Blackpool Council recently announced a new Community Safety Plan for 2026 – 2029, claiming that crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the town are falling. Yet, while the council highlights reductions in crime rates and the role of visitor numbers in skewing statistics, a closer review of the Community Safety Plan and council responses raises questions about the verifiability of these claims.
Reported reductions lack independent verification
The Local Authority’s press release in March 2026, states that overall crime dropped by 0.5% between 2024 – 25 and ASB fell by 16% in the same period, followed by a further 5.5% reduction during 2025. In a subsequent response to a citizen journalism enquiry, the council referred to Lancashire Constabulary as the source for raw crime data but did not provide the underlying figures or five-year trends. The Community Safety Plan PDF lists strategic priorities and trends in general terms but does not include the numerical data needed to verify the reported reductions. As such, while the press release presents these statistics as factual, there is no publicly available data to independently confirm the percentages.
Visitor numbers cited as “skewed” are not quantified
The council and the press release suggest that Blackpool’s crime statistics are “slightly skewed” due to the high volume of visitors compared to the residential population Blackpool has approximately 145,000 residents but is visited by an estimated 23 million people annually. However, no analysis or formal breakdown has been provided, and none could be given on request either, showing how many recorded offences involve visitors versus residents. The claim that crime rates are distorted by tourism therefore remains an assertion without verifiable evidence in the publicly available documents.
Council statements vs. the Community Safety Plan
The press release highlights several initiatives under the Community Safety Plan:
- Identifying crime “hotspots” and working with businesses to implement preventative measures.
- Early intervention programs to support vulnerable families or adults.
- Outreach, diversion, and mentoring to reduce youth violence and gang activity.
- Intelligence-led policing and community engagement to tackle serious organised crime.
The CSP PDF largely mirrors these priorities but does not provide ward-level or neighbourhood-specific statistics that would substantiate claims about hotspots. The press release cites a 17% reduction in shoplifting over two months, but the PDF provides no figures or context for this short-term drop.
Cllr Paula Burdess, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, told North West Bylines that the CSP was developed by the Community Safety Partnership, which includes fire, health, and probation services, but did not identify any independent review or audit of the data used.
Understanding the gaps
While the press release presents the data as clear evidence of progress, the council’s own response clarifies that:
- Detailed statistics are held by Lancashire Constabulary and are not publicly provided in the CSP.[
- Independent verification of the figures does not exist; the CSP relies on partnership-collected data rather than external audit.
- The claim that visitor numbers skew crime figures is explained qualitatively but not supported with data demonstrating the extent of the effect.
From a journalistic perspective, these gaps are significant. Readers are presented with percentages and trends that cannot be independently verified and a narrative suggesting that Blackpool is “beating crime” \transparent evidence to back it up. While the initiatives outlined in the CSP are clearly intended to reduce crime and ASB, the effectiveness of the plan cannot be measured from publicly available information.
Implications for residents and stakeholders
The press release suggests that the public can feel safer as crime rates fall. Yet, without independent verification:
- Residents do not have transparent, accessible evidence to assess whether crime is genuinely declining.
- Businesses may be told that hotspots are being addressed, but ward-level data or progress reports are unavailable.
- The claim that crime is skewed by visitors, while plausible, cannot be substantiated with current data.
This lack of verifiable statistics may undermine public confidence in the council’s reporting, particularly when percentages are presented as definitive trends rather than context-dependent estimates.
Ambitious priorities
Blackpool Council’s Community Safety Plan 2026–2029 sets out ambitious priorities and initiatives to reduce crime and ASB. The press release emphasizes falling crime rates and claims that visitor numbers skew statistics, but the Council’s response and the CSP PDF reveal that key figures are not publicly available or independently verified. While the plan may well be effective in practice, the information presented to the public in the press release cannot be independently substantiated, leaving a gap between official messaging and verifiable evidence.
As the plan is implemented, transparency in reporting, access to raw statistics, and independent review will be crucial to allow residents, journalists, and stakeholders to assess whether Blackpool’s crime rates are genuinely improving or whether the reductions are more a reflection of reporting practices, tourism effects, or short-term fluctuations.
