Latest crime statistics

There are 2 types of crime statistics that you might hear about:

• Recorded Crime - This is crime reported to the police. These statistics provide a good measure of trends in well-reported crimes. They are an important indicator of police workload and can be used for analysing local crime patterns
• British Crime Survey (BCS) - These statistics are based on interviews and can provide a better reflection of the true extent of crime. For the crime types it covers, the BCS can provide a better reflection of the true extent of crime because it includes crimes that are not reported to the police. The BCS count also gives a better indication of trends in crime over time because it is unaffected by changes in levels of reporting to the police and in police recording practices.

England and Wales

Official crime statistics can be found on the Home Office website, in the Research Development and Statistics section. Download Crime in England and Wales 2007/2008 as PDF documents from the Home Office website.

Scotland

Search the publications area of the Scottish Government's website to find their latest crime statistics.

Northern Ireland

Visit the crime statistics page at the website of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for the latest monhtly statistics and the yearly statistics.

Crime Maps

Visit CrimeMapper to find out about crime in local areas in England and Wales. Users can find their area on an interactive map and find out crime rates and the total number of crimes for burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence and anti-social behaviour.

Crimestoppers statistics

Read Crimestoppers' latest statistics, updated monthly.

Crime News - Latest crime statistics and surveys

• Criminals granted taxi licences - 209 convicted criminals in the West Midlands have been granted taxi licences. [11 January 2010]
• Rise in sham marriages for illegal immigrants - There has been a 54% rise in England and Wales. [8 January 2010]
• One theft a minute - Shoplifting has increased sharply during the recession, as has violence against UK shop staff - 22,000 were attacked. [7 January 2010]
• More young people tagged - 20,000 young people were electronically tagged last year - a 40% increase in three years. [15 December 2009]
• More drivers use mobiles - Statistics for the number of drivers using mobile phones. [11 December 2009]
• More support needed for Muslims leaving prisons - 12% of the prison population are Muslim. [10 December 2009]
• UK children trafficked by paedophiles - Barnardo's "Whose Child Now?" report from research with 1,000 children who had been sexually exploited. [17 November 2009]
• Less than 1% of recorded crime is solved with the help of the DNA database [11 November 2009]
• Shoplifting surge during recession - The value of retail goods stolen in the UK has risen by 20% during the economic downturn. [10 November 2009]
• Claims of female sex abusers grow - More children are reporting abuse by females to ChildLine. [9 November 2009]
• Too many violent offenders released - 54% of cases where prisoners are released meet the standards necessary to keep the public safe [2 November 2009]
• ID stolen in 74 per cent of burglaries and ID documents were the only things stolen in one in seven burglaries. [26 October 2009]
• Treatment of rape victims - 6.5% of rapes reported between 2007 and 2008 led to the conviction of the attacker. [22 September 2009]
• Rape crimes not recorded - Some UK police forces are failing to record more than 40% of rape cases. [21 September 2009]
• Trafficked children - 60% of rescued trafficked children later go missing from authority care. [14 August 2009]
• Mental health murders increase [29 July 2009]
• More knife deaths during anti-knife crime programme - More people have died from knife wounds during the government's Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP), although overall knife-related violence fell by 10%. [22 July 2009]
• One child killed every week because warning signs that they are living with a potential killer are being ignored. [10 July 2009]
• Criminal gangs cost UK billions - There are 30,000 criminals who are members of organised criminal gangs in the UK and they cost the country up to £40bn a year. [14 July 2009]
• Young people think knife crime outlook is bleak - 25% of people know someone who has been a victim of knife crime. [29 June 2009]
• Too many children locked up - Three-quarters of children who are locked up before they appear in court do not go on to receive a prison sentence, according to a new report. [17 June 2009]
• 7million use illegal downloads [29 May 2009]
• Knife-carrying statistics - More than 3,700 people were caught with a knife in England and Wales last year; only one in six received a sentence of six months or less. [28 May 2009]
• More child sex offenders arrested - The number of UK child sex offenders arrested in the last year has risen by 10% to 334. [20 May 2009]
• Crime falls but burglaries rise New statistics show the crime rate has fallen, but burglaries in England and Wales have increased. [23 April 2009]
• New statistics show many crimes fell in London last year, but business crime, rape and hate crimes went up. [17 April 2009]
• 120 per cent rise in victims of knife crime. The number of children admitted to NHS hospitals in London with knife wounds rose dramatically between 2003 and 2008. [31 March 2009]
• Credit crunch crimewave. Crime in Scotland "soars" because of the recession, reports The Daily Record. [24 March 2009]
• Hate crime against gay people 'forgotten' The Independent reports that hate crime against lesbians and gay men is a neglected issue. Crimes in London have increased by 5% in the past year and homophobic bullying in schools is rife. [23 March 2009]
• Online banking fraud doubles In 2008, cases of online banking fraud more than doubled, costing around £52.5 million in 2008 compared to £12.2 million in 2004. [20 March 2009]
• Recession leads to business crime The BBC reports businesses are blaming the recession for a rise in crime in the last year. [13 March 2009]
• Knife statistics drop The Daily Mirror reports that the number of young people being treated for stab wounds has dropped, and that fewer young people are carrying knives. [11 March 2009]
• More cannabis factories According to a report by the BBC, the number of cannabis factories raided by police has increased three-fold in London and five-fold in the West Midlands. [10 March 2009]
• 1 in 5 think domestic violence is justified An Ipsos Mori survey reveals disturbing attitudes to domestic violence in the UK. [9 March 2009]
• 1 in 3 carry knives The Youth Justice board has found that one in three young people carry a knife or gun and a crime is committed by a young person every two minutes. [6 March 2009] Hardline Scottish knife policy a success The Solicitor General of Scotland has announced that their tough policy on knives has resulted in more than 600 arrests. [2 March 2009]