Side-by-side crime statistics from official UK Police data.
DL3 · Darlington
455
crimes in April 2026
Above national average
DH4 · Sunderland
143
crimes in April 2026
Near national average
Houghton-le-Spring has less crime — 143 vs 455 incidents in April 2026.
Darlington recorded substantially more crime than Houghton-le-Spring in April 2026 — 455 incidents compared to 143, a 3.2x difference. Both areas share Violence & sexual offences as their most common crime type, though Darlington records significantly more (133 vs 32 incidents). Both areas sit near the national average, with modest differences in their overall safety profile.
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, Houghton-le-Spring recorded fewer crimes than Darlington — 143 vs 455 incidents. That is 69% fewer crimes. Darlington is above the national average.
Both areas share Violence & sexual offences as their top crime category. In April 2026, Darlington recorded 133 incidents of this type vs 32 in Houghton-le-Spring. Overall, Houghton-le-Spring had fewer total crimes (143 vs 455).