Metric permalink
Offences resulting in charge or summons (E&W)
Part of the Rule of Law and Safety domain. Proportion of recorded crimes in England and Wales that result in a charge or summons, measuring the system's ability to hold offenders accountable.
Latest data
Latest reading
YE Mar 2026
Change between the two latest observations (2026 to YE Mar 2026), in stress score.
A lower reading is treated as worse for this indicator.
Score composition
Stress score
Since the August 2026 release
What changed on this indicator between the two releases: method only.
Blended from two measured components: (2/3 weight) and trend (1/3 weight); where no trend can be computed the metric is scored on its level alone. Volatility is published as a diagnostic and does not enter the blend. Full formula on the methodology page.
Level · 2/3 weight
Percentile: this metric is scored against its own history, where today sits between its best and worst recorded years.
Trend · 1/3 weight
Measured from the direction and size of the change between the two most recent readings.
Volatility · diagnostic, not blended
100Measured from how much this indicator has swung period on period across its recorded history.
Data confidence and provenance
Confidence and source
How much weight to put on the reading, the mean data-confidence across the component metrics (source quality, recency and completeness).
Source
Crime outcomes in England and Wales
- Update frequency
- Quarterly
- Reliability
- high
Provenance
- Provider
- Home Office
- Series ID
- charge/summons rate, E&W
- Frequency
- annual
- Accessed
- 13 August 2026
Known weakness
The denominator is recorded crime, which is itself incomplete; forces vary in recording practices, and changes in recording standards affect the ratio independently of investigative performance.
Notes
Verified official value from Home Office (charge/summons rate, E&W), accessed 2026-08-13.
Historical values
History
| Period | Value | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16 | |
| 2017 | 11 | |
| 2018 | 9 | |
| 2019 | 8 | |
| 2020 | 7 | |
| 2021 | 7.3 | |
| 2022 | 5.6 | |
| 2023 | 5.7 | |
| 2024 | 6.4 | |
| 2025 | 6.3 | |
| 2026 | 7.1 | |
| YE Mar 2026 | 7.3 |