Crime in the Merseyside Police area: statistics, rates and trends
152,610 crimes were recorded in the Merseyside Police area in the 12 months to August 2026, 103.4 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in the Merseyside Police area at a glance
- Crime trends in the Merseyside Police area
- Types of crime in the Merseyside Police area
- Home Office recorded crime in the Merseyside Police area
- The Merseyside Police area compared with nearby police force areas
- Areas within the Merseyside Police area
- What happened after crimes were reported in the Merseyside Police area
- Demographics of the Merseyside Police area
- Questions about crime in the Merseyside Police area
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (60,478), anti-social behaviour (15,936) and public order (14,068) made up 59% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 11th of the 41 police force areas covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | the Merseyside Police area | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 152,610 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 103.4 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +1% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 1,475,541 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in the Merseyside Police area peaked in the year to August 2022 (189,337 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (151,529). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 10%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 152,610 | 103.4 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 151,529 | 102.7 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 153,111 | 103.8 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 175,594 | 119.0 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 189,337 | 128.3 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 180,754 | 122.5 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 170,037 | 115.2 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 162,943 | 110.4 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 169,765 | 115.1 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 13,180 |
| July 2026 | 14,154 |
| June 2026 | 13,474 |
| May 2026 | 12,670 |
| April 2026 | 12,158 |
| March 2026 | 13,377 |
| February 2026 | 11,036 |
| January 2026 | 11,512 |
| December 2025 | 12,070 |
| November 2025 | 12,652 |
| October 2025 | 13,601 |
| September 2025 | 12,726 |
Compared with England and Wales, the Merseyside Police area recorded notably more drugs (2.7 times the national rate) and public order (43% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (66% below) and vehicle crime (31% below). On the year before, shoplifting rose from 9,282 to 11,206.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 60,478 | 41.0 | 34.2 | +2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 15,936 | 10.8 | 15.4 | +1% |
| Public order | 14,068 | 9.5 | 6.7 | -9% |
| Drugs | 13,146 | 8.9 | 3.3 | -1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 12,156 | 8.2 | 6.7 | -3% |
| Shoplifting | 11,206 | 7.6 | 8.5 | +21% |
| Other theft | 8,168 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 0% |
| Vehicle crime | 5,051 | 3.4 | 5.0 | -1% |
| Burglary | 3,805 | 2.6 | 3.6 | -9% |
| Other crime | 3,715 | 2.5 | 2.1 | -5% |
| Possession of weapons | 1,471 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +5% |
| Robbery | 1,471 | 1.0 | 1.4 | +9% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,102 | 0.7 | 0.8 | +1% |
| Theft from the person | 837 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 0% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
137,975 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in the Merseyside Police area in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 93.5 per 1,000 residents, close to the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 2% on the year ending March 2025 (135,001), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 43 territorial police force areas of England and Wales, the Merseyside Police area had the 11th highest 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 Merseyside Police area, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 25,635 offences (19% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for possession of drugs (3.2 times the national rate), public order offences (1.5 times the national rate) and violence without injury (1.3 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.31 times), vehicle offences (0.68 times) and non-residential burglary (0.71 times).
