Car theft and vehicle crime in Durham
Police recorded 58 vehicle crimes within about a mile of Durham between October 2025 and September 2026. The most recent quarter brought 9 offences, 50% fewer than the 18 in the quarter before it.
Durham month by month
Counts ranged from 0 in September 2026 up to 13 in April 2026. Offences fell 13% between the two halves of the period. Average: 4.8 a month.
| Month | Offences | vs 12-month average |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 6 | +1 |
| Nov 2025 | 7 | +2 |
| Dec 2025 | 3 | -2 |
| Jan 2026 | 1 | -4 |
| Feb 2026 | 5 | +0 |
| Mar 2026 | 9 | +4 |
| Apr 2026 | 13 | +8 |
| May 2026 | 3 | -2 |
| Jun 2026 | 2 | -3 |
| Jul 2026 | 2 | -3 |
| Aug 2026 | 7 | +2 |
| Sep 2026 | 0 | -5 |
How Durham compares
Ranked against 83 other towns, Durham comes 80. Its 5 offences a month are around 79% below the typical town in our set, next to 116 for Cardiff.
Over the latest three months the one-mile circle around Durham averaged 3 vehicle offences a month. Roughly 49% of sampled British postcodes recorded more than central Durham. Our benchmark is 400 random postcodes from England, Scotland and Wales, counted with the same one-mile method over Jul 2026, Aug 2026, Sep 2026. Test your own street with the free theft risk checker.
Within the Durham Constabulary area, Durham ranks 2 of the 2 centres we track at 5 offences a month. The others: Darlington (23).
Towns nearest to Durham
- Sunderland (12 miles away): 22 a month, 350% more than Durham
- Newcastle upon Tyne (14 miles away): 29 a month, 509% more than Durham
- Darlington (17 miles away): 23 a month, 369% more than Durham
Where in Durham offences were recorded
Just five locations make up 26% of the 58 offences recorded around Durham.
- On or near Further/higher Educational Building: 4
- On or near Green Lane: 3
- On or near Nightclub: 3
- On or near Saddler Lane: 3
- On or near Bridge Street: 2
What happened to Durham cases
The most common recorded outcome near Durham was "investigation complete; no suspect identified" (42 cases).
| Outcome | Offences | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 42 | 72% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 12 | 21% |
| Status update unavailable | 2 | 3% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 1 | 2% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 1 | 2% |
What this means if you park near Durham
Durham sees around 5 vehicle offences a month: low by city standards, yet thieves target the most valuable cars first. Expect pressure to build again around April, the worst month in this data.
Most owners near Durham start with an immobiliser for prevention, then add monitored tracking if the insurer asks for it. See installation options.
Durham car theft questions
How much car crime is there in Durham?
Police recorded 58 vehicle offences within about a mile of central Durham in the 12 months to September 2026, an average of 5 a month. That ranks 80 of 84 towns on our list, among the lower end.
When was vehicle crime worst in Durham?
The worst month was April 2026 (13). The quietest was September 2026 (0), and September 2026 came in at 0.
Are car thieves caught in Durham?
Police.uk shows 42 of 58 Durham cases (72%) closed without a suspect and 1 with a court-stage outcome, so an owner is far better served by an immobiliser and tracker than by the odds of a conviction.
Does this cover stolen cars only in Durham?
The Durham total of 58 includes thefts of vehicles, thefts from them and interference: police.uk does not split these at street level, so treat it as all car crime rather than stolen cars only.
Source: police.uk, centred on 54.7761, -1.5733, retrieved 2026-11-06. Method and limits.