Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), series CSEW headline crime incidents (Appendix table A1). Quarterly ONS bulletin, each covering a rolling year; the year ending March 2026 bulletin was published on 23 July 2026 and the next is due on 22 October 2026. The appendix tables file name changes with each period

What it measures

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is a face-to-face survey that asks people aged 16 and over living in households about crimes they experienced in the past 12 months, whether or not they told the police. Headline crime covers theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse and violence with or without injury. Because it does not depend on reporting or recording, the ONS treats it as the best measure of long-term trends for these offences. It does not cover crimes against businesses, people in care homes, student halls or prisons, or offences without a specific victim, such as drug possession.

How to read it

The figure is an estimate from a sample, so year-to-year changes are only described as real when they are statistically significant; 9.6 million in the year to March 2026 showed no significant change from 9.4 million. Use the CSEW for common crimes and police recorded crime for rarer, high-harm offences such as homicide and knife crime. Fraud makes up almost half of headline incidents, so totals with and without fraud tell different stories. Each interview asks about the previous 12 months, so the year ending March 2026 survey (interviews from April 2025 to March 2026) covers crimes between April 2024 and February 2026.

Background

The survey began in 1981 as the British Crime Survey and its methods have stayed comparable since. Theft and violence estimates are far below their peak in the year ending December 1995: theft by 77% and violence by 78%. Fraud and computer misuse were added from the year ending March 2017, when headline crime was 11.2 million incidents; the year ending March 2026 estimate was 14% lower. Face-to-face interviewing was suspended during the pandemic, so there are no estimates for the years ending March 2021 and 2022. Changes to anti-social behaviour questions from April 2025 affect comparisons for that measure.

Other parts of the UK

Scottish Government: Scottish Crime and Justice Survey · Department of Justice Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Safe Community Survey · ONS: police force area data tables (police recorded crime by area)

What is the Crime Survey for England and Wales?

It is an ONS household survey that asks adults about crimes they have experienced in the last year, including those not reported to the police. The ONS uses it as its main measure of long-term trends in theft, violence, criminal damage, fraud and computer misuse. It began in 1981 as the British Crime Survey.

Is crime going up in England and Wales?

The survey estimated 9.6 million incidents of headline crime in the year ending March 2026, which the ONS said was not a statistically significant change from 9.4 million a year earlier. Within that, fraud victims rose 10%. Police recorded figures for some serious offences, such as homicide and knife crime, fell.

Is the Crime Survey for England and Wales reliable?

The ONS describes it as a reliable measure of trends for the crimes it covers because it is unaffected by changes in police reporting and recording. Its estimates have margins of error, and it excludes crimes against businesses and people living in communal establishments.

How is the Crime Survey for England and Wales carried out?

Trained interviewers visit a sample of addresses and ask one adult in each household about crimes in the previous 12 months. Results are weighted to represent the household population aged 16 and over. The latest estimates were based on interviews from April 2025 to March 2026.

Why does the crime survey differ from police figures?

Many crimes are never reported to the police, and police recording practice has changed over time. The survey captures unreported crime but misses some groups and offence types. The ONS publishes both in the same bulletin and says which source to use for each crime type.

Related questions

• Is crime going up or down in the UK?
• Where can I find official crime statistics?
• How do I find the crime rate in my area?
• What is the crime rate in Northern Ireland?

More on this source: Ministry of Justice statistics, police.uk and data.police.uk