Crime in Staffordshire Moorlands: statistics, rates and trends
6,544 crimes were recorded in Staffordshire Moorlands in the 12 months to August 2026, 67.7 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 1% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Staffordshire Moorlands at a glance
- Crime trends in Staffordshire Moorlands
- Types of crime in Staffordshire Moorlands
- Home Office recorded crime in Staffordshire Moorlands
- Staffordshire Moorlands compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Staffordshire Moorlands
- Streets with the most crime in Staffordshire Moorlands
- What happened after crimes were reported in Staffordshire Moorlands
- Demographics of Staffordshire Moorlands
- Fly-tipping in Staffordshire Moorlands
- Questions about crime in Staffordshire Moorlands
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (2,731), anti-social behaviour (1,158) and criminal damage and arson (532) made up 68% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 229th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | Staffordshire Moorlands | Staffordshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 6,544 | 69,659 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 67.7 | 76.8 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +1% | +7% | -1% |
| Population | 96,651 | 907,153 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the most recorded crime in Staffordshire Moorlands of any year here (6,544 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 3%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 6,544 | 67.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 6,452 | 66.8 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 5,673 | 58.7 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 6,124 | 63.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 6,509 | 67.3 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 5,340 | 55.3 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 5,490 | 56.8 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 6,032 | 62.4 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 6,378 | 66.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 594 |
| July 2026 | 685 |
| June 2026 | 568 |
| May 2026 | 556 |
| April 2026 | 526 |
| March 2026 | 485 |
| February 2026 | 468 |
| January 2026 | 507 |
| December 2025 | 529 |
| November 2025 | 516 |
| October 2025 | 548 |
| September 2025 | 562 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and bicycle theft (71% below) and shoplifting (69% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 26 to 48 and drugs rose from 90 to 145, while shoplifting fell from 421 to 250.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 2,731 | 28.3 | 34.2 | -7% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,158 | 12.0 | 15.4 | +23% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 532 | 5.5 | 6.7 | +2% |
| Public order | 498 | 5.2 | 6.7 | -2% |
| Other theft | 414 | 4.3 | 6.4 | +13% |
| Burglary | 255 | 2.6 | 3.6 | +19% |
| Shoplifting | 250 | 2.6 | 8.5 | -41% |
| Vehicle crime | 239 | 2.5 | 5.0 | +3% |
| Other crime | 163 | 1.7 | 2.1 | +44% |
| Drugs | 145 | 1.5 | 3.3 | +61% |
| Possession of weapons | 81 | 0.8 | 1.0 | +33% |
| Robbery | 48 | 0.5 | 1.4 | +85% |
| Bicycle theft | 23 | 0.2 | 0.8 | +5% |
| Theft from the person | 7 | 0.1 | 1.7 | n/a |
What each category covers: crime categories.
5,363 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Staffordshire Moorlands in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 55.5 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was almost unchanged on the year ending March 2025 (5,396), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Staffordshire Moorlands had the 63rd lowest 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).
Of the crimes recorded in the Staffordshire Police area in the year ending March 2026, 1.7% were not assigned to a district. Those crimes are counted in the force and England and Wales totals but in no district, so the figure for Staffordshire Moorlands is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in Staffordshire Moorlands, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 1,134 offences (21% of the total). No category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate. Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for bicycle theft (0.27 times), robbery of personal property (0.27 times) and trafficking of drugs (0.32 times).
