Headline crime has increased by seven per cent since last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which released its annual Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) today.
Over 9.4 million incidents of theft, fraud, criminal damage, robbery, computer misuse, and violence with or without injury were recorded in the year ending March 2025.
These incidents occurred during a year in which record dismissals and voluntary resignations saw the police service lose 1,303 members.
Chris Philp MP, the Shadow Home Secretary, accused the Labour government of negligence for overseeing the “damning drop” in police numbers.
Over 426 officers were dismissed as part of Labour’s attempt to tighten standards on racism, misogyny, sexual assault and homophobia within the police.
The ONS did not discuss the impact of diminished policing within England and Wales but ascribed the latest rise in headline crime to the number of fraud offences which totalled 4,159,000 incidents this year.
With 4.2 million incidents recorded, fraud offences increased by 31 per cent to make up nearly half of all headline crime committed in the past year.
This is the highest level recorded since fraud was first included in the CSEW in 2017.
Another statistic revealed that approximately one in eight women suffered instances of sexual assault, stalking or domestic abuse in the past year.
5.2 million people were recorded as having experienced one of the above offences, with the ONS combining the three categories for the first time in the survey’s history.
This marked a marginal reduction from 5.4 million people in the previous year.
Women’s Aid, a charity formed to help end violence against women and girls celebrated the results as a “step toward a more comprehensive overview of these crimes.”
Instances of theft (an umbrella term including household burglary, vehicle theft and theft from the person) also rose marginally by four per cent, a statistic which the ONS termed “not statistically significant.”
However, viewed separately, theft from the person offences increased by 15 per cent in the year ending March 2025.
The ONS discussed this statistic alongside a 20 per cent increase in shoplifting, explaining that the frequency of both offences has increased significantly since the pandemic.
Of the 151,220 incidents of theft from the person recorded in England and Wales, 103,391 took place in London as Chris Philp MP blamed “Labour’s London Mayor” for the disproportionate statistic.
The capital has been the worst hit by dwindling police numbers this year as 1,022 Metropolitan Police officers left the force, representing a three per cent decrease in staffing.
Recruitment numbers nationwide are also down, with low wages causing a 17 per cent decrease in new officers joining.
While Labour mooted plans for a 2.3 per cent pay rise in police spending last month, police chiefs replied that the rise would not combat the estimated £1.2 billion shortfall facing national law enforcement agencies.
Tiff Lynch, the current national chairwoman of the Police Federation said: “We will lose 10,000 experienced officers a year to resignation by the end of this spending review period, driven out by poor pay and unacceptable working conditions.”
Despite police funding issues, the ONS detailed notable decreases in headline crime across England and Wales in the past year.
Incidents of homicide dropped by six per cent and offences involving firearms decreased by 20 per cent in the year ending March 2025.
The ONS further stated that “crime against individuals and households has generally decreased over the last 10 years.”
Headline crime has increased by seven per cent since last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which released its annual Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) today.
Over 9.4 million incidents of theft, fraud, criminal damage, robbery, computer misuse, and violence with or without injury were recorded in the year ending March 2025.
These incidents occurred during a year in which record dismissals and voluntary resignations saw the police service lose 1,303 members.
Chris Philp MP, the Shadow Home Secretary, accused the Labour government of negligence for overseeing the “damning drop” in police numbers.
Over 426 officers were dismissed as part of Labour’s attempt to tighten standards on racism, misogyny, sexual assault and homophobia within the police.
The ONS did not discuss the impact of diminished policing within England and Wales but ascribed the latest rise in headline crime to the number of fraud offences which totalled 4,159,000 incidents this year.
With 4.2 million incidents recorded, fraud offences increased by 31 per cent to make up nearly half of all headline crime committed in the past year.
This is the highest level recorded since fraud was first included in the CSEW in 2017.
Another statistic revealed that approximately one in eight women suffered instances of sexual assault, stalking or domestic abuse in the past year.
5.2 million people were recorded as having experienced one of the above offences, with the ONS combining the three categories for the first time in the survey’s history.
This marked a marginal reduction from 5.4 million people in the previous year.
Women’s Aid, a charity formed to help end violence against women and girls celebrated the results as a “step toward a more comprehensive overview of these crimes.”
Instances of theft (an umbrella term including household burglary, vehicle theft and theft from the person) also rose marginally by four per cent, a statistic which the ONS termed “not statistically significant.”
However, viewed separately, theft from the person offences increased by 15 per cent in the year ending March 2025.
The ONS discussed this statistic alongside a 20 per cent increase in shoplifting, explaining that the frequency of both offences has increased significantly since the pandemic.
Of the 151,220 incidents of theft from the person recorded in England and Wales, 103,391 took place in London as Chris Philp MP blamed “Labour’s London Mayor” for the disproportionate statistic.
The capital has been the worst hit by dwindling police numbers this year as 1,022 Metropolitan Police officers left the force, representing a three per cent decrease in staffing.
Recruitment numbers nationwide are also down, with low wages causing a 17 per cent decrease in new officers joining.
While Labour mooted plans for a 2.3 per cent pay rise in police spending last month, police chiefs replied that the rise would not combat the estimated £1.2 billion shortfall facing national law enforcement agencies.
Tiff Lynch, the current national chairwoman of the Police Federation said: “We will lose 10,000 experienced officers a year to resignation by the end of this spending review period, driven out by poor pay and unacceptable working conditions.”
Despite police funding issues, the ONS detailed notable decreases in headline crime across England and Wales in the past year.
Incidents of homicide dropped by six per cent and offences involving firearms decreased by 20 per cent in the year ending March 2025.
The ONS further stated that “crime against individuals and households has generally decreased over the last 10 years.”
The statistics gathered by the CSEW were collected through face-to-face interviews with households across England and Wales.
The survey excludes crimes against commercial or public sector entities and does not interview those dwelling in communal establishments like care homes, prisons or student accommodation.
It also excludes crimes committed against tourists or crimes where there is no specific victim, such as possession of drugs Statistics gathered by the CSEW were collected through face-to-face interviews with households across England and Wales.
The survey excludes crimes against commercial or public sector entities and does not interview those dwelling in communal establishments like care homes, prisons or student accommodation.
It also excludes crimes committed against tourists or crimes where there is no specific victim, such as possession of drugs.
