Updated April 2026England & Walestrending_up +9.8% year-on-year

Drug Offences Statistics UK 2026

England and Wales recorded 196,746 drug offences incidents in the last 12 months — a rate of 3.2 per 1,000 residents. The highest rate is in Liverpool at 13.8 per 1,000.

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry

196,746

12-Month Total

England & Wales

3.2

Annual Rate

per 1,000 residents

+9.8%

Year-on-Year

vs previous 12 months

Liverpool

Highest Rate

13.8 per 1k

24-Month National Trend

Highest Drug Offences Rates

Annual rate per 1,000 residents

#	City / Town	Rate	YoY
1	Liverpool Merseyside	13.8	-0.6%
2	Hackney Inner London	7.9	-1.0%
3	Tower Hamlets Inner London	7.9	+2.1%
4	Knowsley Merseyside	7.9	-0.9%
5	Derby	7.7	+8.6%
6	St. Helens Merseyside	7.1	-2.0%
7	Islington Inner London	6.5	+0.4%
8	Southampton	6.4	+3.4%
9	Brent Outer London	6.4	+7.8%
10	Hartlepool	6.2	-11.8%

Lowest Drug Offences Rates

Annual rate per 1,000 residents

#	City / Town	Rate	YoY
1	Gloucester Gloucestershire	0.1	-99.5%
2	Monmouthshire	0.1	-98.8%
3	West Devon Devon	0.2	+6.6%
4	South Hams Devon	0.4	-6.3%
5	Blaby Leicestershire	0.5	-1.8%
6	Hinckley and Bosworth Leicestershire	0.6	-10.4%
7	Broadland Norfolk	0.6	-11.6%
8	West Oxfordshire Oxfordshire	0.6	-3.3%
9	City of London Inner London	0.7	-5.7%
10	Adur West Sussex	0.7	+10.5%

What is Drug Offences?

Drug offences recorded by Police.uk include possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to supply, and drug trafficking, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Recorded drug offences are heavily influenced by local policing priorities — forces that actively pursue drug enforcement will show higher rates than those that do not. Drug offence hotspots are strongly correlated with county lines activity and urban deprivation.

Data source: Police.uk (Open Government Licence v3.0) · Methodology

map View on Crime Map leaderboard National Rankings insights Monthly Report

Other Crime Types

Anti-Social Behaviour Bicycle Theft Burglary Criminal Damage And Arson Other Crime Other Theft Possession Of Weapons Public Order Robbery Shoplifting Theft From The Person Vehicle Crime Violence And Sexual Offences

Frequently Asked Questions

How many drug offences incidents are recorded in England and Wales each year? expand_more

In the 12 months to 2026-04, 196,746 drug offences incidents were recorded in England and Wales — a rate of 3.2 per 1,000 residents.

Which city has the highest drug offences rate in the UK? expand_more

Liverpool has the highest drug offences rate at 13.8 per 1,000 residents annually.

Is drug offences increasing or decreasing in England and Wales? expand_more

Drug Offences has increased by 9.8% compared to the same period last year.

Which UK city has the lowest drug offences rate? expand_more

Adur records the lowest drug offences rate among UK cities at 0.7 per 1,000 residents.

Data: Police.uk (OGL v3.0) · Population: ONS Census 2021 · Methodology · Editorial Standards