Crime in the United Kingdom

Crime in the United Kingdom describes acts of violent crime and non-violent crime that take place within the United Kingdom.

The interpretation of crime statistics in the UK can be problematic without being aware of limitations in the data. Since 1998, apparent increases in some high-harm offences such as knife crime and other 'violence against the person', are largely due to changes in police counting rules, particularly since 2014. However, consistent data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) makes reliable comparisons for most crimes possible from 1981.

In common with many countries around the world, crime overall in the UK has fallen very significantly since 1996, while some categories such as fraud and computer misuse have seen increases together with sporadic rises in racial hate crimes.

The United Kingdom's crime rate remains relatively low when compared to the rest of the world, while somewhat higher than some of its European neighbours. Police recorded crime rates in Scotland are not directly comparable to the rest of the UK due to differences in counting rules.

The portrayal, mythology and reporting of crime has played a significant cultural role in Britain from at least the eighteenth century.

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