The largest rises on the year were in possession of weapons (+59%) and miscellaneous crimes against society (+59%). The largest falls were in non-residential burglary (−21%) and other sexual offences (−19%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalking and harassment | 1,134 | 11.7 | 10.1 | 1.16 | +8% |
| Violence without injury | 703 | 7.3 | 13.2 | 0.55 | −10% |
| Violence with injury | 702 | 7.3 | 8.1 | 0.89 | −9% |
| Public order offences | 516 | 5.3 | 7.0 | 0.77 | +1% |
| Criminal damage | 453 | 4.7 | 6.8 | 0.69 | +1% |
| Other theft offences | 368 | 3.8 | 6.5 | 0.58 | −3% |
| Shoplifting | 318 | 3.3 | 8.1 | 0.41 | – |
| Vehicle offences | 200 | 2.1 | 5.0 | 0.41 | −7% |
| Residential burglary | 188 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.78 | +15% |
| Other sexual offences | 158 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.72 | −19% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 143 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.71 | +59% |
| Possession of drugs | 102 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.42 | +44% |
| Rape | 96 | 0.99 | 1.2 | 0.82 | 0% |
| Possession of weapons | 86 | 0.89 | 1.00 | 0.89 | +59% |
| Non-residential burglary | 48 | 0.50 | 1.1 | 0.44 | −21% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 37 | 0.38 | 1.2 | 0.32 | +95% |
| Arson | 34 | 0.35 | 0.38 | 0.93 | +10% |
| Robbery of personal property | 24 | 0.25 | 0.91 | 0.27 | +60% |
| Bicycle theft | 22 | 0.23 | 0.85 | 0.27 | +69% |
| Robbery of business property | 16 | 0.17 | 0.47 | 0.35 | – |
| Theft from the person | 9 | 0.09 | 1.8 | 0.05 | −36% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 6 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 1.78 | +100% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | – |
Recorded crime in Staffordshire Moorlands since the year ending March 2021
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2021 to 2026. Staffordshire Moorlands's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 6 years. The series starts in the year ending March 2021 because the share of crimes in the Staffordshire Police area not assigned to a district moved from 3.1% in the year ending March 2020 to 1.9% in the year ending March 2021, which changes district totals without any change in crime.
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 | 5,363 | 55.5 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 5,396 | 55.8 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 4,926 | 51.0 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 5,740 | 59.4 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 4,243 | 43.9 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 3,994 | 41.3 | 74.1 |
Districts in the Staffordshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 9 districts in the Staffordshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Staffordshire Moorlands had the 3rd lowest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke-on-Trent | 30,023 | 111.0 | 1.33 |
| Cannock Chase | 7,520 | 72.2 | 0.87 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 8,999 | 70.5 | 0.85 |
| Tamworth | 5,500 | 67.8 | 0.81 |
| East Staffordshire | 8,456 | 65.2 | 0.78 |
| Stafford | 9,018 | 63.7 | 0.77 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 5,363 | 55.5 | 0.67 |
| Lichfield | 6,201 | 55.4 | 0.67 |
| South Staffordshire | 5,812 | 50.8 | 0.61 |
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.
6 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Staffordshire Moorlands; the highest is Stoke-on-Trent district (139.7 per 1,000) and the lowest Derbyshire Dales (55.9).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Staffordshire Moorlands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke-on-Trent | 37,774 | 139.7 | +106% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 11,323 | 88.7 | +31% |
| Cheshire East | 28,139 | 66.8 | -1% |
| Stafford | 11,641 | 82.2 | +21% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 4,012 | 55.9 | -17% |
| High Peak | 6,650 | 72.3 | +7% |
| East Staffordshire | 10,192 | 78.6 | +16% |
| Cannock Chase | 8,966 | 86.1 | +27% |
Of the 39 areas within Staffordshire Moorlands, Caverswall had the highest crime rate (119.7 per 1,000) and Cheddleton the lowest (29.4), 4 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caverswall | Neighbourhood | 1,813 | 217 | 119.7 |
| Biddulph West | Neighbourhood | 5,019 | 556 | 110.8 |
| Leek East | Neighbourhood | 5,061 | 560 | 110.7 |
| Cheadle West | Neighbourhood | 5,060 | 542 | 107.1 |
| Leek South | Neighbourhood | 5,728 | 550 | 96.0 |
| Leek North | Neighbourhood | 5,437 | 519 | 95.5 |
| Leek | Town | 18,578 | 1,719 | 92.5 |
| Cheadle (Staffordshire Moorlands) | Town | 12,453 | 1,043 | 83.8 |
| Biddulph East | Neighbourhood | 6,171 | 513 | 83.1 |
| Biddulph | Town | 16,449 | 1,291 | 78.5 |
| Cheadle South East | Neighbourhood | 3,649 | 285 | 78.1 |
| Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook | Town | 6,903 | 524 | 75.9 |
| Alton (Staffordshire Moorlands) | Town | 1,366 | 102 | 74.7 |
| Alton | Neighbourhood | 1,366 | 102 | 74.7 |
| Cellarhead | Neighbourhood | 3,256 | 242 | 74.3 |
| Biddulph South | Neighbourhood | 1,631 | 112 | 68.7 |
| Forsbrook | Neighbourhood | 5,329 | 346 | 64.9 |
| Brown Edge | Town | 2,875 | 183 | 63.7 |
