Crime in England: statistics, rates and trends
5,311,106 crimes were recorded in England in the 12 months to August 2026, 96.7 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
Note: These figures leave out districts whose police force has not published street-level crime data for most of the latest 12 months: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire Police) and Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan (Greater Manchester Police).
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (1,870,353), anti-social behaviour (843,724) and shoplifting (467,712) made up 60% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 1st of the 2 countries covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in England of any year here (5,311,106 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 4%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 5,311,106 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 5,346,078 | 97.3 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 5,391,997 | 98.1 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2022 | 5,618,852 | 102.3 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 5,572,540 | 101.4 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 5,639,917 | 102.7 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 5,599,833 | 101.9 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 5,555,134 | 101.1 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 473,549 |
| July 2026 | 503,135 |
| June 2026 | 468,195 |
| May 2026 | 466,759 |
| April 2026 | 440,149 |
| March 2026 | 447,255 |
| February 2026 | 387,871 |
| January 2026 | 397,421 |
| December 2025 | 412,075 |
| November 2025 | 427,392 |
| October 2025 | 452,264 |
| September 2025 | 435,041 |
On the year before, theft from the person fell from 120,586 to 96,658.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 1,870,353 | 34.0 | 34.2 | +1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 843,724 | 15.4 | 15.4 | -2% |
| Shoplifting | 467,712 | 8.5 | 8.5 | +3% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 366,168 | 6.7 | 6.7 | -5% |
| Other theft | 359,083 | 6.5 | 6.4 | -1% |
| Public order | 357,487 | 6.5 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Vehicle crime | 277,607 | 5.1 | 5.0 | -3% |
| Burglary | 197,804 | 3.6 | 3.6 | -3% |
| Drugs | 181,984 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 0% |
| Other crime | 115,536 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0% |
| Theft from the person | 96,658 | 1.8 | 1.7 | -20% |
| Robbery | 77,315 | 1.4 | 1.4 | +9% |
| Possession of weapons | 53,407 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +7% |
| Bicycle theft | 46,268 | 0.8 | 0.8 | -2% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
| Country | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 306,958 | 96.3 | 0% |
Of the 9 areas within England, London had the highest crime rate (124.0 per 1,000) and East of England the lowest (80.6).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | Region | 9,089,736 | 1,126,877 | 124.0 |
| North East | Region | 2,760,678 | 319,289 | 115.7 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Region | 5,672,962 | 615,075 | 108.4 |
| East Midlands | Region | 5,063,164 | 475,616 | 93.9 |
| West Midlands | Region | 6,187,204 | 579,648 | 93.7 |
| North West | Region | 4,727,750 | 439,611 | 93.0 |
| South West | Region | 5,220,315 | 437,109 | 83.7 |
| South East | Region | 9,642,942 | 787,517 | 81.7 |
| East of England | Region | 6,576,306 | 530,364 | 80.6 |
Of the 4,467,382 crimes in England with a recorded outcome, 36% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.2% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 843,724 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 1,602,627 | 35.9% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 1,533,614 | 34.3% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 498,961 | 11.2% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 232,641 | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 210,174 | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| Local resolution | 136,985 | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 110,540 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 57,549 | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 27,983 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 23,269 | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 14,996 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 12,804 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
England has an estimated population of 58,620,101 (ONS, mid-2024), including the districts left out of the crime figures above. On the Census 2021 measures below it is close to England and Wales as a whole. On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up England average decile 5.5 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.4% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 18.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 57.4% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 7.9% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 33.9% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 18.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 23.5% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 62.3% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 17.1% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 20.5% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.5 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 10.1% | 10.1% (England) |
Is England a safe place to live?
England recorded 96.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 1st of the 2 countries on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in England?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 1,870,353 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (843,724).
Is crime in England going up or down?
Recorded crime in England was almost unchanged on the year before: 5,311,106 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 5,346,078 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of England?
About 58,620,101 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 19% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.