Crime in Manchester: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026
Manchester is one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, recording 104 crimes in May 2024 — a crime rate of 0.17 per 1,000 residents. This places Manchester at #1 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Shoplifting accounts for the largest share of crime at 27.9% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 19.5% compared to the same period last year.
shield Crime is significantly below the UK average — one of the safer areas.
Key Statistics
- monitoring1.64 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
- assignment104 crimes recorded in May 2024
- leaderboardRanked #1 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
- trending_upCrime up 19.5% year-on-year
Data Delayed
The local police force is behind on data submission. Showing the most recent available data from May 2024.
Total Crimes
104Annual Crime Rate
National Safety
Top 1% Safest UK
Greater Manchester
Ranked by annual rate
12-Month Crime Trend
Interactive Crime Map
District ViewIncident Distribution
Top Locations| Location Reference | Crime Breakdown | Primary Count |
|---|---|---|
| On or near Manchester Piccadilly (Station) Map | Shoplifting: 29 Violence and sexual offences: 20 Public order: 16 | 29 |
| On or near Manchester Airport (Station) Map | Other theft: 3 | 3 |
| On or near Burnage (Station) Map | Drugs: 1 Possession of weapons: 1 | 1 |
| On or near Deansgate (Station) Map | Violence and sexual offences: 2 | 2 |
| On or near North Street Map | Violence and sexual offences: 1 | 1 |
| On or near Oldham Street Map | Violence and sexual offences: 1 | 1 |
| On or near Maltby Road Map | Other crime: 1 | 1 |
| On or near Ashburys (Station) Map | Violence and sexual offences: 1 | 1 |
| On or near Parking Area Map | Vehicle crime: 1 | 1 |
Crime Breakdown
May 2024Crime Analysis: Manchester
Manchester recorded 104 crimes in May 2024, equivalent to a rate of 1.64 per 1,000 residents — among the lower-crime areas in England and Wales, ranked #1 of 331 by crime rate.
Shoplifting makes up the largest share of crime in Manchester at 27.9%. Violence & Sexual Offences (26.0%) and Public Order (15.4%) are the next most common categories.
Compared to the same period last year, crime in Manchester has risen sharply — by 19.5%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.
All figures are published monthly by Greater Manchester Police through the Police.uk open data platform and cross-referenced with ONS 2021 Census population estimates to produce the per-resident rates above. Data typically appears 1–2 months after the end of the recording period.
Expert Safety Insights
Ward Safety Rankings
9 wardsHighest Crime
| # | Ward | Crimes | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piccadilly | 91 | 14.6 |
| 2 | Woodhouse Park | 4 | 0.8 |
| 3 | Burnage | 2 | 0.4 |
| 4 | Cheetham | 1 | 0.4 |
| 5 | Deansgate | 2 | 0.3 |
Safest Wards
| Ward | Crimes | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| shield | Baguley | 1 | 0.0 |
| shield | Hulme | 1 | 0.0 |
| shield | Ancoats & Beswick | 1 | 0.1 |
| shield | Clayton & Openshaw | 1 | 0.0 |
| shield | Deansgate | 2 | 0.0 |
Growth Analysis
Data Transparency
Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 331 local authorities in England & Wales.
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