Crime and Safety in Stoke-on-Trent
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Stoke-on-Trent is the most dangerous city in Staffordshire, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of Staffordshire's 197 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Stoke-on-Trent in 2026 is 104 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Staffordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 50% higher than the Staffordshire rate of 69 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Stoke-on-Trent is among the top 5 most dangerous cities, and the 388th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In January 2026, Stoke-on-Trent was the worst city in Staffordshire for anti-social behaviour, with 472 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.6 per 1,000 daytime population. January 2026 was also a bad month for Stoke-on-Trent residents, when it was Staffordshire's most dangerous city for burglary, recording 117 crimes at a rate of 0.40 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Stoke-on-Trent are violence and sexual offences, with 13,619 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 46. This is 2.5% higher than 2025's figure of 13,288 offences and a difference of 1.12 from 2025's crime rate of 45. Stoke-on-Trent's least common crime is theft from the person, with 97 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 21% from 2025's figure of 80 crimes.
Stoke-on-Trent 2026 Crime Scorecard
Most Dangerous
Cities, Staffordshire
37% higher, regional crime rate
West Midlands
44% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 37% higher than the West Midlands and 44% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Stoke-on-Trent Crime Rate Over Time
| Stoke-on-Trent | |
| West Midlands | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Stoke-on-Trent Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Stoke-on-Trent represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.
See How Stoke-on-Trent Compares
You can compare Stoke-on-Trent's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Stoke-on-Trent's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Stoke-on-Trent up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Stoke-on-Trent's 6,552 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Stoke-on-Trent? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Stoke-on-Trent • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Stoke-on-Trent has a crime risk score of 718. This is based on analysis of 6,552 nearby areas within Stoke-on-Trent, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Stoke-on-Trent's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Stoke-on-Trent, crime risk scores are typically around 718, while in Staffordshire they are average 572.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 776 (579 for Staffordshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 817 (Staffordshire 590).
Trends in Crime Risk
Stoke-on-Trent
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
No trend could be found in Stoke-on-Trent's crime risk scores over the last 10 years, and the trend may well be static.
The five-year trend may be static; no significant trend was identified in Stoke-on-Trent's crime risk scores during this timeframe.
Over the last year, Stoke-on-Trent's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 4.9%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Stoke-on-Trent
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Stoke-on-Trent • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Possession of Weapons offences have a crime rate of 1.66 reports per 1,000 people in Stoke-on-Trent, which is 1.95 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 485 crime reports logged by Staffordshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Staffordshire Police recorded 3,132 reports of Public Order in Stoke-on-Trent, resulting in a crime rate of 11 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.83.
The crime rate for Burglary is 1.58 times the national average at 4.96 reports per 1,000. This is from 1,453 crime reports reported to Staffordshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Stoke-on-Trent
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.75 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.16 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 51% over this timeframe.
Drugs offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.26 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Drugs CrimeRate Index was 0.76 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 66% over this timeframe.
Robbery offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.70 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 1.11 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 53% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Stoke-on-Trent
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Theft From the Person offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.25 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 0.23 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 9% over this timeframe.
