Crime in Liverpool district: statistics, rates and trends
69,301 crimes were recorded in Liverpool district in the 12 months to August 2026, 136.2 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 1% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Liverpool district at a glance
- Crime trends in Liverpool district
- Types of crime in Liverpool district
- Home Office recorded crime in Liverpool district
- Liverpool district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Liverpool district
- Streets with the most crime in Liverpool district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Liverpool district
- Demographics of Liverpool district
- Fly-tipping in Liverpool
- Questions about crime in Liverpool district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (25,661), drugs (7,670) and anti-social behaviour (6,397) made up 57% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 26th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | Liverpool district | North West | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 69,301 | 439,611 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 136.2 | 93.0 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +1% | -3% | -1% |
| Population | 508,961 | 4,727,750 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Liverpool district peaked in the year to August 2022 (81,728 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (68,566). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 5%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 69,301 | 136.2 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 68,566 | 134.7 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 69,558 | 136.7 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 76,735 | 150.8 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 81,728 | 160.6 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 77,445 | 152.2 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 72,870 | 143.2 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 71,209 | 139.9 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 73,027 | 143.5 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 5,884 |
| July 2026 | 6,407 |
| June 2026 | 5,975 |
| May 2026 | 5,668 |
| April 2026 | 5,444 |
| March 2026 | 5,995 |
| February 2026 | 5,051 |
| January 2026 | 5,423 |
| December 2025 | 5,606 |
| November 2025 | 5,911 |
| October 2025 | 6,191 |
| September 2025 | 5,746 |
Compared with England and Wales, Liverpool district recorded notably more drugs (4.6 times the national rate), public order (87% above the national rate) and other crime (57% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (29% below). On the year before, shoplifting rose from 4,551 to 5,435.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 25,661 | 50.4 | 34.2 | +3% |
| Drugs | 7,670 | 15.1 | 3.3 | +6% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 6,397 | 12.6 | 15.4 | -4% |
| Public order | 6,328 | 12.4 | 6.7 | -8% |
| Shoplifting | 5,435 | 10.7 | 8.5 | +19% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4,977 | 9.8 | 6.7 | -7% |
| Other theft | 3,992 | 7.8 | 6.4 | 0% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,658 | 5.2 | 5.0 | +4% |
| Burglary | 1,777 | 3.5 | 3.6 | -8% |
| Other crime | 1,685 | 3.3 | 2.1 | -13% |
| Robbery | 805 | 1.6 | 1.4 | +7% |
| Possession of weapons | 705 | 1.4 | 1.0 | +8% |
| Theft from the person | 612 | 1.2 | 1.7 | -3% |
| Bicycle theft | 599 | 1.2 | 0.8 | +9% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
63,156 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Liverpool district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 124.1 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 3% on the year ending March 2025 (61,476), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Liverpool district had the 12th highest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Offences recorded in Liverpool district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 11,184 offences (18% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for possession of drugs (5.4 times the national rate), public order offences (1.9 times the national rate) and violence without injury (1.7 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.67 times).
The largest rises on the year were in bicycle theft (+29%) and possession of drugs (+18%). The largest falls were in non-residential burglary (−20%) and theft from the person (−14%). Robbery of business property and shoplifting are not compared with the year ending March 2025: from April 2025 the Home Office Counting Rules were clarified so that a theft from a shop in which violence is used or threatened against staff or anyone else is recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting (ONS).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 11,184 | 22.0 | 13.2 | 1.66 | +3% |
| Possession of drugs | 6,847 | 13.5 | 2.5 | 5.39 | +18% |
| Public order offences | 6,762 | 13.3 | 7.0 | 1.91 | −3% |
| Stalking and harassment | 6,268 | 12.3 | 10.1 | 1.22 | +1% |
| Violence with injury | 5,741 | 11.3 | 8.1 | 1.39 | −1% |
| Shoplifting | 5,132 | 10.1 | 8.1 | 1.24 | – |
| Criminal damage | 5,004 | 9.8 | 6.8 | 1.44 | −4% |
| Other theft offences | 3,947 | 7.8 | 6.5 | 1.18 | −5% |
| Vehicle offences | 2,705 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 1.06 | +9% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 1,658 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.55 | +3% |
| Other sexual offences | 1,425 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.23 | +2% |
| Residential burglary | 1,257 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.99 | +5% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 971 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.61 | +9% |
| Rape | 684 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.11 | +7% |
| Possession of weapons | 635 | 1.2 | 1.00 | 1.25 | +15% |
| Bicycle theft | 633 | 1.2 | 0.85 | 1.46 | +29% |
| Theft from the person | 607 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.67 | −14% |
| Non-residential burglary | 603 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.06 | −20% |
| Robbery of personal property | 554 | 1.1 | 0.91 | 1.19 | +8% |
| Robbery of business property | 275 | 0.54 | 0.47 | 1.14 | – |
| Arson | 244 | 0.48 | 0.38 | 1.26 | −5% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 17 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.96 | +21% |
| Homicide | 3 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.73 | −25% |
Recorded crime in Liverpool district since the year ending March 2013
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2013 to 2026. Liverpool district's rate was above the England and Wales rate in every one of those 14 years. Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 63,156 | 124.1 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 61,476 | 120.8 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 65,632 | 129.0 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 73,833 | 145.1 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 71,895 | 141.3 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 55,666 | 109.4 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 60,279 | 118.4 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 59,849 | 117.6 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 56,036 | 110.1 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 49,736 | 97.7 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 45,373 | 89.1 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 41,956 | 82.4 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 42,769 | 84.0 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 42,022 | 82.6 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Merseyside Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 5 districts in the Merseyside Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Liverpool district had the highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 63,156 | 124.1 | 1.49 |
| St. Helens | 16,310 | 86.4 | 1.04 |
| Knowsley | 13,305 | 81.8 | 0.98 |
| Sefton | 21,620 | 75.5 | 0.91 |
| Wirral | 23,378 | 71.1 | 0.85 |
Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.
