Crime in Merseyside
Merseyside is among the top 10 most dangerous counties in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The overall crime rate in Merseyside in 2020 was 89 crimes per 1,000 people, and the most common crimes were violence and sexual offences, which happened to roughly every 37 out of 1,000 residents.
Out of all of Merseyside's larger towns and cities, Birkenhead is the most dangerous. The next most dangerous is St Helens, and Liverpool comes in as third most dangerous. There are safer parts of Merseyside, starting with Southport which ranks as the safest area in Merseyside, followed up by Wallasey in second place, and Liverpool in third place.
Crime Map of Merseyside
Click to use map
Merseyside Crime Summary
| Crime | Count | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 40,660 | 28.45 |
| Bicycle Theft | 1,512 | 1.06 |
| Burglary | 7,285 | 5.10 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 13,650 | 9.55 |
| Drugs | 12,251 | 8.57 |
| Other Crime | 2,846 | 1.99 |
| Other Theft | 6,919 | 4.84 |
| Possession of Weapons | 1,320 | 0.92 |
| Public Order | 14,040 | 9.82 |
| Robbery | 1,067 | 0.75 |
| Shoplifting | 5,690 | 3.98 |
| Theft From the Person | 1,265 | 0.89 |
| Vehicle Crime | 6,519 | 4.56 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 52,198 | 36.52 |
Merseyside's Population Centres
| Name | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference from Merseyside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bebington | 2,695 | 46 | 92% safer |
| Birkenhead | 10,521 | 116 | 24% more dangerous |
| Bootle | 6,476 | 123 | 28% more dangerous |
| Crosby | 3,334 | 66 | 33% safer |
| Eccleston | 237 | 23 | 283% safer |
| Formby | 815 | 37 | 141% safer |
| Halewood | 685 | 34 | 163% safer |
| Haydock | 1,037 | 64 | 37% safer |
| Heswall | 770 | 27 | 232% safer |
| Hoylake | 414 | 39 | 126% safer |
| Kirkby | 3,956 | 91 | 2.7% more dangerous |
| Knowsley | 505 | 43 | 104% safer |
| Litherland | 1,749 | 93 | 4.3% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 62,964 | 107 | 17% more dangerous |
| Maghull | 788 | 40 | 124% safer |
| Newton-le-Willows | 1,844 | 77 | 15% safer |
| Prescot | 1,264 | 106 | 16% more dangerous |
| Rainford | 249 | 32 | 175% safer |
| Rainhill | 517 | 47 | 88% safer |
| Southport | 6,340 | 68 | 31% safer |
| St Helens | 11,355 | 108 | 18% more dangerous |
| Wallasey | 4,633 | 76 | 16% safer |
| West Kirby | 584 | 39 | 126% safer |
| Whiston | 1,003 | 77 | 15% safer |
Crime Trends in Merseyside
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 33 | 23 | 19 | 28 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | Safer |
| Burglary | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | Safer |
| Drugs | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4.8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.56 | 0.71 | 0.88 | 0.92 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.95 | 0.99 | 0.92 | 0.75 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4.0 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.89 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 24 | 32 | 34 | 37 | Getting worse |
Last updated: 09 Apr 2021