Crime in the Cheshire Police area: statistics, rates and trends
83,476 crimes were recorded in the Cheshire Police area in the 12 months to August 2026, 73.2 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 2% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in the Cheshire Police area at a glance
- Crime trends in the Cheshire Police area
- Types of crime in the Cheshire Police area
- Home Office recorded crime in the Cheshire Police area
- The Cheshire Police area compared with nearby police force areas
- Areas within the Cheshire Police area
- What happened after crimes were reported in the Cheshire Police area
- Demographics of the Cheshire Police area
- Questions about crime in the Cheshire Police area
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (37,491), public order (9,390) and anti-social behaviour (7,970) made up 66% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 34th of the 41 police force areas covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | the Cheshire Police area | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 83,476 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 73.2 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +2% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 1,139,884 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in the Cheshire Police area peaked in the year to August 2018 (107,377 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (82,026). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 22%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 83,476 | 73.2 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 82,026 | 72.0 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 85,892 | 75.4 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 86,082 | 75.5 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 91,133 | 79.9 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 102,426 | 89.9 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 106,392 | 93.3 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 105,114 | 92.2 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 107,377 | 94.2 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 7,383 |
| July 2026 | 8,052 |
| June 2026 | 7,804 |
| May 2026 | 7,363 |
| April 2026 | 6,961 |
| March 2026 | 7,168 |
| February 2026 | 6,247 |
| January 2026 | 6,334 |
| December 2025 | 6,428 |
| November 2025 | 6,409 |
| October 2025 | 6,839 |
| September 2025 | 6,488 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (89% below) and robbery (71% below) were well below it. On the year before, theft from the person fell from 287 to 207.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 37,491 | 32.9 | 34.2 | -1% |
| Public order | 9,390 | 8.2 | 6.7 | +7% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 7,970 | 7.0 | 15.4 | +5% |
| Shoplifting | 5,651 | 5.0 | 8.5 | +9% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5,364 | 4.7 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Other theft | 4,939 | 4.3 | 6.4 | +3% |
| Drugs | 3,849 | 3.4 | 3.3 | +13% |
| Burglary | 2,433 | 2.1 | 3.6 | -2% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,198 | 1.9 | 5.0 | +5% |
| Other crime | 2,041 | 1.8 | 2.1 | -7% |
| Possession of weapons | 853 | 0.7 | 1.0 | +12% |
| Bicycle theft | 635 | 0.6 | 0.8 | -7% |
| Robbery | 455 | 0.4 | 1.4 | +2% |
| Theft from the person | 207 | 0.2 | 1.7 | -28% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
77,061 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in the Cheshire Police area in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 67.6 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 2% on the year ending March 2025 (78,370), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 43 territorial police force areas of England and Wales, the Cheshire Police area had the 12th lowest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 41 force areas with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Offences recorded in the Cheshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 13,192 offences (17% 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 theft from the person (0.13 times), robbery of personal property (0.31 times) and robbery of business property (0.32 times).