Liverpool district has a higher crime rate than all 8 of its nearest districts.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Liverpool district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowsley | 14,983 | 92.2 | -32% |
| Wirral | 26,029 | 79.1 | -42% |
| St. Helens | 17,904 | 94.8 | -30% |
| Halton | 12,012 | 91.3 | -33% |
| Sefton | 24,393 | 85.2 | -37% |
| West Lancashire | 7,540 | 61.8 | -55% |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 27,265 | 73.4 | -46% |
| Warrington | 16,060 | 74.6 | -45% |
Of the 64 areas within Liverpool district, Brownlow Hill had the highest crime rate (631.6 per 1,000) and Mossley Hill the lowest (26.7), 24 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownlow Hill | Neighbourhood | 12,328 | 7,786 | 631.6 |
| City Centre South | Neighbourhood | 11,691 | 6,643 | 568.2 |
| City Centre North | Neighbourhood | 10,176 | 2,983 | 293.1 |
| Vauxhall | Neighbourhood | 9,044 | 2,471 | 273.2 |
| Everton West | Neighbourhood | 5,186 | 1,387 | 267.5 |
| Kirkdale East | Neighbourhood | 3,568 | 690 | 193.4 |
| Old Swan West | Neighbourhood | 7,897 | 1,496 | 189.4 |
| Kirkdale West | Neighbourhood | 7,090 | 1,262 | 178.0 |
| County | Neighbourhood | 12,948 | 2,183 | 168.6 |
| Walton | Neighbourhood | 12,330 | 2,045 | 165.9 |
| Sefton Park | Neighbourhood | 6,556 | 1,087 | 165.8 |
| Tuebrook Breckside Park | Neighbourhood | 7,180 | 1,186 | 165.2 |
| Kensington & Fairfield | Neighbourhood | 21,441 | 3,350 | 156.2 |
| Princes Park | Neighbourhood | 8,942 | 1,298 | 145.2 |
| Liverpool | Town | 527,270 | 70,503 | 133.7 |
| Fazakerley West | Neighbourhood | 7,831 | 1,037 | 132.4 |
| Dingle | Neighbourhood | 10,175 | 1,334 | 131.1 |
| Everton East | Neighbourhood | 7,727 | 1,009 | 130.6 |
| Speke | Neighbourhood | 14,727 | 1,916 | 130.1 |
| Garston | Neighbourhood | 11,511 | 1,477 | 128.3 |
| Waterfront South | Neighbourhood | 2,683 | 333 | 124.1 |
| Stoneycroft | Neighbourhood | 4,374 | 533 | 121.9 |
| Anfield | Neighbourhood | 14,222 | 1,663 | 116.9 |
| Fazakerley East | Neighbourhood | 7,633 | 891 | 116.7 |
| Croxteth | Neighbourhood | 5,644 | 643 | 113.9 |
| Clubmoor West | Neighbourhood | 5,566 | 627 | 112.6 |
| Orrell Park | Neighbourhood | 5,985 | 671 | 112.1 |
| Canning | Neighbourhood | 10,608 | 1,187 | 111.9 |
| Arundel | Neighbourhood | 5,850 | 642 | 109.7 |
| Everton North | Neighbourhood | 7,262 | 795 | 109.5 |
| Clubmoor East | Neighbourhood | 6,056 | 647 | 106.8 |
| Greenbank Park | Neighbourhood | 6,157 | 628 | 102.0 |
| Edge Hill | Neighbourhood | 7,015 | 706 | 100.6 |
| Knotty Ash & Dovecot Park | Neighbourhood | 6,052 | 605 | 100.0 |
| Belle Vale | Neighbourhood | 13,186 | 1,309 | 99.3 |
| Toxteth | Neighbourhood | 8,188 | 797 | 97.3 |
| Festival Gardens | Neighbourhood | 2,506 | 243 | 97.0 |
| Old Swan East | Neighbourhood | 5,501 | 531 | 96.5 |
| Smithdown | Neighbourhood | 15,161 | 1,413 | 93.2 |
| Penny Lane | Neighbourhood | 6,225 | 560 | 90.0 |
| Norris Green | Neighbourhood | 17,944 | 1,589 | 88.6 |
| Tuebrook Larkhill | Neighbourhood | 7,949 | 688 | 86.6 |
| Sandfield Park | Neighbourhood | 7,933 | 670 | 84.5 |
| St Michaels | Neighbourhood | 7,136 | 601 | 84.2 |
| West Derby Deysbrook | Neighbourhood | 4,823 | 406 | 84.2 |
| Yew Tree | Neighbourhood | 12,627 | 1,018 | 80.6 |
| Broadgreen | Neighbourhood | 5,674 | 447 | 78.8 |
| Much Woolton & Hunts Cross | Neighbourhood | 12,036 | 935 | 77.7 |
| Fazakerley North | Neighbourhood | 4,289 | 321 | 74.8 |
| Wavertree Village | Neighbourhood | 4,371 | 316 | 72.3 |
| Wavertree Garden Suburb | Neighbourhood | 6,130 | 443 | 72.3 |
| West Derby Leyfield | Neighbourhood | 7,655 | 505 | 66.0 |
| Aigburth | Neighbourhood | 6,287 | 377 | 60.0 |
| Church | Neighbourhood | 6,282 | 376 | 59.9 |
| Springwood | Neighbourhood | 7,055 | 417 | 59.1 |
| Woolton Village | Neighbourhood | 4,498 | 245 | 54.5 |
| Croxteth Country Park | Neighbourhood | 6,991 | 296 | 42.3 |
| Allerton | Neighbourhood | 5,998 | 252 | 42.0 |
| Grassendale & Cressington | Neighbourhood | 6,774 | 280 | 41.3 |
| Gateacre | Neighbourhood | 6,172 | 230 | 37.3 |
| West Derby Muirhead | Neighbourhood | 4,076 | 137 | 33.6 |
| Childwall | Neighbourhood | 13,580 | 452 | 33.3 |
| Calderstones | Neighbourhood | 6,022 | 171 | 28.4 |
| Mossley Hill | Neighbourhood | 2,437 | 65 | 26.7 |
The 10 locations below account for 15% of the crime recorded in Liverpool district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (2,221).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 2,221 |
