Crime in the West Mercia Police area: statistics, rates and trends
96,831 crimes were recorded in the West Mercia Police area in the 12 months to August 2026, 72.2 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 4% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in the West Mercia Police area at a glance
- Crime trends in the West Mercia Police area
- Types of crime in the West Mercia Police area
- Home Office recorded crime in the West Mercia Police area
- The West Mercia Police area compared with nearby police force areas
- Areas within the West Mercia Police area
- What happened after crimes were reported in the West Mercia Police area
- Demographics of the West Mercia Police area
- Questions about crime in the West Mercia Police area
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (39,584), anti-social behaviour (13,205) and shoplifting (8,788) made up 64% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 36th of the 41 police force areas covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | the West Mercia Police area | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 96,831 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 72.2 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -4% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 1,340,814 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in the West Mercia Police area of any year here (96,831 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 24%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 96,831 | 72.2 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 100,390 | 74.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 100,576 | 75.0 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 114,082 | 85.1 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 119,807 | 89.4 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 124,480 | 92.8 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 125,017 | 93.2 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 127,950 | 95.4 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 127,572 | 95.1 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 9,322 |
| July 2026 | 9,669 |
| June 2026 | 8,625 |
| May 2026 | 7,429 |
| April 2026 | 6,945 |
| March 2026 | 8,426 |
| February 2026 | 7,186 |
| January 2026 | 7,497 |
| December 2025 | 7,747 |
| November 2025 | 7,896 |
| October 2025 | 8,311 |
| September 2025 | 7,778 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (84% below) and vehicle crime (49% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 684 to 941, while anti-social behaviour fell from 16,279 to 13,205 and bicycle theft fell from 753 to 619.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 39,584 | 29.5 | 34.2 | +4% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 13,205 | 9.8 | 15.4 | -19% |
| Shoplifting | 8,788 | 6.6 | 8.5 | -6% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7,742 | 5.8 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Other theft | 6,238 | 4.7 | 6.4 | -2% |
| Public order | 6,019 | 4.5 | 6.7 | -13% |
| Burglary | 4,226 | 3.2 | 3.6 | +7% |
| Vehicle crime | 3,398 | 2.5 | 5.0 | -17% |
| Drugs | 2,432 | 1.8 | 3.3 | +7% |
| Other crime | 2,189 | 1.6 | 2.1 | -10% |
| Possession of weapons | 1,094 | 0.8 | 1.0 | -1% |
| Robbery | 941 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +38% |
| Bicycle theft | 619 | 0.5 | 0.8 | -18% |
| Theft from the person | 356 | 0.3 | 1.7 | -13% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
79,871 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in the West Mercia Police area in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 59.6 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 1% on the year ending March 2025 (80,759), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 43 territorial police force areas of England and Wales, the West Mercia Police area had the 6th 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 West Mercia Police area, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 12,441 offences (16% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving (2.8 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.12 times), robbery of personal property (0.37 times) and possession of drugs (0.39 times).
The largest rises on the year were in miscellaneous crimes against society (+14%) and stalking and harassment (+11%). The largest falls were in theft from the person (−28%) and vehicle offences (−23%). 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 | 12,441 | 9.3 | 13.2 | 0.70 | +2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 11,570 | 8.6 | 10.1 | 0.86 | +11% |
| Violence with injury | 9,128 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 0.84 | −3% |
| Shoplifting | 8,683 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 0.80 | – |
| Criminal damage | 7,112 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 0.78 | −2% |
| Public order offences | 6,155 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 0.66 | −9% |
| Other theft offences | 6,053 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 0.69 | −6% |
| Vehicle offences | 3,204 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 0.48 | −23% |
| Other sexual offences | 2,739 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.90 | +8% |
| Residential burglary | 2,525 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.76 | −4% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 2,147 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.76 | +14% |
| Rape | 1,324 | 0.99 | 1.2 | 0.82 | +10% |
| Possession of drugs | 1,308 | 0.98 | 2.5 | 0.39 | +11% |
| Non-residential burglary | 1,141 | 0.85 | 1.1 | 0.76 | −13% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 1,033 | 0.77 | 1.2 | 0.65 | +6% |
| Possession of weapons | 1,010 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 0.76 | −5% |
| Bicycle theft | 684 | 0.51 | 0.85 | 0.60 | +6% |
| Robbery of personal property | 452 | 0.34 | 0.91 | 0.37 | −4% |
| Robbery of business property | 402 | 0.30 | 0.47 | 0.63 | – |
| Arson | 337 | 0.25 | 0.38 | 0.66 | +4% |
| Theft from the person | 276 | 0.21 | 1.8 | 0.12 | −28% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 133 | 0.10 | 0.03 | 2.85 | +6% |
| Homicide | 14 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1.30 | +56% |
