Crime rate in England and Wales in 2022/23, by police force area

With a crime rate of 147.7 per 1,000 people Cleveland, in North East England, had the highest crime rate of all the police force areas in England and Wales in 2022/23. High crime rates are evident in other areas of northern England, such as West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester at 133.8 and 129.7 respectively. In the English capital, London, the crime rate was 100.2 per 1,000 people. The lowest crime rate in England was in the relatively rural areas of Devon and Cornwall, as well as Wiltshire in South West England.

Overall crime on the in England and Wales

The number of crimes in England and Wales reached approximately 6.74 million in 2022/23, up from 6.34 million in the previous year. Overall crime has been rising steadily across England and Wales for almost a decade, even when adjusted for population rises. In 2022/23, for example, the crime rate in England and Wales was 93.6, the highest since 2006/07. When compared with the rest of the United Kingdom England and Wales is something of an outlier, as crime rates for Scotland and Northern Ireland have not followed the same trajectory of rising crime.

Troubled justice system under pressure

Alongside rising crime figures, many indicators also signal that the justice system is getting pushed to breaking point. The percentage of crimes that are solved in England and Wales was just 5.7 percent in 2023, with sexual offences having a clearance rate of just 3.6 percent. Crimes are also taking far longer than usual to pass through the justice system. In 2023, it took an average of 676 days for a crown court case to reach a conclusion from the time of the offence. This is most likely related to the large backlog of cases in crown courts, which reached over 62,200 in 2023.