Responsibility for crime in England and Wales is split between the Home Office, the government department responsible for reducing and preventing crime,[1] along with law enforcement in the United Kingdom; and the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]], which runs the Justice system, including its courts and prisons.[2] In Scotland, this responsibility falls on the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, which acts as the sole public prosecutor in Scotland, and is therefore responsible for the prosecution of crime in Scotland.[3]
History
In its history, the United Kingdom has had a relatively normal relationship with crime. The United Kingdom's crime rate remains relatively low when compared to the rest of the world, especially among first world countries. As of 2019[update], the United Kingdom sits in 174th place for intentional homicide victims per 100,000 inhabitants at 1.20.[4] As of January 2018 police figures have shown a sharp increase in violent crime and sex offences rates over the last few years.[5][needs update]
Comparing police-recorded crime rates in the long term is difficult as police recording practices, the reliability of police recording and victims' willingness to report crime have changed over the years.[6][7][8][9]
There are two kinds of criminal trial in England and Wales: "summary" and "on indictment". For an adult, summary trials take place in a magistrates' court, while trials on indictment take place in the Crown Court. Despite the possibility of two venues for trial, almost all criminal cases, however serious, commence in the magistrates' courts.
Offences may also be deemed "either way", depending on the seriousness of the individual offence. This means they may be tried in either a magistrates' court or the Crown Court depending on the circumstances. A person may even be convicted by the magistrates' court and sent to the Crown Court for sentence (where the magistrates feel they do not have adequate sentencing powers). Furthermore, even if the magistrates retain the jurisdiction of an offence, the defendant has the right to elect for a Crown Court trial by jury. The jury is selected independently of the prosecution and the defence.
The lowest level of criminal courts in Scotland are justice of the peace courts. Compared to the English-Welsh magistrates court, their powers are more restricted. For example, they can only pass a prison sentence of up to 60 days.[10] The Sheriff Court is the main criminal court. The Sheriff Court may be conducted for "summary cases" or "solemn cases". The former is used for less serious crimes, in which the sheriff (judge) presides alone, while the latter is a jury trial. From 10 December 2007, the maximum penalty that may be imposed in summary cases is 12 months' imprisonment or a £10,000 fine, in solemn cases 5 years' imprisonment or an unlimited fine.[11] The highest criminal court in Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. This is the trial court for the most serious crimes (e.g. murder) and an appeal court for other criminal cases.[12]
Among the differences with common law legal systems are that juries in Scotland have 15 members, and only need a simple majority in order to give a verdict. Scottish courts can also give three verdicts: "guilty", "not guilty" and "not proven" (which is also an acquittal).[12]
In Northern Ireland, magistrates' courts hear less-serious criminal cases and conduct preliminary hearings in more serious criminal cases. The Crown Court in Northern Ireland hears more serious criminal cases. These are indictable offences and "either way" offences which are committed for trial in the Crown Court rather than the magistrates' courts. Northern Ireland has its own judicial system. The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is the entity that sits at the head of this system.[13]
The Department of Justice is the department responsible for the administration of the courts, which it runs through the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service. On top of this, the department also has responsibility for policy and legislation about criminal law, legal aid policy, the police, prisons and probation.[13] Similar to the justice system in the United States, defendants are innocent until proven guilty and on top of this in order to be proven guilty evidence must lead the judge or jury to make a decision based on the fact that it was "beyond reasonable doubt".[13]
Demographics
In 2019, 74% of individuals dealt with by the Criminal Justice System were male, and 26% were female. The proportions had remained constant over the previous 5 years.[14]
In 2024, the prison population in England and Wales showed the following age distribution: 30-39 year olds formed the largest group at 29,339 prisoners (33%), followed by 40-49 year olds (18,175; 21%), 25-29 year olds (13,226; 15%), and 50-59 year olds (9,391; 11%). Younger age groups accounted for smaller proportions: 21-24 year olds (8,1 55; 9%), 18-20 year olds (3,090; 4%), and 15-17 year olds (264; 0.3%). Those aged 60 and over comprised 6,229 prisoners (7%).[15]
In England and Wales, there were 618,000 recorded "violence against the person" crimes which caused an injury in 2015. Other areas of crime included robbery (124,000), burglary (713,000) and vehicle theft (874,000).[16] England and Wales had a prison population of 83 430 (2018 estimate), equivalent to 179 people per 100 000. This is considerably less than the USA (762) but more than the Republic of Ireland (76) or the EU average (123).[17]
Crime in England and Wales from the Crime Survey (in 000s of crimes).
