Criminal Damage and Arson Overview
During 2020, England & Wales's police forces received 468,535 crime reports about criminal damage and arson. This is a decrease of 14% from 2019's figure of 534,306 reports of criminal damage and arson, giving an overall crime rate of 8 per 1,000 people in 2020 and a rate of 9 per 1,000 people for 2019.
The most dangeroues cities for criminal damage and arson are Middlesbrough, Belfast City, and Leeds, with crime rates of 21, 16, and 15 per 1,000 residents respectively. The most dangerous region for criminal damage and arson is Tyne & Wear, which recorded a criminal damage and arson rate of 13 offences per 1,000 people in 2020. The second most dangerous area for criminal damage and arson is Durham, with a crime rate of 13, followed by Armagh in third, with a criminal damage and arson rate of 13 per 1,000 residents.
The safest area in England and Wales for criminal damage and arson is Harrow, which had a crime rate of 3.8 in 2020. Next safest is Swansea, followed by Kingston upon Thames in third place, with crime rates per 1,000 residents of 3.9 and 4.3 respectively.
Map of Criminal Damage and Arson in the UK
The Most Dangerous Towns & Cities for Criminal Damage and Arson
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 20.92 |
| 2 | Belfast City | 15.75 |
| 3 | Leeds | 14.83 |
| 4 | Bradford | 14.16 |
| 5 | Kingston upon Hull | 14.10 |
| 6 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 12.92 |
| 7 | Bournemouth | 11.44 |
| 8 | Southampton | 11.00 |
| 9 | Derby | 10.89 |
| 10 | Nottingham | 10.81 |
The Safest Towns & Cities for Criminal Damage and Arson
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrow | 3.84 |
| 2 | Swansea | 3.86 |
| 3 | Kingston upon Thames | 4.28 |
| 4 | Milton Keynes | 4.38 |
| 5 | Havering | 4.43 |
| 6 | Sutton | 4.52 |
| 7 | Redbridge | 4.62 |
| 8 | Wandsworth | 4.68 |
| 9 | Richmond upon Thames | 4.73 |
| 10 | Barnet | 4.82 |
Criminal Damage and Arson Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| 9.95 | 9.46 | 8.92 | 7.82 | Safer |
Most Dangerous Councils & Counties for Criminal Damage and Arson
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyne & Wear | 13.22 |
| 2 | Durham | 12.72 |
| 3 | Armagh | 12.68 |
| 4 | Antrim | 12.40 |
| 5 | Bristol | 12.23 |
| 6 | Londonderry | 12.22 |
| 7 | Tyrone | 11.45 |
| 8 | West Yorkshire | 10.93 |
| 9 | Northumberland | 10.59 |
| 10 | South Yorkshire | 10.43 |
Last updated: 22 Mar 2021