crime · the national record
Recorded crime in England and Wales
Every offence recorded by the police in England and Wales, from 2012/13 to 2024/25. Recorded crime has risen by about 62 per cent over that period, to 6,588,787 offences a year. This page shows what gets recorded, what has gone up and down, and where rates are highest. One thing to hold in mind throughout: a large part of the rise reflects changes in how the police record crime and more victims coming forward, not simply more offending.
How to read this
These are crimes recorded by the police, published by the Home Office. They are not the same as the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which asks the public directly about their experience and is the steadier long term guide to many everyday crimes. Police moved onto a stricter recording standard after 2014, which lifted the recorded numbers, and people have become more willing to report some offences. Changes over time should be read with that in mind rather than taken as a simple measure of how much crime is happening.
Computed from the Home Office police recorded crime open data tables, police force area edition, by offence group and quarter, edition published 23 July 2026 covering data to March 2026. The latest complete year shown is 2024/25: City of London Police suspended supplying fraud figures during 2025/26, so that year is complete for every other offence group but not on this page’s all crime basis. Rates use ONS mid 2024 population estimates, the most recent published for police force areas. Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate systems and are not included here.
12 years
A long rise, and what sits behind it
The police recorded about 4,063,571 crimes in 2012/13. By 2024/25 that had reached 6,588,787, around 62 per cent higher, with the peak in 2022/23. Much of this is not a simple increase in offending. After 2014 forces were told to record crimes more fully, which lifted the figures, and victims of violence and sexual offences in particular have become more willing to come forward. The separate Crime Survey, which asks the public about their experience, shows many common crimes falling over the longer run.
Offences recorded by police in England and Wales each financial year. Source: Home Office.
What gets recorded
The shape of recorded crime in 2024/25
Recorded crime is dominated by a few large groups. Violence against the person is the biggest at 1,937,944 offences, followed by theft at 1,777,619 and fraud at 1,281,354. Fraud is recorded centrally rather than by local forces, so it sits a little apart from the rest.
Percentage change shown is since 2012/13. Bars scaled to the largest group.
Up and down
What has risen and what has fallen
Not every kind of crime has moved the same way. Since 2012/13 the sharpest recorded rises have been in sexual offences, up about 290 per cent, along with public order, violence and fraud. These are also the groups most affected by the change in recording practice and by greater reporting. At the same time criminal damage and arson has fallen by about 13 per cent, and theft is lower than it was.
Rising since 2012/13
Falling since 2012/13
Where it is highest
Recorded crime rates by police force
Set against resident population, recorded crime varies widely between force areas. The City of London is a special case, recording about 608 offences per 1,000 because its few thousand residents are vastly outnumbered by daytime workers. Among the rest, Cleveland has the highest rate at 118.9 per 1,000 and West Yorkshire follows at 113.0, while Wiltshire has the lowest at 52.5. The England and Wales average is about 84.5. Rates reflect real differences but also recording and reporting, so small gaps mean little.
Special case: City of London
The City of London records 607.8 per 1,000 residents, far above any territorial force. This reflects its tiny residential population of around 15,111 people set against a massive daytime workforce. It is not comparable to other forces and is shown separately throughout.
Highest rates (territorial forces only, per 1,000 residents)
Lowest rates (per 1,000 residents)
43 territorial forces in total. Rates use ONS mid year resident population.
Questions this raises
For policing and the public
- 1.
Recorded crime is far higher than a decade ago, yet much of that is better recording and more reporting. How should success be judged when the count and the experience point in different directions?
- 2.
Violence and sexual offences have risen most in the records. How much is more crime, and how much is more victims finally being heard?
- 3.
Fraud is now one of the largest crime types yet is recorded centrally and rarely reaches a charge. Is it policed in proportion to its scale?
- 4.
Rates differ sharply between force areas. How much reflects real risk, and how much reflects different recording and reporting?
Sources & method
Data provenance
- Police recorded crime open data tables (Home Office) ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
- Population estimates for police force areas (ONS) ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
Caveats & data notes
- These are police recorded crimes, not the Crime Survey for England and Wales. The survey is the better long term guide to many common crimes and shows a different, gentler trend.
- A stricter recording standard from 2014 and greater willingness to report lifted recorded numbers, so part of the rise is not more offending.
- Fraud is recorded centrally through Action Fraud and partner bodies, so it is shown nationally and excluded from individual force rates.
- Force rates use resident population and do not adjust for commuters, visitors or night time populations, which raises rates in city centre forces.
- The latest complete financial year shown is 2024/25. Data for 2025/26 is published and is complete for every offence group except fraud and computer misuse: City of London Police, which hosts Action Fraud, suspended supplying those figures while moving to a new reporting system, so 2025/26 fraud is a partial count. Including it would show a fall in total crime that is a reporting gap rather than a change in crime. Excluding fraud, 2025/26 recorded crime was 5,235,213 against 5,307,433 in 2024/25, which matches the Office for National Statistics headline of around 5.2 million against 5.3 million, a fall of about 1 per cent.
- Force rates use ONS mid 2024 population estimates, the most recent the ONS publishes for police force areas; a mid 2025 police force area breakdown has not been released, so the denominator sits a year behind the crime counts.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland operate separate recording systems and are not covered.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Every figure on this page traces to its official source. Share it as it stands.
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