Crime in East of England: statistics, rates and trends
530,364 crimes were recorded in East of England in the 12 months to August 2026, 80.6 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 East of England at a glance
- Crime trends in East of England
- Types of crime in East of England
- East of England compared with nearby regions
- Areas within East of England
- What happened after crimes were reported in East of England
- Demographics of East of England
- Questions about crime in East of England
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (203,112), anti-social behaviour (79,820) and shoplifting (43,808) made up 62% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 9th of the 9 regions covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest tenth.
| Measure | East of England | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 530,364 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 80.6 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +2% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 6,576,306 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in East of England peaked in the year to August 2019 (605,529 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (518,622). 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 | 530,364 | 80.6 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 518,622 | 78.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 519,933 | 79.1 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 540,981 | 82.3 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 572,151 | 87.0 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 571,936 | 87.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 588,851 | 89.5 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 605,529 | 92.1 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 591,495 | 89.9 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 49,590 |
| July 2026 | 51,865 |
| June 2026 | 47,837 |
| May 2026 | 46,948 |
| April 2026 | 44,136 |
| March 2026 | 44,348 |
| February 2026 | 38,026 |
| January 2026 | 40,022 |
| December 2025 | 40,201 |
| November 2025 | 41,346 |
| October 2025 | 43,848 |
| September 2025 | 42,197 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (68% below) and robbery (48% below) were well below it. On the year before, drugs rose from 15,504 to 19,241.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 203,112 | 30.9 | 34.2 | +4% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 79,820 | 12.1 | 15.4 | +8% |
| Shoplifting | 43,808 | 6.7 | 8.5 | -4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 40,179 | 6.1 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Other theft | 35,592 | 5.4 | 6.4 | +2% |
| Public order | 32,326 | 4.9 | 6.7 | -2% |
| Vehicle crime | 27,149 | 4.1 | 5.0 | -8% |
| Drugs | 19,241 | 2.9 | 3.3 | +24% |
| Burglary | 17,064 | 2.6 | 3.6 | -4% |
| Other crime | 12,572 | 1.9 | 2.1 | -2% |
| Possession of weapons | 6,157 | 0.9 | 1.0 | +10% |
| Bicycle theft | 5,195 | 0.8 | 0.8 | -4% |
| Robbery | 4,635 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +10% |
| Theft from the person | 3,514 | 0.5 | 1.7 | -11% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
Every one of the 8 nearest regions has a higher crime rate than East of England.
| Region | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs East of England |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 1,126,877 | 124.0 | +54% |
| South East | 787,517 | 81.7 | +1% |
| East Midlands | 475,616 | 93.9 | +16% |
| West Midlands | 579,648 | 93.7 | +16% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 615,075 | 108.4 | +34% |
| South West | 437,109 | 83.7 | +4% |
| North West | 439,611 | 93.0 | +15% |
| North East | 319,289 | 115.7 | +43% |
Of the 11 areas within East of England, Peterborough had the highest crime rate (125.9 per 1,000) and Central Bedfordshire the lowest (61.4).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterborough | District | 223,655 | 28,159 | 125.9 |
| Southend-on-Sea | District | 185,256 | 21,255 | 114.7 |
| Thurrock | District | 180,989 | 18,319 | 101.2 |
| Bedford | District | 194,976 | 18,621 | 95.5 |
| Luton | District | 239,090 | 22,028 | 92.1 |
| Hertfordshire | County | 1,236,191 | 106,430 | 86.1 |
| Essex | County | 1,563,365 | 125,970 | 80.6 |
| Cambridgeshire | County | 710,317 | 54,865 | 77.2 |
| Norfolk | County | 940,359 | 66,675 | 70.9 |
| Suffolk | County | 786,231 | 48,655 | 61.9 |
| Central Bedfordshire | District | 315,877 | 19,387 | 61.4 |
Of the 450,544 crimes in East of England with a recorded outcome, 32% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.9% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 79,820 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 167,525 | 37.2% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 145,366 | 32.3% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 46,187 | 10.3% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 26,478 | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 16,421 | 3.6% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 14,026 | 3.1% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 12,776 | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 11,494 | 2.6% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 4,480 | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 2,842 | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 1,359 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 1,011 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
East of England has an estimated population of 6,576,306 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (17%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up East of England average decile 6.1 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | East of England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.8% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 20.0% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 58.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 22.9% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 31.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 18.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 16.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 66.2% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 15.5% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 18.2% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.1 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 4.0% | 10.1% (England) |
Is East of England a safe place to live?
East of England recorded 80.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 9th of the 9 regions on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in East of England?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 203,112 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (79,820).
Is crime in East of England going up or down?
Recorded crime in East of England was up 2% on the year before: 530,364 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 518,622 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of East of England?
About 6,576,306 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 20% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.