Recorded Crime Surges Past Seven Million Incidents Annually in England and Wales

Recorded crime in England and Wales has surpassed seven million incidents annually for the first time, according to official figures released for the year ending June. The total recorded crime saw an eight percent jump, reaching 7,084,375 incidents.

This milestone marks the highest total since modern crime recording practices began at the turn of the century. The surge is significantly attributed to a 41 percent leap in reported fraud, which amounted to 1.8 million offenses. This increase coincides with the December launch of a new service, Report Fraud, allowing the public to log cybercrime and fraud with City of London Police. Data from UK Finance indicates a 79 percent increase to 1.02 million in frauds reported through this new channel.

The previous system, Action Fraud, had been criticized as ineffective, leading to the new reporting service. A separate measure, the Crime Survey of England and Wales, which estimates total crime including unreported offenses, also showed an 11 percent rise in fraud incidents to 4.5 million, primarily driven by a 13 percent increase in bank and credit account fraud.

While fraud and computer misuse offenses have seen increases, the number of 'real-world' crimes, excluding these categories, has seen a slight decrease. Police recorded 5.2 million such crimes, down one percent year-on-year.

However, robbery has emerged as a category with a significant surge, experiencing a 10 percent increase to its highest level since before the pandemic. Police forces recorded 88,282 robberies in the year to June, up from 80,469 in the prior 12 months. Robberies of businesses saw a particularly sharp rise, jumping 67 percent to over 31,000 incidents, the highest on record. Conversely, personal property robberies decreased by seven percent.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) suggests that the rise in recorded robberies may reflect an increase in violence associated with shoplifting, leading to a shift in crime classification by police forces. Recorded shoplifting incidents fell by two percent. An ACS spokesperson noted that offenses previously counted as shoplifting might now be recorded as robberies. ACS chief executive Ed Woodall expressed concern over the increasing boldness and violence of offenders targeting retailers and shopworkers, urging the government to implement key measures from the Crime and Policing Act aimed at addressing shop theft more seriously.