Crime in Worcester: statistics, rates and trends
11,934 crimes were recorded in Worcester in the 12 months to August 2026, 114.4 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 3% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Worcester at a glance
- Crime trends in Worcester
- Types of crime in Worcester
- Worcester compared with nearby towns
- Areas within Worcester
- Streets with the most crime in Worcester
- What happened after crimes were reported in Worcester
- Demographics of Worcester
- Questions about crime in Worcester
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,436), anti-social behaviour (1,724) and shoplifting (1,383) made up 63% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 223rd of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest quarter.
| Measure | Worcester | Worcester | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 11,934 | 11,999 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 114.4 | 112.5 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -3% | -3% | -1% |
| Population | 104,354 | 106,671 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Worcester of any year here (11,934 crimes). 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 | 11,934 | 114.4 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 12,295 | 117.8 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 12,169 | 116.6 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 13,192 | 126.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 14,045 | 134.6 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 13,845 | 132.7 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 14,180 | 135.9 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 14,610 | 140.0 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 15,235 | 146.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,179 |
| July 2026 | 1,247 |
| June 2026 | 1,005 |
| May 2026 | 923 |
| April 2026 | 854 |
| March 2026 | 1,063 |
| February 2026 | 939 |
| January 2026 | 905 |
| December 2025 | 1,005 |
| November 2025 | 882 |
| October 2025 | 973 |
| September 2025 | 959 |
Compared with England and Wales, Worcester recorded notably more bicycle theft (84% above the national rate), shoplifting (57% above the national rate) and criminal damage and arson (35% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (72% below) and drugs (20% below). On the year before, burglary rose from 335 to 493 and robbery rose from 140 to 181, while theft from the person fell from 74 to 49 and other crime fell from 279 to 219.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,436 | 42.5 | 34.2 | +2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,724 | 16.5 | 15.4 | -20% |
| Shoplifting | 1,383 | 13.3 | 8.5 | -1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 951 | 9.1 | 6.7 | +3% |
| Public order | 768 | 7.4 | 6.7 | -16% |
| Other theft | 661 | 6.3 | 6.4 | -4% |
| Vehicle crime | 509 | 4.9 | 5.0 | +8% |
| Burglary | 493 | 4.7 | 3.6 | +47% |
| Drugs | 272 | 2.6 | 3.3 | +6% |
| Other crime | 219 | 2.1 | 2.1 | -22% |
| Robbery | 181 | 1.7 | 1.4 | +29% |
| Bicycle theft | 158 | 1.5 | 0.8 | -15% |
| Possession of weapons | 130 | 1.2 | 1.0 | -13% |
| Theft from the person | 49 | 0.5 | 1.7 | -34% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
| Town | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Worcester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernhill Heath | 211 | 41.7 | -64% |
| Kempsey | 297 | 53.5 | -53% |
| Droitwich Spa | 1,859 | 76.0 | -34% |
| Great Malvern | 2,477 | 71.8 | -37% |
| Pershore | 816 | 92.6 | -19% |
| Stourport-on-Severn | 1,190 | 62.5 | -45% |
| Bromsgrove | 2,303 | 67.2 | -41% |
| Kidderminster | 5,648 | 100.1 | -12% |
Of the 16 areas within Worcester, Fort Royal had the highest crime rate (387.1 per 1,000) and St Clement the lowest (34.4), 11 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Royal | Neighbourhood | 6,308 | 2,442 | 387.1 |
| Cathedral | Neighbourhood | 5,824 | 2,080 | 357.1 |
| Rainbow Hill | Neighbourhood | 5,871 | 825 | 140.5 |
| Warndon & Elbury Park | Neighbourhood | 11,639 | 1,572 | 135.1 |
| Nunnery | Neighbourhood | 9,555 | 927 | 97.0 |
| St John's | Neighbourhood | 3,725 | 326 | 87.5 |
| Dines Green & Grove Farm | Neighbourhood | 8,712 | 731 | 83.9 |
| Leopard Hill | Neighbourhood | 6,407 | 505 | 78.8 |
| Arboretum | Neighbourhood | 6,172 | 486 | 78.7 |
| St Stephen | Neighbourhood | 5,548 | 370 | 66.7 |
| Battenhall | Neighbourhood | 5,472 | 352 | 64.3 |
| Lower Wick & Pitmaston | Neighbourhood | 6,177 | 350 | 56.7 |
| St Peter's Parish | Neighbourhood | 5,560 | 261 | 46.9 |
| St Nicholas | Neighbourhood | 5,299 | 231 | 43.6 |
| Claines | Neighbourhood | 8,439 | 336 | 39.8 |
| St Clement | Neighbourhood | 5,963 | 205 | 34.4 |
The 10 locations below account for 23% of the crime recorded in Worcester over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (647).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 647 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 545 |
| On or near Parking Area | 409 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 275 |
| On or near Castle Street | 190 |
| On or near B4636 | 154 |
| On or near Angel Street | 153 |
| On or near Angel Place | 116 |
| On or near High Street | 115 |
| On or near Wiselack Place | 106 |
Of the 10,210 crimes in Worcester with a recorded outcome, 25% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,724 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 4,501 | 44.1% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 2,555 | 25.0% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,581 | 15.5% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 596 | 5.8% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 500 | 4.9% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 258 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 70 | 0.7% | 3.1% |
| Offender given a caution | 59 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 43 | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 28 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 10 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 9 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Worcester has an estimated population of 104,354 (ONS, mid-2024). 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 Worcester average decile 6.0 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Worcester | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.2% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 18.3% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 60.0% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 20.8% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 8.9% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 33.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 17.5% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 20.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 62.4% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 16.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 21.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 11.7% | 10.1% (England) |
Is Worcester a safe place to live?
Worcester recorded 114.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 223rd of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were bicycle theft and shoplifting.
What is the most common crime in Worcester?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,436 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (1,724).
Is crime in Worcester going up or down?
Recorded crime in Worcester was down 3% on the year before: 11,934 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 12,295 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Worcester?
About 104,354 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 18% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Worcester?
Worcester is policed by West Mercia.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.