Updated March 2026England & Walestrending_down -7.0% year-on-year

Public Order Statistics UK 2026

England and Wales recorded 384,369 public order incidents in the last 12 months — a rate of 6.3 per 1,000 residents. The highest rate is in Middlesbrough at 19.8 per 1,000.

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry

384,369

12-Month Total

England & Wales

6.3

Annual Rate

per 1,000 residents

-7.0%

Year-on-Year

vs previous 12 months

Middlesbrough

Highest Rate

19.8 per 1k

24-Month National Trend

Highest Public Order Rates

Annual rate per 1,000 residents

#	City / Town	Rate	YoY
1	Middlesbrough	19.8	+7.7%
2	Bristol, City of	14.6	+16.6%
3	Kingston upon Hull, City of	13.5	+4.8%
4	Merthyr Tydfil	13.5	-18.7%
5	Liverpool Merseyside	13.0	-0.1%
6	Lincoln Lincolnshire	13.0	+9.4%
7	Sedgemoor	12.9	+14.7%
8	Leicester	12.9	-5.7%
9	Derby	12.8	+2.9%
10	Stoke-on-Trent	12.2	+5.6%

Lowest Public Order Rates

Annual rate per 1,000 residents

#	City / Town	Rate	YoY
1	Trafford Greater Manchester	0.0	+200.0%
2	Bolton Greater Manchester	0.0	+16.7%
3	Caerphilly	0.1	-99.2%
4	Bury Greater Manchester	0.1	+250.0%
5	Richmondshire	1.2	-8.3%
6	Craven	1.9	-15.3%
7	South Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire	2.0	+3.0%
8	City of London Inner London	2.1	+0.9%
9	Tunbridge Wells Kent	2.2	-3.4%
10	East Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire	2.2	+3.3%

What is Public Order?

Public order offences include riot, violent disorder, affray, and fear or provocation of violence under the Public Order Act 1986, as well as harassment and hate crime offences. This category excludes anti-social behaviour, which is tracked separately. Public order offences rose significantly following large-scale protests and disorder events and are a key metric for local policing resource allocation.

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

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Other Crime Types

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public order incidents are recorded in England and Wales each year? expand_more

In the 12 months to 2026-03, 384,369 public order incidents were recorded in England and Wales — a rate of 6.3 per 1,000 residents.

Which city has the highest public order rate in the UK? expand_more

Middlesbrough has the highest public order rate at 19.8 per 1,000 residents annually.

Is public order increasing or decreasing in England and Wales? expand_more

Public Order has decreased by 7.0% compared to the same period last year.

Which UK city has the lowest public order rate? expand_more

East Cambridgeshire records the lowest public order rate among UK cities at 2.2 per 1,000 residents.

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