In England and Wales, fraud is now the most common crime people experience: about 4.5 million incidents a year, almost half of all crime measured by the Crime Survey. Most crimes that police record fell in the year to March 2026: theft from the person was down 20%, vehicle offences 11%, burglary 9%, personal robbery 9% and shoplifting 4%. The one rise, robbery of business property (+91%), is largely down to a change in how shop robberies are recorded.
Updated 3 October 2026 · Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2026 (published 23 July 2026); Metropolitan Police crime prevention advice
For a crime that has already happened, report it online to your police force or call 101. Report fraud to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or, in Scotland, to Police Scotland on 101.
Crime by type in four numbers
All figures cover England and Wales, year ending March 2026 (ONS). “Survey” figures come from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which asks people about crimes they experienced, reported or not. The other figures are crimes recorded by police. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own statistics.
Which crimes are going down?
Nearly every main type of crime that police record fell in the year to March 2026. Theft from the person fell the most, by 20%, after several years of increases. Vehicle offences fell 11%, burglary and robbery of personal property 9% each, and shoplifting 4%. Total police recorded crime, excluding fraud, fell 1% to about 5.2 million offences.
Key: bars show the percentage fall in police recorded offences, year ending March 2026 compared with the year before. Theft from person = pickpocketing and snatch thefts; vehicle offences = theft of and from vehicles and interfering with them; personal robbery = robbery of personal property; burglary = homes and other buildings.
What is the most common crime in the UK?
Fraud. The Crime Survey estimated 4.5 million fraud incidents in England and Wales in the year to March 2026, no significant change from 4.2 million the year before. Out of 9.6 million crimes measured by the survey, that is almost half (our calculation). A further 798,000 incidents were computer misuse, such as hacking or viruses.
Is burglary going up or down?
Down. Police recorded 223,456 burglaries in England and Wales in the year to March 2026, 9% fewer than the year before. This figure includes both homes and non-residential buildings such as sheds, garages and businesses. Police prevention advice focuses on secure doors and windows, lighting and visible alarms: see the home steps below.
Why did robbery rise when personal robbery fell?
Robbery of personal property, such as having a phone or bag taken by force, fell 9% to 57,693. Overall robbery still rose 10% to 87,362 because robbery of business property jumped 91%. ONS says this is largely because police forces were told in April 2025 to record shop thefts involving violence or threats against staff as robbery, not shoplifting.
Is shoplifting going up?
Police recorded 507,086 shoplifting offences in the year to March 2026, a 4% fall from 530,324. Part of that fall may reflect the recording change above: some thefts where staff were threatened or attacked now count as business robbery instead.
What is the difference between theft, robbery and burglary?
Under the Theft Act 1968, theft means dishonestly taking someone’s property. Robbery is theft with force, or the threat of force, against a person. Burglary means entering a building, or part of one, as a trespasser to steal or commit certain other crimes. So a pickpocket commits theft, a mugger commits robbery, and someone who breaks into a shed commits burglary.
How does each crime compare with last year?
Key: ▼ green = fewer offences than a year earlier; ▬ amber = no statistically significant change; ▲ red = more offences. Survey estimates (fraud, computer misuse) are not directly comparable with police recorded figures. Police recorded fraud is not in this release because the new Report Fraud service launched on 4 December 2025. Theft from the person is down, but still more than twice its year ending March 2021 level (49,666).
How can you protect yourself from each type?
Home and car steps follow Metropolitan Police crime prevention advice. If your phone is taken, follow our stolen phone step-by-step; if you’ve lost money, see how Report Fraud works.
When and where do these crimes happen?
Timing differs by type: theft from the person mostly happens in the afternoon on weekdays, while vehicle crime and burglary lean towards evening and night. Our guide to when crime is most likely has the detail. For phone theft hotspots, read phone snatching in the UK, and for local area figures use the postcode checker on safety-app.uk.
Frequently asked questions
Police recorded about 5.2 million crimes (excluding fraud and computer misuse) in the year to March 2026, 1% fewer than the year before. The Crime Survey estimated 9.6 million incidents, no significant change from about 9.4 million. Our 2026 crime figures guide explains both measures.
The Crime Survey asks households about crimes they experienced, including ones never reported, so it is better for long-term trends in common crimes like fraud. Police recorded crime counts what is reported and recorded, and is better for less common or more serious offences such as robbery.
National figures don’t tell you about your street. Use the Safety App UK postcode checker or read how to check crime in your area.
If it is happening now or the suspect is nearby, call 999. Otherwise report it online to your police force or call 101. See 999 or 101: how to report a crime.
Sources
- ONS: Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2026 (23 July 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Theft Act 1968
- Metropolitan Police: keep burglars out of your property
- Metropolitan Police: keep your vehicle safe
- Report Fraud
General information based on official statistics, not legal advice. Figures cover England and Wales only. In an emergency, always call 999.
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