According to the latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) in the year ending September 2025 there were around 9.3 million incidents of ‘headline crime’, not significantly changed compared with the same period a year before. Among crimes not included in ‘headline crime’ are domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and harassment.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), England and Wales had an estimated 1,140,000 incidents of violence; and 4,153,000 incidents of fraud, making fraud by far the largest single category of crime in the survey – although it only began including fraud in 2017.
As a comparison, in the year to September 2025, the police recorded 6.7 million crimes, similar to the previous year. In the words of the ONS, ‘police recorded crime is not generally considered a reliable indicator of overall crime trends’.
Comments
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick hailed that the county was among the ten safest places in the country. He said: “We know there is still work to do to ensure every resident and visitor feels safe and supported and I remain determined this progress continues to reduce crime, prevent harm and support victims, making Dorset an even safer place to live, work and visit.”
About the survey
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is by interviewers, a face-to-face survey of adults. It excludes crimes against commercial or public sector bodies, tourists, or those living in communal settings like care homes, student halls of residence and prisons; and does not cover crimes where there is not a specific victim, such as drug possession, and other crimes against the state. CSEW headline crime includes theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse, and violence with or without injury.
Scotland
In Scotland, meanwhile, the police in Scotland recorded 305,925 crimes, two per cent higher than the 300,136 crimes recorded in the year ending September 2024. More at gov.scot.
