During 2021, England & Wales's police forces received 173,533 crime reports about drugs. This is a decrease of 10% from 2020's figure of 191,575 reports of drugs, giving an overall crime rate of 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2021 and a rate of 3.2 per 1,000 people for 2020.
The most dangerous cities for drugs are Liverpool, Westminster, and Belfast City, with crime rates of 12, 11, and 8 per 1,000 residents respectively. The most dangerous region for drugs is Merseyside, which recorded a drugs rate of 8 offences per 1,000 people in 2021. The second most dangerous area for drugs is Antrim, with a crime rate of 6, followed by Londonderry 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 1.5 in 2021. Next safest is Bristol, followed by Richmond upon Thames in third place, with crime rates per 1,000 residents of 1.9 and 2.0 respectively.
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 11.71 |
| 2 | Westminster | 10.55 |
| 3 | Belfast City | 7.71 |
| 4 | Tower Hamlets | 7.30 |
| 5 | Nottingham | 7.29 |
| 6 | Lambeth | 6.60 |
| 7 | Barking and Dagenham | 6.54 |
| 8 | Southwark | 6.53 |
| 9 | Newham | 6.08 |
| 10 | Greenwich | 5.60 |
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoke-on-Trent | 1.54 |
| 2 | Bristol | 1.89 |
| 3 | Richmond upon Thames | 2.00 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton | 2.09 |
| 5 | Bournemouth | 2.20 |
| 6 | Kingston upon Hull | 2.24 |
| 7 | Swindon | 2.38 |
| 8 | Barnet | 2.45 |
| 9 | Sutton | 2.70 |
| 10 | Coventry | 2.94 |
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
| 2.41 | 2.84 | 3.20 | 2.90 | Getting worse |
| Position | Name | Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merseyside | 8.04 |
| 2 | Antrim | 6.45 |
| 3 | Londonderry | 6.28 |
| 4 | Fermanagh | 5.99 |
| 5 | Tyrone | 5.00 |
| 6 | Armagh | 4.91 |
| 7 | London | 4.83 |
| 8 | South Glamorgan | 3.86 |
| 9 | Nottinghamshire | 3.43 |
| 10 | Dyfed | 3.41 |
Last updated: 22 Mar 2021