Latest figures
Recorded Crime & Policing
Police Recorded Crime
Excludes fraud and computer misuse.
View data: Police Recorded Crime
| Financial year | Police Recorded Crime |
|---|---|
| 2005/06 | 5.426 million offences |
| 2006/07 | 5.322 million offences |
| 2007/08 | 4.881 million offences |
| 2008/09 | 4.63 million offences |
| 2009/10 | 4.265 million offences |
| 2010/11 | 4.078 million offences |
| 2011/12 | 3.904 million offences |
| 2012/13 | 3.553 million offences |
| 2013/14 | 3.507 million offences |
| 2014/15 | 3.575 million offences |
| 2015/16 | 3.899 million offences |
| 2016/17 | 4.322 million offences |
| 2017/18 | 4.89 million offences |
| 2018/19 | 5.266 million offences |
| 2019/20 | 5.305 million offences |
| 2020/21 | 4.616 million offences |
| 2021/22 | 5.327 million offences |
| 2022/23 | 5.578 million offences |
| 2023/24 | 5.403 million offences |
| 2024/25 | 5.307 million offences |
| 2025/26 | 5.235 million offences |
Police Officer Numbers
View data: Police Officer Numbers
| Financial year | Police Officer Numbers |
|---|---|
| 2006/07 | 141,893 officers |
| 2007/08 | 141,857 officers |
| 2008/09 | 143,769 officers |
| 2009/10 | 143,734 officers |
| 2010/11 | 139,110 officers |
| 2011/12 | 134,100 officers |
| 2012/13 | 129,584 officers |
| 2013/14 | 127,909 officers |
| 2014/15 | 127,192 officers |
| 2015/16 | 124,066 officers |
| 2016/17 | 123,142 officers |
| 2017/18 | 122,405 officers |
| 2018/19 | 123,189 officers |
| 2019/20 | 129,110 officers |
| 2020/21 | 135,301 officers |
| 2021/22 | 140,228 officers |
| 2022/23 | 147,434 officers |
| 2023/24 | 147,745 officers |
| 2024/25 | 146,452 officers |
| 2025/26 | 145,886 officers |
Charge / Summons Rate
Rates are shown as first published, before later case closures.
View data: Charge / Summons Rate
| Financial year | Charge / Summons Rate |
|---|---|
| 2014/15 | 15.5% |
| 2015/16 | 13.1% |
| 2016/17 | 11.2% |
| 2017/18 | 9.1% |
| 2018/19 | 7.8% |
| 2019/20 | 7% |
| 2020/21 | 7.3% |
| 2021/22 | 5.6% |
| 2022/23 | 5.7% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% |
| 2024/25 | 7.3% |
| 2025/26 | 8.5% |
Violent Crime
Knife Crime (England & Wales)
View data: Knife Crime (England & Wales)
| Financial year | Knife Crime (England & Wales) |
|---|---|
| 2010/11 | 36,068 offences |
| 2011/12 | 33,740 offences |
| 2012/13 | 28,902 offences |
| 2013/14 | 28,337 offences |
| 2014/15 | 29,161 offences |
| 2015/16 | 32,724 offences |
| 2016/17 | 39,468 offences |
| 2017/18 | 47,467 offences |
| 2018/19 | 52,511 offences |
| 2019/20 | 55,170 offences |
| 2020/21 | 44,728 offences |
| 2021/22 | 49,189 offences |
| 2022/23 | 51,741 offences |
| 2023/24 | 53,995 offences |
| 2024/25 | 53,096 offences |
| 2025/26 | 48,774 offences |
Homicides (England & Wales)
View data: Homicides (England & Wales)
| Financial year | Homicides (England & Wales) |
|---|---|
| 2005/06 | 764 homicides |
| 2006/07 | 758 homicides |
| 2007/08 | 775 homicides |
| 2008/09 | 664 homicides |
| 2009/10 | 620 homicides |
| 2010/11 | 639 homicides |
| 2011/12 | 553 homicides |
| 2012/13 | 558 homicides |
| 2013/14 | 533 homicides |
| 2014/15 | 539 homicides |
| 2015/16 | 577 homicides |
| 2016/17 | 709 homicides |
| 2017/18 | 714 homicides |
| 2018/19 | 673 homicides |
| 2019/20 | 711 homicides |
| 2020/21 | 573 homicides |
| 2021/22 | 687 homicides |
| 2022/23 | 581 homicides |
| 2023/24 | 567 homicides |
| 2024/25 | 539 homicides |
| 2025/26 | 499 homicides |
Fraud & Crime by Type
Fraud
No comparable survey figures for 2020/21 or 2021/22.
View data: Fraud
| Financial year | Fraud |
|---|---|
| 2016/17 | 3.4 million incidents |
| 2017/18 | 3.26 million incidents |
| 2018/19 | 3.81 million incidents |
| 2019/20 | 3.68 million incidents |
| 2020/21 | Not available |
| 2021/22 | Not available |
| 2022/23 | 3.53 million incidents |
| 2023/24 | 3.18 million incidents |
| 2024/25 | 4.16 million incidents |
| 2025/26 | 4.48 million incidents |
Crime Breakdown
Crime Survey estimates, not police-recorded totals.
View data: Crime Breakdown
| Crime type | Crime Breakdown |
|---|---|
| Fraud | 46.6% |
| Theft | 27.3% |
| Violence | 10.3% |
| Computer misuse | 8.3% |
| Criminal damage | 6.7% |
| Robbery | 0.7% |
Offences by Category
Police Recorded Offences by Type
| Offence Type | Year to Mar 2026 | Change on year |
|---|
Fraud and computer misuse are not included.
About the data
About this data
Figures come from the Office for National Statistics - which publishes both the Crime Survey for England and Wales and police recorded crime - and from Home Office police workforce statistics. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish separate crime statistics and are not included here.
The single most important caveat: the Crime Survey measures people's actual experience of crime, while recorded crime measures what police log - and the two can move in opposite directions when reporting or recording practices change. For long-term trends in overall crime, the ONS treats the survey as the more reliable guide; for rare serious offences like homicide, recorded figures are definitive.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common crime in the UK?
Fraud is the most commonly experienced crime in England and Wales. The Crime Survey estimated 4.5 million fraud incidents in the year to March 2026, close to half of all the crime it measures.
Is crime rising in the UK?
The Crime Survey, which asks people directly about their experience, shows overall crime well below its 1990s peak. Police-recorded crime rose during the 2010s, partly because of improved recording rather than more offences.
Is knife crime going up in the UK?
Recorded knife crime rose sharply from the mid-2010s and, despite falling in the year to March 2026, remains far above that period. It is concentrated in cities and affects young people most. The government has pledged to halve it within a decade.
Why do the Crime Survey and police recorded crime show different trends?
The Crime Survey measures people's experience of crime directly, including offences never reported to police, while recorded crime only counts what forces log. Changes in reporting willingness or police recording practice move the recorded series without any change in actual crime, so the two can and do diverge.