Violence and sexual offences recorded within a mile of central Kendal fell sharply in August, dropping to 66 after reaching a three-year high of 140 in July.
The August 2026 figure was less than half July’s total and below the usual level for the town. It was also lower than the 70 offences recorded in August 2025 and the 74 recorded in August 2024.
The figures come from Cumbria Constabulary’s August release on police.uk street-level crime data. The latest result indicates that July was a one-month spike rather than the beginning of a continuing rise, although the available data cannot explain what caused the unusually high total.
August figure returns closer to normal
Across the 11 months from September 2025 to August 2026, excluding July, violence and sexual offences in the one-mile Kendal area averaged 75 a month. August’s total of 66 was below that average.
Other crime and antisocial behaviour moved slightly upwards overall. The combined total was 97 in August, compared with 84 in July and 92 in August 2025. The difference means the overall number of recorded incidents and offences was 163 in August, compared with 224 in July and 162 in August 2025.
Individual categories showed mixed movement:
- Shoplifting rose to 14 in August, compared with seven in July and 10 in August 2025.
- Antisocial behaviour increased from nine to 13.
- Public order offences fell from 17 to 16.
- Criminal damage and arson remained at 16.
- Burglary rose from three to five.
- Vehicle crime increased from five to six.
The source cautions that these are small numbers, meaning changes of four or five in an individual category can be normal from one month to the next. Shoplifting is nevertheless a category to watch when the September figures are published.
How Kendal compared with nearby towns
Kendal’s fall was not unique. Within a mile of their respective town centres, Penrith recorded 51 violence and sexual offences in August, down from 68 in July. Barrow-in-Furness fell from 169 to 151, while Windermere rose from 14 to 17.
Neither Penrith nor Barrow had the same sharp July increase as Kendal. The source describes Kendal’s July figure as out of line with the other towns and its August figure as back in line.
August’s Kendal reports were also more spread out geographically. They appeared across 49 map points, compared with 71 in July, and no individual point recorded more than five. The busiest point was a car park location labelled Parking Area by police.uk, with five offences.
What the figures show about July cases
Police.uk updates recorded outcomes as cases progress. Of the 140 violence and sexual offences recorded in July, 54 were listed as under investigation when the latest figures were checked. A further 65 were recorded as unable to prosecute suspect, 10 as investigation complete with no suspect identified, seven as awaiting a court outcome, two as local resolution, one as offender given a caution and one as further investigation not in the public interest.
Unable to prosecute suspect was the most common outcome for this category in Kendal. The source says this usually means a suspect was identified but a case could not proceed, often because a victim did not support a prosecution or the available evidence was insufficient. In July 2025, the same outcome was recorded for 50 of the 78 offences in the category.
The data does not establish why July’s total was so high. Police.uk records offences rather than incidents, and one incident can generate several records. Cumbria Constabulary had not published a statement about the increase that the source could find.
The figures cover a one-mile circle around Kendal’s centre, so they do not provide a separate measure for Windermere or Ambleside. Earlier monthly totals can also change slightly as records are updated.
September’s figures are due in November and will show whether the rise in shoplifting continues. Residents can check their own street on the police.uk crime map, which displays the same data by neighbourhood. Anyone affected by violence or abuse should call 999 in an emergency or 101 otherwise.
