Updated March 2026England & Walestrending_down -4.1% year-on-year

Theft from Person Statistics UK 2026

England and Wales recorded 104,902 theft from person incidents in the last 12 months — a rate of 1.7 per 1,000 residents. The highest rate is in Southwark at 22.1 per 1,000.

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry

104,902

12-Month Total

England & Wales

1.7

Annual Rate

per 1,000 residents

-4.1%

Year-on-Year

vs previous 12 months

Southwark

Highest Rate

22.1 per 1k

24-Month National Trend

Highest Theft from Person Rates

Annual rate per 1,000 residents

#City / TownRateYoY
1Southwark

Inner London

22.1
-3.2%
2Westminster

Inner London

21.1
-20.9%
3Camden

Inner London

17.4
-4.3%
4Hackney

Inner London

17.3
-0.7%
5Lambeth

Inner London

15.3
+10.2%
6Islington

Inner London

13.8
-2.5%
7Newham

Inner London

13.4
+7.1%
8Kensington and Chelsea

Inner London

7.3
-7.3%
9Tower Hamlets

Inner London

7.2
+1.1%
10Haringey

Inner London

6.9
-5.4%

Lowest Theft from Person Rates

Annual rate per 1,000 residents

#City / TownRateYoY
1Manchester

Greater Manchester

0.0
+216.7%
2Flintshire
0.1
+1.7%
3Allerdale
0.1
+29850.0%
4East Lindsey

Lincolnshire

0.1
+19.5%
5Arun

West Sussex

0.1
+2.6%
6Bridgend
0.1
-8.4%
7Cheshire West and Chester
0.1
-0.4%
8Cheshire East
0.1
+3.7%
9Breckland

Norfolk

0.1
-1.5%
10Epsom and Ewell

Surrey

0.1
-1.5%

What is Theft from Person?

Theft from the person covers pickpocketing, bag snatching, and distraction theft where no force or threat of force is used, recorded under the Theft Act 1968. London has the highest rate in England and Wales by a significant margin, driven by high tourist footfall and dense public transport use. Phone theft is the fastest-growing subcategory, with London recording more smartphone thefts per capita than any other European city.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How many theft from person incidents are recorded in England and Wales each year? expand_more
In the 12 months to 2026-03, 104,902 theft from person incidents were recorded in England and Wales — a rate of 1.7 per 1,000 residents.
Which city has the highest theft from person rate in the UK? expand_more
Southwark has the highest theft from person rate at 22.1 per 1,000 residents annually.
Is theft from person increasing or decreasing in England and Wales? expand_more
Theft from Person has decreased by 4.1% compared to the same period last year.
Which UK city has the lowest theft from person rate? expand_more
Epsom and Ewell records the lowest theft from person rate among UK cities at 0.1 per 1,000 residents.

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