Recorded crime in the West Mercia 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 West Mercia 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 | 79,871 | 59.6 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 80,759 | 60.2 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 86,478 | 64.5 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 94,887 | 70.8 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 87,131 | 65.0 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 72,915 | 54.4 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 86,875 | 64.8 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 87,140 | 65.0 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 84,496 | 63.0 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 80,803 | 60.3 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 76,290 | 56.9 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 60,763 | 45.3 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 58,014 | 43.3 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 59,535 | 44.4 | 56.7 |
Districts in the West Mercia Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 3 districts in the West Mercia Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Telford and Wrekin had the highest rate (73.0 per 1,000) and Shropshire the lowest (47.6). Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon and Wyre Forest are not in the table because the Home Office publishes each of them jointly with a neighbouring district, as one community safety partnership.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telford and Wrekin | 14,301 | 73.0 | 0.88 |
| Herefordshire, County of | 9,620 | 50.4 | 0.61 |
| Shropshire | 15,813 | 47.6 | 0.57 |
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.
Every one of the 8 nearest police force areas has a higher crime rate than the West Mercia Police area.
| Police force area | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs the West Mercia Police area |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 323,754 | 106.6 | +48% |
| Staffordshire | 107,433 | 91.2 | +26% |
| Warwickshire | 51,630 | 81.7 | +13% |
| Leicestershire | 100,535 | 85.5 | +18% |
| Gwent | 71,512 | 118.9 | +65% |
| Derbyshire | 103,143 | 94.1 | +30% |
| Cheshire | 83,476 | 73.2 | +1% |
| Northamptonshire | 73,722 | 90.6 | +25% |
Of the 9 areas within the West Mercia Police area, Worcester had the highest crime rate (112.5 per 1,000) and Malvern Hills the lowest (56.1).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester | District | 106,671 | 11,999 | 112.5 |
| Telford and Wrekin | District | 195,952 | 17,406 | 88.8 |
| Redditch | District | 87,847 | 7,685 | 87.5 |
| Wyre Forest | District | 103,913 | 8,977 | 86.4 |
| Wychavon | District | 138,017 | 8,971 | 65.0 |
| Herefordshire, County of | District | 191,047 | 11,739 | 61.4 |
| Bromsgrove | District | 101,685 | 6,174 | 60.7 |
| Shropshire | District | 332,455 | 19,214 | 57.8 |
| Malvern Hills | District | 83,227 | 4,666 | 56.1 |
Of the 83,626 crimes in the West Mercia Police area with a recorded outcome, 23% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.4% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 13,205 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 37,137 | 44.4% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 19,059 | 22.8% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 13,003 | 15.5% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 4,899 | 5.9% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 4,479 | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 2,063 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 1,276 | 1.5% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 626 | 0.7% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 544 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 371 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 86 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 81 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
The West Mercia Police area has an estimated population of 1,340,814 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (15%, against 23%), fewer students (5.5%, against 7.9%) and an older population (24%, against 19%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up the West Mercia Police area average decile 5.9 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | the West Mercia Police area | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 16.9% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 23.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 56.9% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.7% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 26.4% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 31.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 18.0% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 15.1% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 68.2% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 14.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 16.9% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.9 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 4.3% | 10.1% (England) |
Is the West Mercia Police area a safe place to live?
The West Mercia Police area recorded 72.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 36th of the 41 police force areas on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in the West Mercia Police area?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 39,584 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (13,205).
Is crime in the West Mercia Police area going up or down?
Recorded crime in the West Mercia Police area was down 4% on the year before: 96,831 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 100,390 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of the West Mercia Police area?
About 1,340,814 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 24% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
How many crimes did the police record in the West Mercia Police area in the year ending March 2026?
79,871 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 59.6 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 80,759.
Which offences are more common in the West Mercia Police area than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving (133 offences, 2.8 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.