. Liverpool

That’s right, you’re safer as a Scouser than at Cambridge. Liverpool is our first town to record below 120 crimes per 1,000 people, although drug crimes are way up at 11, and burglaries are still high at nine. Your bike will be safe though, with just under two bike thefts per 1,000 people.

10. Bristol

The first of the West Country bloc comes in next, with 113 crimes per 1,000 people. Burglary was high at eight per 1,000 residents, but drug crime, surprisingly in the Ket capital of the world, was down at just two. Four bikes were stolen per 1,000 people, and I’m surprised it was as many as that given the whole city is a collection of vertical hills.

11. Cardiff

Everyone’s favourite Welsh town comes in next, with 110 crimes per 1,000 people. Seven burglaries per 1,000 people is mildly worrying, whilst both drug crimes and bike thefts reported middling scores of four.

12. Oxford

And for the second time this year Oxford are ranked way below Cambridge, with just 105 crimes per 1,000 people, 17 less than their rivals. Burglary and drug crime were both fairly un-noteworthy at six and three respectively, but bike theft soared to 13 crimes per 1,000 people, still miles behind their Varsity pals, but a good effort nonetheless.

13. Bournemouth

The land of Harry Redknapp and Taco Bell comes in next, with 104 crimes per 1,000 citizens. Burglary was high at eight, which you would perhaps expect in a city with so many mega mansions, but bike theft and drug crime were both low at three per 1,000 citizens. Perhaps we should have a new section for beach gathering crime.

14. Birmingham

Our first Uni town to drop below 100 crimes per 1,000 residents is Birmingham, with 99. Burglary is high enough to rival towns much further down this list at 11 per 1,000 people, but drug and bike crime is very low, with two and one crimes per 1,000 people respectively.

15. Durham

Next we have the closest thing British unis have to Hogwarts. Durham recorded 97 crimes per 1,000 people in the year to June 2019, with seven burglaries, two bike crimes, and a staggeringly low drug crime rate, with less than one per 1,000 people. Nerds.

16. Sheffield

Back to Yorkshire and Sheffield, where 94 crimes per 1,000 people were recorded last year. As with most big cities on this list, burglaries were high with 10 per thousand people, although bike and drug crime were both low, coming in at one and two crimes per 1,000 residents.

17. Exeter

Then comes the shining light on Devon. Exeter recorded 84 crimes per 1,000 people, with just three burglaries. There were nearly five reported drug crimes per 1,000 people and just two bike thefts per 1,000 residents, because how can be arsed with cycling up Forum Hill?

18. Coventry

The most abused and memed city in the country, Coventry reported 79 crimes per 1,000 people, with nine burglaries. Reported drug crime was low at one per 1,000 citizens, whilst there were two bike thefts.

19. Royal Holloway

Next we have the leafy suburb of Egham, home to Royal Holloway Uni. 73 crimes per 1,000 people were recorded over the year, with burglaries low at just five. Drug crime was higher than other areas with similar overall crime rates with four per 1,000 residents, but bike theft was low at just one.

20. Glasgow

Venturing up to Scotland now, Glasgow recorded just 72 crimes per 1,000 people in the year to June 2019, not tall befitting the view given to us by Kevin Bridges and Frankie Boyle.

21. Warwick

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Dropping below 70 now, we have the epitome of Middle England: Leamington Spa, home to Warwick Uni. 65 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded here last year, with seven burglaries. Drug crime and bike theft both came in impressively low, with one each per 1,000 residents.

22. Edinburgh

A surprisingly low entry on this list is Edinburgh, which recorded just 60 crimes per 1,000 people in 2018-19. That’s just over double the stat for Bike theft alone in Cambridge, so the Southern Scottish city has clearly come along way since the Trainspotting days.

23. Belfast

Next we have our only Northern Irish entry, where just 56 crimes were reported per 1,000 residents. Good effort Belfast.

24. Aberdeen

Our last Scottish entry comes in ever so close to going-sub 50 with 51 crimes per 1,000 residents. It’s also meant to be a great place for dolphin spotting so I’m struggling to fault Aberdeen. 10/10.

25. Norwich

Finally, we have the home of UEA. With just 42 crimes per 1,000 people, Norwich is miles behind the next safest English town, and a fair way off Aberdeen. There were just three burglaries per 1,000 people, one drug crime, and less than 0.5 bike thefts. As long as you’re not a local radio star impaling your foot on a spike, Norwich is the safest University Town in the UK.

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