The largest rises on the year were in trafficking of drugs (+76%) and possession of weapons (+16%). The largest falls were in death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving (−35%) and robbery of personal property (−16%). 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 | 13,192 | 11.6 | 10.1 | 1.15 | −6% |
| Violence without injury | 12,422 | 10.9 | 13.2 | 0.83 | +0% |
| Public order offences | 9,432 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 1.19 | +5% |
| Violence with injury | 8,831 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 0.95 | −1% |
| Shoplifting | 5,489 | 4.8 | 8.1 | 0.59 | – |
| Criminal damage | 5,293 | 4.6 | 6.8 | 0.68 | −6% |
| Other theft offences | 4,842 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 0.65 | −9% |
| Possession of drugs | 3,322 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 1.17 | +11% |
| Other sexual offences | 2,695 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.04 | +2% |
| Vehicle offences | 2,188 | 1.9 | 5.0 | 0.38 | +1% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 2,144 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.90 | −3% |
| Residential burglary | 1,726 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.61 | −12% |
| Rape | 1,438 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.04 | −3% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 891 | 0.78 | 1.2 | 0.66 | +76% |
| Possession of weapons | 860 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 0.76 | +16% |
| Bicycle theft | 652 | 0.57 | 0.85 | 0.67 | −12% |
| Non-residential burglary | 647 | 0.57 | 1.1 | 0.51 | −3% |
| Robbery of personal property | 318 | 0.28 | 0.91 | 0.31 | −16% |
| Theft from the person | 270 | 0.24 | 1.8 | 0.13 | −14% |
| Arson | 203 | 0.18 | 0.38 | 0.47 | −3% |
| Robbery of business property | 171 | 0.15 | 0.47 | 0.32 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 31 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.78 | −35% |
| Homicide | 4 | <0.01 | 0.01 | 0.44 | 0% |
Recorded crime in the Cheshire Police area 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. The Cheshire Police area's rate was below 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 | 77,061 | 67.6 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 78,370 | 68.8 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 78,869 | 69.2 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 86,580 | 76.0 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 90,071 | 79.0 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 83,178 | 73.0 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 94,985 | 83.3 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 94,540 | 82.9 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 87,445 | 76.7 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 65,922 | 57.8 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 52,762 | 46.3 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 53,647 | 47.1 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 55,501 | 48.7 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 56,604 | 49.7 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Cheshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 4 districts in the Cheshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Halton had the highest rate (84.7 per 1,000) and Cheshire East the lowest (61.0).
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halton | 11,141 | 84.7 | 1.02 |
| Warrington | 15,156 | 70.4 | 0.85 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 24,822 | 66.8 | 0.80 |
| Cheshire East | 25,693 | 61.0 | 0.73 |
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.
7 of the 8 nearest police force areas have a higher crime rate than the Cheshire Police area; the highest is the West Yorkshire Police area (118.9 per 1,000) and the lowest the West Mercia Police area (72.2).
| Police force area | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs the Cheshire Police area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merseyside | 152,610 | 103.4 | +41% |
| Staffordshire | 107,433 | 91.2 | +25% |
| Lancashire | 163,902 | 102.3 | +40% |
| North Wales | 64,680 | 92.8 | +27% |
| Derbyshire | 103,143 | 94.1 | +28% |
| West Yorkshire | 289,490 | 118.9 | +62% |
| South Yorkshire | 166,072 | 116.1 | +59% |
| West Mercia | 96,831 | 72.2 | -1% |
Of the 4 areas within the Cheshire Police area, Halton had the highest crime rate (91.3 per 1,000) and Cheshire East the lowest (66.8).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halton | District | 131,543 | 12,012 | 91.3 |
| Warrington | District | 215,391 | 16,060 | 74.6 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | District | 371,652 | 27,265 | 73.4 |
| Cheshire East | District | 421,298 | 28,139 | 66.8 |
Of the 75,506 crimes in the Cheshire Police area with a recorded outcome, 24% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 8.4% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 7,970 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 30,852 | 40.9% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 18,293 | 24.2% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 8,113 | 10.7% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 6,361 | 8.4% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 4,466 | 5.9% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 3,272 | 4.3% | 2.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,561 | 2.1% | 4.7% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 1,503 | 2.0% | 1.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 288 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 287 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 258 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 250 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
The Cheshire Police area has an estimated population of 1,139,884 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer students (5.7%, against 7.9%), fewer households without a car (17%, against 23%) and less private renting (15%, against 20%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up the Cheshire Police area average decile 6.4 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | the Cheshire Police area | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.6% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 21.3% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 58.1% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.7% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 25.0% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.7% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 34.5% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 16.3% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 16.9% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 69.8% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 14.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 15.4% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.4 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 8.2% | 10.1% (England) |
Is the Cheshire Police area a safe place to live?
The Cheshire Police area recorded 73.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 34th of the 41 police force areas on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in the Cheshire Police area?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 37,491 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by public order (9,390).
Is crime in the Cheshire Police area going up or down?
Recorded crime in the Cheshire Police area was up 2% on the year before: 83,476 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 82,026 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of the Cheshire Police area?
About 1,139,884 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 21% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
How many crimes did the police record in the Cheshire Police area in the year ending March 2026?
77,061 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 67.6 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 78,370.
Which offences are more common in the Cheshire Police area 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 (13,192).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.