| On or near Parking Area | 1,971 |
| On or near Nightclub | 1,524 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 1,393 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 828 |
| On or near Further/Higher Educational Building | 754 |
| On or near Rainford Gardens | 531 |
| On or near Church Street | 522 |
| On or near Police Station | 521 |
| On or near Parker Street | 455 |
Of the 62,904 crimes in Liverpool district with a recorded outcome, 30% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 7.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 6,397 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 23,231 | 36.9% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 18,618 | 29.6% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 6,910 | 11.0% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 4,910 | 7.8% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 3,991 | 6.3% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 1,878 | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,782 | 2.8% | 4.7% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 857 | 1.4% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 294 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 232 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 187 | 0.3% | 1.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 11 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
Liverpool district has an estimated population of 508,961 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more students (15.2%, against 7.9%), more households without a car (40%, against 23%) and more social housing (26%, against 17%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Liverpool district average decile 3.3 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | Liverpool district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.2% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 15.3% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 51.1% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.8% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 16.7% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 15.2% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 30.8% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 22.3% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 40.1% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 47.4% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 26.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 26.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 3.3 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 37.4% | 10.1% (England) |
20,300 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Liverpool in 2024/25 (39.9 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Liverpool has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Liverpool district a safe place to live?
Liverpool district recorded 136.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 26th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were drugs and public order.
What is the most common crime in Liverpool district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 25,661 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by drugs (7,670).
Is crime in Liverpool district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Liverpool district was up 1% on the year before: 69,301 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 68,566 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Liverpool district?
About 508,961 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 15% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Liverpool district?
Liverpool district is policed by Merseyside.
How many crimes did the police record in Liverpool district in the year ending March 2026?
63,156 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 124.1 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 61,476.
Which offences are more common in Liverpool district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were possession of drugs (6,847 offences, 5.4 times the England and Wales rate), public order offences (6,762 offences, 1.9 times the England and Wales rate) and violence without injury (11,184 offences, 1.7 times the England and Wales rate).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.