Side-by-side crime statistics from official UK Police data.
DL1 · Darlington
624
crimes in April 2026
Above national average
DH7 · County Durham
41
crimes in April 2026
Below national average
Esh has less crime — 41 vs 624 incidents in April 2026.
Darlington recorded substantially more crime than Esh in April 2026 — 624 incidents compared to 41, a 15.2x difference. Both areas share Violence & sexual offences as their most common crime type, though Darlington records significantly more (161 vs 19 incidents). Darlington sits above the national average for recorded crime while Esh is below — a significant gap for anyone weighing up the two.
Full reports cover 24 months of trends, ward breakdowns, outcome rates, and a detailed safety score — from £4.99.
Based on April 2026 Police data, Esh recorded fewer crimes than Darlington — 41 vs 624 incidents. That is 93% fewer crimes. Esh is also below the national average for crime.
Both areas share Violence & sexual offences as their top crime category. In April 2026, Darlington recorded 161 incidents of this type vs 19 in Esh. Overall, Esh had fewer total crimes (41 vs 624).