The largest rises on the year were in possession of weapons (+18%) and bicycle theft (+16%). The largest falls were in non-residential burglary (−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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 25,635 | 17.4 | 13.2 | 1.32 | +3% |
| Stalking and harassment | 16,655 | 11.3 | 10.1 | 1.12 | +1% |
| Public order offences | 15,275 | 10.4 | 7.0 | 1.49 | −1% |
| Violence with injury | 12,988 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 1.08 | −3% |
| Criminal damage | 12,040 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 1.19 | +1% |
| Possession of drugs | 11,898 | 8.1 | 2.5 | 3.23 | +12% |
| Shoplifting | 10,419 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 0.87 | – |
| Other theft offences | 8,034 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 0.83 | −7% |
| Vehicle offences | 5,042 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 0.68 | −2% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 3,727 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.20 | +7% |
| Other sexual offences | 3,521 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.05 | +5% |
| Residential burglary | 2,780 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.76 | +0% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 1,916 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.10 | −1% |
| Rape | 1,463 | 0.99 | 1.2 | 0.82 | +8% |
| Possession of weapons | 1,329 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 0.90 | +18% |
| Non-residential burglary | 1,178 | 0.80 | 1.1 | 0.71 | −16% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,160 | 0.79 | 0.85 | 0.92 | +16% |
| Robbery of personal property | 984 | 0.67 | 0.91 | 0.73 | +7% |
| Theft from the person | 816 | 0.55 | 1.8 | 0.31 | −6% |
| Arson | 558 | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.99 | −6% |
| Robbery of business property | 509 | 0.34 | 0.47 | 0.73 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 39 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.76 | −2% |
| Homicide | 9 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.76 | −36% |
Recorded crime in the Merseyside 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 Merseyside Police area'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 | 137,975 | 93.5 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 135,001 | 91.5 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 145,284 | 98.5 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 169,247 | 114.7 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 165,714 | 112.3 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 128,854 | 87.3 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 137,651 | 93.3 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 135,697 | 92.0 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 125,637 | 85.1 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 110,029 | 74.6 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 102,351 | 69.4 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 97,244 | 65.9 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 93,348 | 63.3 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 89,836 | 60.9 | 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 had the highest rate (124.1 per 1,000) and Wirral the lowest (71.1).
| 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.
2 of the 8 nearest police force areas have a higher crime rate than the Merseyside 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 Merseyside Police area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire | 83,476 | 73.2 | -29% |
| Lancashire | 163,902 | 102.3 | -1% |
| North Wales | 64,680 | 92.8 | -10% |
| Staffordshire | 107,433 | 91.2 | -12% |
| West Yorkshire | 289,490 | 118.9 | +15% |
| South Yorkshire | 166,072 | 116.1 | +12% |
| Derbyshire | 103,143 | 94.1 | -9% |
| West Mercia | 96,831 | 72.2 | -30% |
Of the 5 areas within the Merseyside Police area, Liverpool had the highest crime rate (136.2 per 1,000) and Wirral the lowest (79.1).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | District | 508,961 | 69,301 | 136.2 |
| St. Helens | District | 188,861 | 17,904 | 94.8 |
| Knowsley | District | 162,565 | 14,983 | 92.2 |
| Sefton | District | 286,281 | 24,393 | 85.2 |
| Wirral | District | 328,873 | 26,029 | 79.1 |
Of the 136,674 crimes in the Merseyside Police area with a recorded outcome, 28% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 7.5% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 15,936 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 54,648 | 40.0% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 38,404 | 28.1% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 14,989 | 11.0% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 10,222 | 7.5% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 6,644 | 4.9% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 3,877 | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 3,810 | 2.8% | 4.7% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 1,810 | 1.3% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 917 | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 858 | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 458 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 23 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
The Merseyside Police area has an estimated population of 1,475,541 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more households without a car (31%, against 23%) and more social housing (20%, against 17%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up the Merseyside Police area average decile 4.2 (1 = most deprived), more deprived than average.
| Measure | the Merseyside Police area | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.6% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 19.4% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 53.1% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.7% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 22.0% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 8.9% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 29.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 21.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 30.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 59.2% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 20.5% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 20.2% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 4.2 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 29.1% | 10.1% (England) |
Is the Merseyside Police area a safe place to live?
The Merseyside Police area recorded 103.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 11th of the 41 police force areas 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 the Merseyside Police area?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 60,478 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (15,936).
Is crime in the Merseyside Police area going up or down?
Recorded crime in the Merseyside Police area was almost unchanged on the year before: 152,610 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 151,529 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of the Merseyside Police area?
About 1,475,541 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 19% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
How many crimes did the police record in the Merseyside Police area in the year ending March 2026?
137,975 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 93.5 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 135,001.
Which offences are more common in the Merseyside Police area 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 (11,898 offences, 3.2 times the England and Wales rate), public order offences (15,275 offences, 1.5 times the England and Wales rate) and violence without injury (25,635 offences, 1.3 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.