In most years since 1995, crime rates in England and Wales have declined,[6] although there was a rise in violent crime in the late 2010s.[5][20][6] In 2015, the Crime Survey for England and Wales found that crime in England and Wales was at its lowest level since the CSEW began in 1981, having decreased dramatically from its peak in 1995 and by 31% in 2010–15.[16] For example, the number of violent crimes declined from 4.2 million in 1994–95 to 1.32 million in 2014–15 with little change over the next few years.[16]
Scotland
In 2018–9, there were 60 homicide victims in Scotland,[21] a slight increase on the previous year. In the third quarter of 2009, there were a little over 17,000 full time equivalent serving police officers. There were around 375,000 crimes in 2008–9, a fall of 2% on the previous year. These included around 12,500 non-sexual violent acts, 168,000 crimes of dishonesty (housebreaking, theft and shoplifting are included in this category) and 110,000 acts of fire-raising and vandalism. In the 2008–9 period, there was a prison population in Scotland of about 7,300,[21] equating to 142 people per 100,000 population, very similar to England and Wales.[22]
Northern Ireland
Between April 2008 and 2009, there were just over 110,000 crimes recorded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, an increase of 1.5% on the previous year.[23] As of 2020, Northern Ireland has around 6 873 serving full-time equivalent police positions,[24] and in 2019 had a prison population of 1,448, 83 per 100,000 of the population, lower than the rest of the United Kingdom.[25]
Real crime stories
In early modern Britain, real crime stories were a popular form of entertainment. These stories were written about in pamphlets, broadsides, and chapbooks, such as The Newgate Calendar. These real crime stories were the subject of popular gossip and discussion of the day. While only a few people may have been able to attend a trial or an execution, these stories allowed for the entertainment of such events to be extended to a much greater population.[26] These real crime stories depicted the gruesome details of criminal acts, trials and executions with the intent to "articulate a particular set of values, inculcate a certain behavioral model and bolster a social order perceived as threatened".[26]
The publication of these stories was done in order for the larger population to learn from the mistakes of their fellow Englishmen. They stressed the idea of learning from others wrongdoings to the extent that they would place warnings within the epitaphs of executed criminals. For example, the epitaph of John Smith, a highway thief and murderer, said: "thereto remain, a Terrour to affright All wicked Men that do in Sins delight... this is the Reason, and the Cause that they May Warning take."[27] The epitaph ends with the Latin phraseFaelix quem faciunt aliena pericula cantum, which means "fortunate the man who learns caution from the perils of others".
In London, in 2018, Black individuals were disproportionately represented among both murder victims and suspects, comprising nearly half of each group, despite constituting only 13% of the city's population. In contrast, White people, who make up around 60% of London’s population, accounted for just 35% of murder victims and 24% of suspects.[29]
Stolen goods trafficking
Between 2013 and 2024, Britain experienced a sharp resurgence in high-value theft, reversing the decline seen in the 1990s. Vehicle thefts rose from approximately 90,000 in 2020 to 130,000 in 2024, a 75% increase over the decade. London has simultaneously become the leading European hotspot for mobile-phone theft, with 70,000 devices stolen in 2024 alone, representing about 40% of all cases in Europe.[30][31] Agricultural theft has also intensified, with the value of claims for stolen GPS equipment on British farms increasing by 137% in 2023, partly linked to shortages following sanctions on Russia. Stolen items are rarely retained within the country: instead, they are channelled into global supply chains for resale in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.[32][33]
The trade in stolen goods operates through a decentralised but highly structured system described as “Grand Theft Global Inc.”. Thieves typically sell vehicles or phones to intermediaries, who then use specialist services to disguise, transport, and export them. Cars are often fitted with false number plates, GPS jammers, and altered vehicle identification numbers before being loaded into shipping containers. Phones are concealed in Faraday bags or foil to block tracking signals. By 2024, most stolen vehicles intercepted at British ports were bound either for the Democratic Republic of Congo or the United Arab Emirates,[34] while the majority of stolen phones traced overseas were located in Shenzhen, China, a global centre for second-hand electronics. The entire process, from theft to containerisation, can occur in less than 24 hours.[32][33]
Britain’s role as a hub for this trade stems from several structural weaknesses. The country combines a dense market for high-value consumer goods with minimal scrutiny of exports. Enforcement capacity is limited: in 2024 only about 5% of all crimes, and 2% of vehicle thefts, were solved. At major ports such as Felixstowe, more than 11,000 containers pass through daily, yet only a negligible fraction are inspected, often only following intelligence tips. Internationally, container shipping practices—where exporters can book space anonymously through layers of freight forwarders—further reduce accountability. These features make it comparatively easy to move stolen goods abroad with low risk of interception.[32][33]
The growth of large-scale theft has had measurable consequences for consumers and insurers. Between 2020 and 2024, the cost of car insurance in Britain increased by 45% in real terms, compared to inflation-level rises in the European Union. Low-level thieves typically receive £1,500 for stealing a vehicle such as a Toyota Hilux, which can later sell for over £40,000 in African markets, illustrating the profitability of the trade.[35] For stolen phones, thieves may be paid £100–200 for unlocked devices, which are then refurbished or dismantled in Shenzhen. The relatively low risk of prosecution has encouraged some organised-crime groups, including drug gangs, to diversify into this area, further intertwining theft with broader criminal activity.[32][33]
In England and Wales, there was a total of 103,379 hate crimes committed between the years of 2018 to 2019. Compared to the previous years; we can observe a 10% increase in hate crimes (94,121). From the total number of hate crimes committed in those years, about 8% of them (8,566) were committed due to religious reasons. Motivation to commit crimes are influenced by a multitude of factors; 12% of them being driven by religious and racial reasons. In the last five years there have been an increase in recorded hate crimes due to improvements in police recording and documentation. Because of this it has been observed that the rise of hate crime is correlated to certain events; such as the EU referendum (2016) and the terrorist attacks (2017).
Overall Crime Stats in England and Wales
As of April, 2024, excluding Scotland, the overall crime rate for the United Kingdom was 85 crimes per 1,000 people. The overall crime rate in the U.K. decreased by 4.9% as compared to the crime rate for the period ending a year earlier, in April 2023.[36]
1 2 Sharpe, J. A. (1 May 1985). ""last Dying Speeches": Religion, Ideology and Public Execution in Seventeenth-Century England"". Past and Present (107): 144–167. doi:10.1093/past/107.1.144.
↑ Fowler, Steve (24 June 2025). "Here's where your stolen car probably ended up". The Independent. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the most likely destination for your stolen car to be shipped to, with 38.5 per cent of intercepted cars sent to the African state. That's followed by the UAE (20.1 per cent), Cyprus (6.7 per cent), Jamaica (5.7 per cent) and Georgia (5.1 per cent).
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