Drugs Overview
During 2020, England & Wales's police forces received 191,575 crime reports about drugs. This is an increase of 11% from 2019's figure of 170,002 reports of drugs, giving an overall crime rate of 3.2 per 1,000 people in 2020 and a rate of 2.8 per 1,000 people for 2019.
The most dangeroues cities for drugs are Liverpool, Westminster, and Tower Hamlets, with crime rates of 13, 12, and 8 per 1,000 residents respectively. The most dangerous region for drugs is Merseyside, which recorded a drugs rate of 9 offences per 1,000 people in 2020. The second most dangerous area for drugs is London, with a crime rate of 6, followed by Antrim in third, with a drugs rate of 6 per 1,000 residents.
The safest area in England and Wales for drugs is Stoke-on-Trent, which had a crime rate of 1.1 in 2020. Next safest is Milton Keynes, followed by Swansea in third place, with crime rates per 1,000 residents of 1.8 and 1.8 respectively.
Map of Drugs in the UK
The Most Dangerous Towns & Cities for Drugs
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 12.88 |
| 2 | Westminster | 11.83 |
| 3 | Tower Hamlets | 8.49 |
| 4 | Newham | 8.27 |
| 5 | Camden | 7.85 |
| 6 | Belfast City | 7.24 |
| 7 | Nottingham | 7.23 |
| 8 | Lambeth | 7.21 |
| 9 | Barking and Dagenham | 7.10 |
| 10 | Southwark | 7.04 |
The Safest Towns & Cities for Drugs
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoke-on-Trent | 1.12 |
| 2 | Milton Keynes | 1.76 |
| 3 | Swansea | 1.81 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton | 1.90 |
| 5 | Coventry | 1.91 |
| 6 | Bristol | 2.12 |
| 7 | Kingston upon Hull | 2.34 |
| 8 | Birmingham | 2.47 |
| 9 | Bournemouth | 2.64 |
| 10 | Swindon | 2.64 |
Drugs Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| 2.21 | 2.41 | 2.84 | 3.20 | Getting worse |
Most Dangerous Councils & Counties for Drugs
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merseyside | 8.57 |
| 2 | London | 5.90 |
| 3 | Antrim | 5.72 |
| 4 | Londonderry | 5.44 |
| 5 | Armagh | 5.19 |
| 6 | Fermanagh | 4.63 |
| 7 | South Glamorgan | 4.53 |
| 8 | Tyrone | 4.30 |
| 9 | Dyfed | 4.06 |
| 10 | Powys | 3.82 |
Last updated: 22 Mar 2021