Crime in North West: statistics, rates and trends
439,611 crimes were recorded in North West in the 12 months to August 2026, 93.0 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 3% on the year before.
Table of Contents
Note: These figures leave out districts whose police force has not published street-level crime data for most of the latest 12 months: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan (Greater Manchester Police).
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (180,595), anti-social behaviour (60,309) and public order (36,754) made up 63% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 6th of the 9 regions covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.
| Measure | North West | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 439,611 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 93.0 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -3% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 4,727,750 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in North West of any year here (439,611 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 16%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 439,611 | 93.0 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 453,512 | 95.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 456,572 | 96.6 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 479,714 | 101.5 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 518,825 | 109.7 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 531,689 | 112.5 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 523,819 | 110.8 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 504,825 | 106.8 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 523,943 | 110.8 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 38,265 |
| July 2026 | 41,270 |
| June 2026 | 39,427 |
| May 2026 | 37,955 |
| April 2026 | 35,645 |
| March 2026 | 36,975 |
| February 2026 | 31,383 |
| January 2026 | 33,368 |
| December 2025 | 35,087 |
| November 2025 | 35,636 |
| October 2025 | 38,091 |
| September 2025 | 36,509 |
Compared with England and Wales, North West recorded notably more drugs (50% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (77% below) and robbery (49% below). On the year before, anti-social behaviour fell from 80,941 to 60,309.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 180,595 | 38.2 | 34.2 | +3% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 60,309 | 12.8 | 15.4 | -25% |
| Public order | 36,754 | 7.8 | 6.7 | +1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 33,818 | 7.2 | 6.7 | -2% |
| Shoplifting | 29,139 | 6.2 | 8.5 | +9% |
| Other theft | 24,687 | 5.2 | 6.4 | +1% |
| Drugs | 23,149 | 4.9 | 3.3 | +3% |
| Vehicle crime | 14,549 | 3.1 | 5.0 | -3% |
| Burglary | 12,847 | 2.7 | 3.6 | -6% |
| Other crime | 11,063 | 2.3 | 2.1 | -5% |
| Possession of weapons | 4,641 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +6% |
| Robbery | 3,265 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +4% |
| Bicycle theft | 2,952 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0% |
| Theft from the person | 1,843 | 0.4 | 1.7 | -4% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
5 of the 8 nearest regions have a higher crime rate than North West; the highest is London (124.0 per 1,000) and the lowest East of England (80.6).
| Region | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs North West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 615,075 | 108.4 | +17% |
| West Midlands | 579,648 | 93.7 | +1% |
| East Midlands | 475,616 | 93.9 | +1% |
| North East | 319,289 | 115.7 | +24% |
| East of England | 530,364 | 80.6 | -13% |
| South West | 437,109 | 83.7 | -10% |
| London | 1,126,877 | 124.0 | +33% |
| South East | 787,517 | 81.7 | -12% |
Of the 14 areas within North West, Blackpool had the highest crime rate (183.0 per 1,000) and Cheshire East the lowest (66.8).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | District | 144,191 | 26,386 | 183.0 |
| Liverpool | District | 508,961 | 69,301 | 136.2 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | District | 162,540 | 17,854 | 109.8 |
| St. Helens | District | 188,861 | 17,904 | 94.8 |
| Lancashire | County | 1,294,914 | 119,662 | 92.4 |
| Knowsley | District | 162,565 | 14,983 | 92.2 |
| Halton | District | 131,543 | 12,012 | 91.3 |
| Sefton | District | 286,281 | 24,393 | 85.2 |
| Cumberland | District | 280,495 | 23,055 | 82.2 |
| Wirral | District | 328,873 | 26,029 | 79.1 |
| Warrington | District | 215,391 | 16,060 | 74.6 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | District | 371,652 | 27,265 | 73.4 |
| Westmorland and Furness | District | 230,185 | 16,568 | 72.0 |
| Cheshire East | District | 421,298 | 28,139 | 66.8 |
Of the 379,302 crimes in North West with a recorded outcome, 26% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 6.5% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 60,309 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 151,166 | 39.9% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 99,419 | 26.2% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 43,693 | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 24,790 | 6.5% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 21,227 | 5.6% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 13,324 | 3.5% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 12,019 | 3.2% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 3,981 | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 3,474 | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 3,474 | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 1,712 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 602 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
North West has an estimated population of 7,737,414 (ONS, mid-2024), including the districts left out of the crime figures above. On the Census 2021 measures below it is close to England and Wales as a whole. On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up North West average decile 4.8 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | North West | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.6% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 18.8% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 55.5% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 8.0% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 31.2% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 19.5% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 24.7% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 63.0% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 17.6% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.2% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 4.8 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 21.2% | 10.1% (England) |
Is North West a safe place to live?
North West recorded 93.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 6th of the 9 regions on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were drugs.
What is the most common crime in North West?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 180,595 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (60,309).
Is crime in North West going up or down?
Recorded crime in North West was down 3% on the year before: 439,611 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 453,512 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of North West?
About 7,737,414 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 19% 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.