The Latest Crime Stats and What They Mean for the Security Industry

Following the publication of the latest official crime statistics for England and Wales in 2024, we take a look at how headline crime trends are changing and what this means for the security industry.

On the whole there has not been a significant variation in total crime numbers since last year with 8.4 million incidents of headline crime, however we are continuing to follow a long term downwards trend and are approximately 25% below the crime rates seen in March 2017. Though this sounds positive – and in many ways it is – there are still some areas that could mean that risks are rising for your customers. It is clear that the protection of homes, workplaces and vehicles must be a priority for all in the UK.

“Theft of belongings from vehicles is worryingly commonplace…”

The study – which is a survey of 30,000 citizens on their experiences of crime over the last year – shows crimes which you are most likely to be victim of, with fraud at number one as a result of surges in online criminal activity. This was closely followed by vehicle-related theft, the second most common crime to be a victim of in the UK with over 350,000 occurrences. Theft of belongings from vehicles is worryingly commonplace and protection of those which contain valuables – particular work vans with tools and equipment – is vital.

Furthermore, a large increase was found in shoplifting which is at its highest level since current recording practices began. Since last year, nearly 500,000 instances of shoplifting mean this activity has become 30% more frequent than it was in 2023 and is continuing its upward trend. In addition to this, robbery – meaning theft with some form of violence or the threat of violence – has also grown 13%. With this increase in targeting by criminals, shops and shopworkers require even more focus on their security, including tailored security systems , cameras and even wireless hold-up devices .

Worryingly, whilst we are seeing the proportion of crimes actually being reported growing by 7% this has not led to a parallel growth in police action . Rather, we are experiencing the opposite with charge rates dropping from 16% in 2015 to 6% now, with the fall being most extreme for the most common crimes. Similarly, a quarter of public ‘fear, alarm or distress’ reports led to a charge in 2015 whilst just 3% do today. This means that preventing crimes before they can take place is becoming even more important. Perimeter protection to stop criminals reaching the property and prominent visual security deterrents on properties and in vehicles are key to preventing crimes before they occur.

Whilst overarching crime stats are positive with long term downward trends, there are still some areas which give cause for concern and reinforce the importance of reliable security systems being installed in all residential and commercial properties as well as vehicles.