Burglary offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.71 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 1.93 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 11% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.50 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 1.42 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 6% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Stoke-on-Trent • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire | West Midlands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 6,599 | 22.48 | 1.59 | 16,480 | 12.94 | 0.92 | 59,827 | 8.79 | 0.62 |
| Bicycle Theft | 309 | 1.05 | 1.44 | 725 | 0.55 | 0.75 | 3,572 | 0.53 | 0.73 |
| Burglary | 1,453 | 4.96 | 1.58 | 3,630 | 2.86 | 0.91 | 24,188 | 3.54 | 1.13 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 2,877 | 9.80 | 1.56 | 7,263 | 5.69 | 0.91 | 43,744 | 6.42 | 1.02 |
| Drugs | 1,088 | 3.69 | 1.19 | 3,113 | 2.45 | 0.79 | 16,314 | 2.38 | 0.77 |
| Other Crime | 779 | 2.64 | 1.43 | 2,374 | 1.87 | 1.01 | 12,162 | 1.79 | 0.97 |
| Other Theft | 2,074 | 7.06 | 1.24 | 5,911 | 4.63 | 0.81 | 34,029 | 5.00 | 0.88 |
| Possession of Weapons | 485 | 1.66 | 1.95 | 1,180 | 0.92 | 1.08 | 9,710 | 1.44 | 1.69 |
| Public Order | 3,132 | 10.64 | 1.83 | 8,461 | 6.65 | 1.15 | 36,155 | 5.32 | 0.92 |
| Robbery | 546 | 1.86 | 1.58 | 1,145 | 0.91 | 0.77 | 9,171 | 1.35 | 1.14 |
| Shoplifting | 2,446 | 8.32 | 1.17 | 6,813 | 5.33 | 0.75 | 51,348 | 7.55 | 1.06 |
| Theft From the Person | 97 | 0.30 | 0.19 | 243 | 0.18 | 0.12 | 3,487 | 0.49 | 0.32 |
| Vehicle Crime | 1,552 | 5.28 | 1.23 | 4,823 | 3.79 | 0.88 | 38,628 | 5.68 | 1.32 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 13,619 | 46.34 | 1.52 | 42,473 | 33.32 | 1.10 | 231,901 | 34.05 | 1.12 |
Download | |||||||||
Total Crime by Year
Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire | West Midlands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 30,457 | 103.60 | 1.44 | 88,154 | 69.15 | 0.96 | 514,409 | 75.54 | 1.05 |
| 2025 | 29,356 | 100.13 | 1.35 | 85,700 | 67.65 | 0.91 | 516,162 | 76.32 | 1.03 |
| 2024 | 30,537 | 105.11 | 1.39 | 86,207 | 68.73 | 0.91 | 539,253 | 80.45 | 1.07 |
| 2023 | 33,710 | 118.30 | 1.50 | 95,667 | 77.26 | 0.98 | 598,904 | 90.62 | 1.15 |
| 2022 | 25,942 | 92.40 | 1.20 | 72,417 | 59.31 | 0.77 | 564,120 | 86.38 | 1.12 |
| 2021 | 22,341 | 79.82 | 1.16 | 62,296 | 51.31 | 0.75 | 463,870 | 71.46 | 1.04 |
| 2020 | 24,904 | 88.88 | 1.20 | 69,621 | 57.62 | 0.78 | 450,576 | 69.72 | 0.94 |
| 2019 | 25,856 | 92.27 | 1.21 | 71,310 | 59.25 | 0.78 | 460,715 | 71.52 | 0.94 |
| 2018 | 25,987 | 93.05 | 1.31 | 72,420 | 60.44 | 0.85 | 430,050 | 67.10 | 0.94 |
| 2017 | 24,539 | 88.38 | 1.38 | 70,193 | 58.79 | 0.92 | 395,755 | 62.08 | 0.97 |
| 2016 | 7,561 | 27.30 | 1.43 | 21,257 | 17.84 | 0.94 | 117,881 | 18.57 | 0.97 |
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Comparing Stoke-on-Trent to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 23% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 20% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 19% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 6% safer |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 103.60 | - |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 1.0% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 1.4% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 2.8% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 3.4% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 4.0% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 21% more dangerous |
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Offences In and Around Stoke-on-Trent's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Stoke-on-Trent that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cauldon Park | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| The Green | 2 | - | - | - | 3 | 3 |
| Sproson Park | 37 | 2 | 12 | - | 31 | 47 |
| Basford Community Park | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 19 | 23 |
| Berry Hill Fields | 106 | 7 | 30 | 4 | 131 | 118 |
| Whitfield Valley Local Nature Reserve | 48 | 6 | 12 | - | 63 | 43 |
| Priors Fields | 15 | - | 6 | - | 18 | 16 |
| Chatterley Whitfield Heritage Country Park | 69 | - | 9 | 1 | 33 | 24 |
| Boothen Garden | 14 | 3 | 10 | - | 25 | 19 |
| Austin Playing Field | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 11 | 2 |
| Tunstall Park | 10 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 12 |
| Westport Lake Park | 7 | - | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| War Memorial Gardens | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 13 |
| Dolly's Lane Allotments | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 5 |
