# CrimeTrends

> Independent UK crime intelligence platform providing verified, normalised crime statistics for every city, ward, and postcode in England and Wales. Data sourced from Police.uk (Open Government Licence v3.0) and ONS Census 2021.

CrimeTrends transforms raw Police.uk open data into clean, comparable crime profiles across all 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Annual crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population figures, enabling fair comparison across areas of very different population sizes. Data is refreshed monthly following each Police.uk release.

## Key Pages

- [National Crime Rankings](https://crimetrends.co.uk/rankings): All 331 local authorities ranked by annual crime rate, safest to most dangerous, with year-on-year trends.
- [Safest Cities in the UK](https://crimetrends.co.uk/rankings/safest-cities-uk): Full ranked list of the safest local authorities in England and Wales by annual crime rate per 1,000 residents.
- [Most Dangerous Cities in the UK](https://crimetrends.co.uk/rankings/most-dangerous-cities-uk): Full ranked list of highest-crime local authorities in England and Wales.
- [Crime Rankings by County](https://crimetrends.co.uk/rankings/counties): County-level aggregated crime rates across England and Wales with links to individual county pages.
- [Monthly Crime Intelligence Reports](https://crimetrends.co.uk/crime-intelligence): Monthly national crime statistics — total counts, crime type breakdowns, biggest movers, and county comparisons.
- [Annual UK Crime Report](https://crimetrends.co.uk/reports/annual-uk-crime): Annual summary of UK crime trends, top crime types, year-on-year national change.
- [All Districts Index](https://crimetrends.co.uk/towns/): Directory of all 331 local authorities with current annual crime rates.
- [Postcode Areas Index](https://crimetrends.co.uk/outcodes/): Crime profiles by postcode district (e.g. SW1A, M1, B1).
- [Methodology](https://crimetrends.co.uk/methodology): Full explanation of how crime rates, national rankings, and year-on-year changes are calculated.
- [Glossary](https://crimetrends.co.uk/glossary): Definitions of LSOA, MSOA, LTLA, ward, outcode, and all crime category terms.

## City & Area Pages

City intelligence pages follow the pattern: https://crimetrends.co.uk/crime/{city-name}
Ward intelligence pages follow the pattern: https://crimetrends.co.uk/crime/{city-name}/{ward-name}
Postcode pages follow the pattern: https://crimetrends.co.uk/postcode/{postcode}/crime

Examples:
- [Manchester Crime Statistics](https://crimetrends.co.uk/crime/manchester)
- [Birmingham Crime Statistics](https://crimetrends.co.uk/crime/birmingham)
- [Leeds Crime Statistics](https://crimetrends.co.uk/crime/leeds)

## Data & Methodology

Annual crime rate = total recorded crimes (latest 12-month rolling period) ÷ resident population (ONS Census 2021) × 1,000.

Year-on-year change = percentage difference between current 12-month total and the equivalent 12-month period one year prior.

National rank = position among 331 English and Welsh local authorities ordered by annual crime rate (rank 1 = safest, rank 331 = highest crime rate).

Risk thresholds used on this platform:
- Low risk: fewer than 40 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
- Moderate risk: 40 to 80 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
- High risk: more than 80 crimes per 1,000 residents annually

## Coverage & Limitations

- England and Wales only (43 territorial police forces)
- Scotland and Northern Ireland are not included — they use separate crime recording systems
- Data lags real-time by approximately 2–3 months (Police.uk publication cycle)
- Some police forces publish data later than others, causing temporary gaps for specific areas
- Crime counts reflect recorded offences only; actual crime prevalence may differ

## Data Sources & Licensing

- Crime records: Police.uk, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/)
- Population data: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021
- Geographic boundaries: ONS Open Geography Portal
- Property data: HM Land Registry (OGL v3.0)

## Contact & Further Information

- About: https://crimetrends.co.uk/aboutus
- Contact: https://crimetrends.co.uk/contactus
- Editorial standards: https://crimetrends.co.uk/editorial-standards
- Privacy policy: https://crimetrends.co.uk/privacy