Robbery, harassment and fraud rise across England and Wales

According to the Office for National Statistics, robbery, harassment and fraud saw increases in England and Wales from the year to March 2026. The broader Crime Survey for England and Wales recorded 9.6 million incidents overall, indicating no significant change from the previous year.

Police recorded 87,362 robberies, a 10 percent rise. The increase was primarily due to business robberies, which jumped by 91 percent to 29,669. This surge was mainly attributed to the change in recording practices in April 2025, where police were instructed to record shop thefts involving violence or threats as robberies.

Personal property robberies declined by 9 percent. Despite a 4 percent rise in recorded rape cases to 74,727, violence without injury increased by 2 percent, while violence with injury decreased by 3 percent. The ONS cautioned that police figures for these offenses may not accurately reflect trends due to potential changes in recording practices and increased victim reporting.

Harassment offenses rose by 6 percent in police records, although the ONS questioned the reliability of these figures as an indicator of trends. Its survey identified a statistically significant rise in repeated harassment, with the percentage of adults aged 16 and over affected increasing from 2.3 percent to 3.5 percent, or approximately 1.7 million people.

The survey also revealed a 10 percent rise in adult fraud victims, totaling 3.8 million. Bank and credit account fraud incidents grew by 15 percent to around 2.8 million. Overall fraud incidents reached 4.5 million, with no statistically significant change.