| Burslem Park | 18 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 70 | 65 |
| Burslem Cemetery | 5 | 1 | - | - | 5 | 2 |
| Grange Park | 31 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 55 | 33 |
| Festival Park | 38 | 5 | 16 | - | 15 | 102 |
| Etruria Park | 8 | - | 5 | 2 | 37 | 18 |
| Stoke Old Road Allotments | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 16 | 14 |
| Stoke Cemetery | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| Lyme Valley Stadium | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | 8 |
| Sneyd Hill Park | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 25 |
| Bucknall Park | 4 | - | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
| Heath House Lane Open Space | 1 | 1 | - | - | 11 | 8 |
| Hulton Abbey Park | 21 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 27 | 55 |
| Finney Gardens | 15 | - | 11 | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| Carmountside Cemetery | 11 | 2 | 6 | - | 33 | 16 |
| Chamberlain Street Community Park | 9 | 2 | 6 | - | 16 | 11 |
| Glebedale Park | 14 | 4 | 4 | - | 16 | 20 |
| Bentilee Park | 7 | 1 | 2 | - | 27 | 9 |
| Anchor Road Park | 5 | 2 | - | - | 10 | 11 |
| Blurton Park | 16 | 2 | 5 | - | 35 | 18 |
| Queen's Park | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 14 |
| Caverswall Cricket Ground | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Middleport Park | 29 | - | 5 | 2 | 21 | 12 |
| Hanley Cemetery | 10 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 57 | 40 |
| Harthill Park | 26 | 5 | 14 | - | 78 | 69 |
| Lyme Valley Parkway | 40 | 3 | 7 | - | 25 | 40 |
| Coronation Gardens | 4 | 1 | - | 2 | 7 | 17 |
| Cobridge Park | 21 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 11 |
| Central Forest Park | 82 | 8 | 31 | 13 | 87 | 104 |
| Northwood Park | 35 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 62 | 41 |
| Hanley Park | 37 | 35 | 14 | 5 | 67 | 45 |
| Fenton Park | 49 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 57 | 36 |
| Parkhall Country Park | 34 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 23 |
| Birchenwood Country Park | 13 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 24 |
| New Horizon Sport and Leisure Centre | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Monks-Neil Park | 23 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 37 |
| Whitfield Valley Centre | 4 | - | 1 | - | 3 | 3 |
| Sprink Bank Recreation Ground | 15 | 1 | 3 | - | 21 | 9 |
| Norton Cricket Club and Miners Welfare Institute | 8 | - | 7 | - | 12 | 8 |
| Easters Gardens and Recreation Ground | - | 1 | 1 | - | 3 | 1 |
| Goals Soccer Centre | 8 | - | 12 | 1 | 26 | 12 |
| Yeaman Street Recreation Ground | 9 | 3 | 1 | - | 21 | 23 |
| Tunstall Cemetery | 12 | 4 | 7 | - | 53 | 45 |
| Fenpark | 17 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 30 | 16 |
| Lodge Road Park | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Recent Crimes in Stoke-on-Trent
The 20 most recent crime reports in Stoke-on-Trent.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Kidsgrove Bank | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Repington Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Marina Way | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Carlton Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Carlton Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Repington Road | |
| April 2026 | Bicycle theft | On or near King William Street | |
| April 2026 | Bicycle theft | On or near Cornes Street | |
| April 2026 | Burglary | On or near King William Street | |
| April 2026 | Burglary | On or near Sharman Close | |
| April 2026 | Burglary | On or near Sharman Close | |
| April 2026 | Burglary | On or near Brocklehurst Way | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Cornes Street | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Almar Place | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near King William Street | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Keates Street | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near King William Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Repington Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Keates Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Barthomley Road |
Methodology & Data Sources
Stoke-on-Trent Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Stoke-on-Trent during July 2026 will typically become available in September 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Stoke-on-Trent Data Points
For Stoke-on-Trent, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E43000017.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Stoke-on-Trent's daytime - or "workday" - population of 255,019 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Stoke-on-Trent