Walsall Crime Overview
Walsall is the third most dangerous city in the West Midlands, and the 34th most dangerous overall out of the UK's cities. The overall crime rate in Walsall in 2020 was 79 crimes per 1,000 people.
In October 2020, Walsall was the second-worst city in the West Midlands for criminal damage and arson, with 250 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.88 per 1,000 inhabitants. October 2020 was also a bad month for Walsall residents, when it was the West Midlands's second-most dangerous city for possession of weapons, recording 34 crimes at a rate of 0.12 per 1,000 residents. Walsall recorded 305 reports of vehicle crime during March 2020, making its crime rate of 1.1 the second-worst city for vehicle crime in the West Midlands that month.
The most common crimes in Walsall are violence and sexual offences, with 10,061 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 35. This is 10% higher than 2019's figure of 9,079 offences and a difference of 3.44 from 2019's crime rate of 32. Walsall's least common crime is theft from the person, with 96 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 93% from 2019's figure of 185 crimes.
Walsall Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Walsall This Year
| Walsall | ||
|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 5,014 | 17.56 |
| Bicycle Theft | 151 | 0.53 |
| Burglary | 1,575 | 5.52 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 2,141 | 7.50 |
| Drugs | 382 | 1.34 |
| Other Crime | 502 | 1.76 |
| Other Theft | 1,322 | 4.63 |
| Possession of Weapons | 264 | 0.92 |
| Public Order | 2,067 | 7.24 |
| Robbery | 406 | 1.42 |
| Shoplifting | 929 | 3.25 |
| Theft From the Person | 96 | 0.34 |
| Vehicle Crime | 2,520 | 8.83 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 10,061 | 35.24 |
Walsall Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 22 | 16 | 14 | 18 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.77 | 0.62 | 0.70 | 0.53 | Safer |
| Burglary | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.96 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.39 | 0.71 | 0.88 | 0.92 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 3.6 | 4.6 | 5 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3.2 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person | 0.64 | 0.74 | 0.65 | 0.34 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 12 | 14 | 11 | 9 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 20 | 26 | 32 | 35 | Getting worse |
Comparing Walsall to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 71.50 | 10% safer |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 6% safer |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 6% safer |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 1.7% safer |
| Walsall | 78.52 | - |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 0.85% more dangerous |
| London | 80.70 | 2.7% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 12% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 14% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 15% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 23% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 26% more dangerous |
Crime in Walsall During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Walsall change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Walsall saw a 114% increase in anti-social behaviour. Walsall saw a large fall in theft from the person during June, when it fell by 80% compared to June in 2019. Rates of other theft and shoplifting both fell year-on-year for every month during Walsall's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -5% | +114% | +105% | +60% | +21% | +9% | +42% | +56% | +87% |
| Bicycle Theft | +33% | -38% | -29% | -18% | -15% | +6% | -6% | -13% | -23% |
| Burglary | -21% | -28% | -36% | -33% | -23% | -34% | -24% | -33% | +1% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -6% | -24% | -24% | -15% | +9% | -7% | +6% | +7% | - |
| Drugs | -31% | -3% | +30% | -30% | +19% | - | +7% | -35% | - |
| Other Crime | +23% | +48% | -9% | -12% | +35% | +15% | +85% | +59% | +64% |
| Other Theft | -20% | -34% | -47% | -27% | -11% | -6% | -24% | -10% | -17% |
| Possession of Weapons | +63% | -46% | -10% | -33% | +14% | +75% | +38% | +55% | +100% |
| Public Order | +4% | +29% | +23% | +75% | +85% | +61% | +70% | +63% | +47% |
| Robbery | -19% | -64% | -41% | -35% | -25% | -5% | -40% | +20% | +10% |
| Shoplifting | -59% | -68% | -55% | -41% | -24% | -21% | -40% | -17% | -19% |
| Theft From the Person | -33% | -69% | -73% | -80% | -64% | -44% | -69% | -33% | +11% |
| Vehicle Crime | +32% | -22% | -57% | -52% | -35% | -26% | -9% | -23% | -9% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +8% | -9% | +6% | +12% | +30% | +37% | +29% | +38% | +45% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Walsall
What police force serves Walsall?
Walsall's local territorial police force is the West Midlands Police.How dangerous is Walsall?
Walsall is the third most dangerous city in the West Midlands.What is Walsall's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Walsall are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Walsall?
Walsall's least common crime is theft from the person.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021