The 20 most dangerous towns and cities to live in the UK revealed in new crime map

[Hereford Voice]

▪️Herefordshire - That's equivalent of one in every 19 people experiencing a crime.

Home Office data shows which areas residents and visitors are most likely to fall victim to crime - and there's one hotspot that far exceeds the rest.

The most dangerous places to live in England and Wales have been revealed by new Home Office figures - and our map highlights the towns and cities where residents are most likely to fall victim to crime. In the year ending March 2025, more than 5.3 million non-fraud crimes were recorded by the 43 domestic police forces in towns and cities across England and Wales. That was about 92,000 fewer crimes than in the year ending March 2024, a 2% fall.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Devon and Cornwall Police saw the biggest drop in non-fraud crime, by 12% in both police force areas. However, crime is rising in some parts of the nation. Avon and Somerset Police who have been using AI technology and algorithms to weigh up the risk of allowing suspects out on bail, witnessed the biggest rise in non-fraud crime, at 12%, which represents around 18,000 more crimes.

Of community safety partnership areas, which are broadly similar to council areas, Derbyshire Dales saw the biggest increase in crime, by 20%.

Crime also went up by 18% in Cheltenham, 18% in Forest of Dean, by 16% in Cotswold, and 16% in Stroud, all in the Gloucestershire police force area. However, all those areas are relatively low in crime.

Crime rates, the number of crimes recorded in each area for every 1,000 people, show that either Westminster or Middlesbrough is most dangerous place to live in England and Wales - depending on how you interpret the data.

Per capita figures allow for a fairer comparison of the threats to law and order in places with widely different population sizes.

While Westminster consistently has the highest crime rate in the country, currently at 423 crimes for every 1,000 residents, that includes huge numbers of tourists who are targeted by thieves and other criminals every year. The same is likely true of Camden (195 crimes per 1,000 residents).

Outside of London, Middlesbrough remains the most crime-plagued part of the nation. Last year there were more than 23,000 crimes in the Teesside town.

While that was a 5% fall from the previous year, it still added up to a crime rate of 158 offences for every 1,000 people. That’s the equivalent of one in every six people who live in Middlesbrough falling victim to a crime last year.

After Middlesbrough, Blackpool in Lancashire has the highest crime rate (154 crimes per 1,000 people), a fraction higher than affluent Kensington and Chelsea in west London (154), followed by Manchester (152), and Hartlepool (142).

Using our interactive map below, you can check the crime rate where you live, whether crime is rising or falling, and how it compares nationally.

Separate figures from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales suggest people aged 16 and over experienced 9.4 million incidents of crime in the year to March 2025, up from 8.8 million in the previous 12 months.

The rise is mainly due to a 31% rise in fraud, which accounts for 4.2 million incidents and is the highest estimate for this type of crime since fraud was first measured in the survey in 2016/17.

The overall total of 9.4 million incidents in 2024/25 is 16% lower than the total of 11.2 million for 2016/17, however.

This annual poll, based on face-to-face interviews, seeks to measure the amount and impact of crime, including offences which may not have been reported to police.

The survey covers a range of personal and household victim-based crime, including theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse and violence with or without injury, but does not include sexual offences, stalking, harassment and domestic abuse, which are presented separately.

Experiences of theft, criminal damage and violence with or without injury, as measured by the ONS survey, have been on a broad downwards trend since the mid-1990s.

Top 20 Community Safety Partnership (CSP) areas with the highest crime rates

▪️Westminster 423.2
▪️Camden 194.8
▪️Middlesbrough 158.3
▪️Blackpool 154.4
▪️Kensington and Chelsea 154.2
▪️Manchester 152.4
▪️Hartlepool 141.5
▪️Islington 140.8
▪️Bristol 132.3
▪️Southwark 127.6
▪️Hackney 124.4
▪️Lincoln 124.3
▪️Doncaster 124.2
▪️Bradford 124.2
▪️Southampton 124
▪️Liverpool 123.7
▪️Kingston upon Hull 122.9
▪️Leeds 122.7
▪️Newport 120.5
▪️Blaenau Gwent 119.5

▪️Herefordshire, County of West Mercia Police
▪️Rank: 272nd
▪️Total crime (excluding fraud): 9,750
▪️Annual change: -11%
▪️Crime rate: 51.7 per 1,000 people
▪️That's the equivalent of one in every 19 people experiencing a crime.

Source | https://hfd.news/aeOpn