Drugs Stats and Figures

Last updated: 07 Jun 2026

During 2026, England & Wales's police forces received 205,214 crime reports about drugs. This is an increase of 10% from 2025's figure of 186,526 reports of drugs, giving an overall crime rate of 3.09 per 1,000 people in 2026 and a rate of 2.83 per 1,000 people for 2025.

The most dangerous cities for drugs are Liverpool, Brent, and Hackney, with crime rates of 13.04, 7.25, and 6.72 per 1,000 daytime population respectively. The most dangerous region for drugs is Merseyside, which recorded a drugs rate of 8.37 offences per 1,000 people in 2026. The second most dangerous area for drugs is London, with a crime rate of 4.87, followed by Antrim in third, with a drugs rate of 4.14 per 1,000 daytime population.

The safest area in England and Wales for drugs is City of London, which had a crime rate of 0.99 in 2026. Next safest is Bournemouth, followed by Swindon in third place, with crime rates per 1,000 daytime population of 1.92 and 1.98 respectively.

Top Towns & Cities for DrugsOffences

Highest Drugs Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	Liverpool	13.04
2	Brent	7.25
3	Hackney	6.72
4	Middlesbrough	6.72
5	Kensington and Chelsea	6.57
6	Islington	6.40
7	Newham	6.19
8	Haringey	6.14
9	Barking and Dagenham	6.10
10	Bradford	6.08
11	Enfield	5.97
12	Waltham Forest	5.91
13	Derby	5.82
14	Greenwich	5.69
15	Lewisham	5.47
16	Tower Hamlets	5.33
17	Hammersmith and Fulham	5.25
18	Peterborough	5.20
19	Ealing	5.05
20	Nottingham	5.01
21	Lambeth	4.94
22	Southend-on-Sea	4.92
23	Westminster	4.90
24	Croydon	4.84
25	Havering	4.83
26	Belfast City	4.72
27	Brighton and Hove	4.67
28	Leicester	4.47
29	Barnet	4.45
30	Southwark	4.44
31	Northampton	4.43
32	Luton	4.39
33	Southampton	4.30
34	Hillingdon	4.22
35	Hounslow	4.22
36	Leeds	4.16
37	Camden	4.05
38	Swansea	4.01
39	Portsmouth	3.95
40	Bexley	3.81
41	Redbridge	3.78
42	Kingston upon Thames	3.76
43	Birmingham	3.76
44	Sheffield	3.75
45	Stoke-on-Trent	3.69
46	Bromley	3.46
47	Norwich	3.36
48	Harrow	3.35
49	Wandsworth	3.33
50	Plymouth	3.25
51	Newcastle upon Tyne	3.02
52	Sutton	2.96
53	Kingston upon Hull	2.96
54	Bristol	2.83
55	Merton	2.78
56	Cardiff	2.59
57	Richmond upon Thames	2.56
58	Coventry	2.55
59	Wolverhampton	2.32
60	Reading	2.20
61	Milton Keynes	2.04
62	Swindon	1.98
63	Bournemouth	1.92
64	City of London	0.99

Lowest Drugs Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	City of London	0.99
2	Bournemouth	1.92
3	Swindon	1.98
4	Milton Keynes	2.04
5	Reading	2.20
6	Wolverhampton	2.32
7	Coventry	2.55
8	Richmond upon Thames	2.56
9	Cardiff	2.59
10	Merton	2.78
11	Bristol	2.83
12	Kingston upon Hull	2.96
13	Sutton	2.96
14	Newcastle upon Tyne	3.02
15	Plymouth	3.25
16	Wandsworth	3.33
17	Harrow	3.35
18	Norwich	3.36
19	Bromley	3.46
20	Stoke-on-Trent	3.69
21	Sheffield	3.75
22	Birmingham	3.76
23	Kingston upon Thames	3.76
24	Redbridge	3.78
25	Bexley	3.81
26	Portsmouth	3.95
27	Swansea	4.01
28	Camden	4.05
29	Leeds	4.16
30	Hillingdon	4.22
31	Hounslow	4.22
32	Southampton	4.30
33	Luton	4.39
34	Northampton	4.43
35	Southwark	4.44
36	Barnet	4.45
37	Leicester	4.47
38	Brighton and Hove	4.67
39	Belfast City	4.72
40	Havering	4.83
41	Croydon	4.84
42	Westminster	4.90
43	Southend-on-Sea	4.92
44	Lambeth	4.94
45	Nottingham	5.01
46	Ealing	5.05
47	Peterborough	5.20
48	Hammersmith and Fulham	5.25
49	Tower Hamlets	5.33
50	Lewisham	5.47
51	Greenwich	5.69
52	Derby	5.82
53	Waltham Forest	5.91
54	Enfield	5.97
55	Bradford	6.08
56	Barking and Dagenham	6.10
57	Haringey	6.14
58	Newham	6.19
59	Islington	6.40
60	Kensington and Chelsea	6.57
61	Hackney	6.72
62	Middlesbrough	6.72
63	Brent	7.25
64	Liverpool	13.04

Top Counties and Councils for DrugsOffences

Highest Drugs Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	Merseyside	8.37
2	London	4.87
3	Antrim	4.14
4	West Yorkshire	3.90
5	Cumbria	3.29
6	Essex	3.27
7	South Yorkshire	3.12
8	Bedfordshire	3.10
9	Kent	3.08
10	East Sussex	3.07

Lowest Drugs Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	Greater Manchester	-
2	Gwent	0.85
3	City and County of the City of London	0.99
4	Rutland	1.16
5	Somerset	1.20
6	Gloucestershire	1.24
7	Dorset	1.30
8	Cornwall	1.44
9	Warwickshire	1.45
10	Suffolk	1.50