What is happening to crime near you?

Crime Survey for England and Wales; adults aged 16 and over in households. Published 2026-07-23. Different nations use different systems. Official source tables · UK Facts national crime evidence

Any offence where someone is hurt, threatened, harassed or sexually assaulted. It runs from a push in a pub to murder, so the headline number is dominated by less serious violence and harassment.

Until April 2013 police.uk called this "Violent crime". The series here joins the two. Forces recorded crime much more thoroughly after the 2014 national inspection of crime recording, and new offences (such as coercive control, stalking and harassment) were brought into the count. Both pushed recorded violence up without any matching rise in the Crime Survey.

Behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress but usually is not a crime on its own. These are incidents, not crimes, so they are counted separately from "total crime".

Only ASB reported to the police. Forces changed how they record ASB at different times, so a comparison between forces is weaker here than for crimes.

Deliberately damaging or destroying someone else's property, including by setting fire to it.

Stealing goods from a shop, supermarket or market stall.

Recorded shoplifting depends heavily on whether shops report it. Retailer and police campaigns to increase reporting can raise the numbers without any change in how much theft happens.

Thefts that do not fit anywhere else: things taken from gardens, sheds or workplaces, or not paying for fuel or a meal.

Before May 2013 this category also included bicycle theft and theft from the person. The series here starts in May 2013 so it compares like with like.

Going into a home, shed, garage, shop or other building without permission to steal, or to cause damage or harm.

Stealing a vehicle, stealing things from inside one, or tampering with it.

Threatening or abusive behaviour in public that frightens or distresses people, including hate-motivated abuse.

Before May 2013 police.uk combined this with possession of weapons as "Public disorder and weapons". Separate series start in May 2013.

Having, selling or growing illegal drugs. Most drug offences are found by the police, for example in stop and search, rather than reported by victims.

The count mostly reflects how hard police look (stop and search, operations), so a rise can mean more enforcement rather than more drugs.

Crimes that do not fit the other 13 categories.

Carrying a knife, gun or other weapon without a good reason, whether or not it is used.

Like drugs, most weapons offences are found by police activity such as stop and search. Separate series start in May 2013.

Stealing from someone using force or the threat of force: a mugging or a hold-up.

Pickpocketing and snatch thefts where no force or threat is used.

Counted inside "other theft" until May 2013; separate series start then.

Stealing a bicycle, or riding off on one without permission.

Counted inside "other theft" until May 2013; separate series start then. Many bike thefts are never reported.

Existing UK Facts archive, August 2011–July 2026. Local authority assignment uses archive LSOA lookup; do not splice with the newer point-in-polygon neighbourhood extract. Annual rates use the average monthly population. England benchmark uses only covered population and is not a complete national total. No missing month is treated as zero.

Rates use each year’s population estimate, with 2025 estimates for 2026. Missing force-months remain missing. The England reporting-area benchmark excludes areas without data, including Greater Manchester after June 2019; changes in coverage can change the benchmark.

Changes in recording and category definitions also affect long-run comparisons. No value before a category existed is invented.

Original police archive source · Official category definitions · Download history, categories, denominators and source checksums

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