New data from Confused.com has identified the UK's most dangerous areas for burglaries, based on police figures from 2017 to 2021. Middlesbrough tops the list with 7.86 burglaries per 1,000 people in 2021, followed by Manchester (7.11) and Doncaster (6.96). Four London boroughs—Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, Haringey, and Hammersmith and Fulham—also feature in the top ten.
Despite these rankings, burglary rates have generally declined across the country. Middlesbrough saw a 28.6% drop since 2017, while Manchester experienced a 35.9% decrease. Other areas in the top ten, such as Stockport (37%) and Bolton (30.7%), also recorded significant reductions.
In contrast, East Dunbartonshire in Scotland is the safest area, with just 0.44 burglaries per 1,000 people in 2021—a 26.94% average annual decrease. Four other Scottish regions—Highland, Aberdeenshire, Stirling, and Argyll and Bute—complete the top five safest areas. The South West of England also performs well, with South Devon and Dartmoor the safest in England at 0.60 burglaries per 1,000 people.