| Dane | Neighbourhood | 1,628 | 103 | 63.3 |
| Werrington | Town | 6,403 | 398 | 62.2 |
| Cheadle North East | Neighbourhood | 3,744 | 216 | 57.7 |
| Brown Edge and Endon | Neighbourhood | 4,588 | 262 | 57.1 |
| Stanley (Staffordshire Moorlands) | Town | 1,598 | 90 | 56.3 |
| Bagnall and Stanley | Neighbourhood | 1,598 | 90 | 56.3 |
| Werrington | Neighbourhood | 3,147 | 156 | 49.6 |
| Endon | Town | 1,713 | 79 | 46.1 |
| Hamps Valley | Neighbourhood | 1,786 | 80 | 44.8 |
| Upper Tean | Town | 3,134 | 138 | 44.0 |
| Kingsley (Staffordshire Moorlands) | Town | 1,555 | 68 | 43.7 |
| Horton | Neighbourhood | 1,816 | 78 | 43.0 |
| Leek West | Neighbourhood | 4,541 | 183 | 40.3 |
| Checkley | Neighbourhood | 5,440 | 205 | 37.7 |
| Cheddleton | Neighbourhood | 5,247 | 185 | 35.3 |
| Manifold | Neighbourhood | 1,731 | 61 | 35.2 |
| Biddulph Moor | Town | 1,493 | 51 | 34.2 |
| Ipstones | Town | 1,736 | 59 | 34.0 |
| Churnet | Neighbourhood | 3,223 | 104 | 32.3 |
| Biddulph North | Neighbourhood | 5,413 | 167 | 30.9 |
| Cheddleton | Town | 3,839 | 113 | 29.4 |
The 10 locations below account for 20% of the crime recorded in Staffordshire Moorlands over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (384).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 384 |
| On or near Supermarket | 191 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 138 |
| On or near Hill Village Road | 107 |
| On or near Meadows Way | 104 |
| On or near High Street | 91 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 85 |
| On or near Cross Street | 78 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 66 |
| On or near Church Street | 57 |
Of the 5,386 crimes in Staffordshire Moorlands with a recorded outcome, 23% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 3.7% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,158 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,197 | 40.8% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 1,234 | 22.9% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 784 | 14.6% | 11.5% |
| Local resolution | 324 | 6.0% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 318 | 5.9% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 198 | 3.7% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 160 | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 129 | 2.4% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 19 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 12 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 11 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
Staffordshire Moorlands has an estimated population of 96,651 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has less social housing (8.6%, against 17.1%), fewer households without a car (13%, against 23%) and an older population (27%, against 19%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Staffordshire Moorlands average decile 6.7 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Staffordshire Moorlands | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 15.4% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 27.1% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 55.7% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.0% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 30.3% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 4.7% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 28.4% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 20.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 13.1% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 78.6% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 8.6% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 12.7% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.7 | 5.5 (England) |
397 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Staffordshire Moorlands in 2024/25 (4.1 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 Staffordshire Moorlands has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Staffordshire Moorlands a safe place to live?
Staffordshire Moorlands recorded 67.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 229th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in Staffordshire Moorlands?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 2,731 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (1,158).
Is crime in Staffordshire Moorlands going up or down?
Recorded crime in Staffordshire Moorlands was up 1% on the year before: 6,544 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 6,452 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Staffordshire Moorlands?
About 96,651 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 27% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Staffordshire Moorlands?
Staffordshire Moorlands is policed by Staffordshire.
How many crimes did the police record in Staffordshire Moorlands in the year ending March 2026?
5,363 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 55.5 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 5,396.
Which offences are more common in Staffordshire Moorlands than across England and Wales?
None: no category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate in the year ending March 2026. The largest category was stalking and harassment (1,134).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.