Crime in Birkenhead
Recorded crime in Birkenhead is 3.6 times the Wirral average and 3.4 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 21%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Birkenhead: about 12,045 residents in 17 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Living
- 8.3/10Good
- 5-year change
- −21%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 3.6×the Wirral average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Birkenhead.
Crime over 5 years
Down 21% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Birkenhead, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 3.6× the Wirral average (3.4× the England and Wales average). 291 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 64% of the harm here
- Drugs: 10% of the harm here
- Burglary: 8% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 64% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 60 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Wirral (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Wirral council area, not only Birkenhead. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 274 | 0.83 | Down 15% |
| Cars broken into | 353 | 1.1 | About the same |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,799 | 5.5 | About the same |
| Burglary of homes | 398 | 1.2 | Up 7% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in CH41
In CH41, the postcode district at the centre of Birkenhead, 18% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 1,838 | 13% | 3% | 69% | 13% | 2% |
| Public order | 622 | 22% | 1% | 48% | 28% | 1% |
| Drugs | 514 | 39% | 44% | 15% | 1% | 2% |
| Shoplifting | 447 | 27% | 1% | 24% | 47% | 0% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 406 | 10% | 1% | 30% | 59% | 0% |
| Other theft | 236 | 3% | 0% | 32% | 64% | 1% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 141 | 7% | 1% | 22% | 70% | 0% |
| Burglary | 122 | 12% | 1% | 29% | 57% | 1% |
| Other crime | 116 | 18% | 0% | 67% | 12% | 3% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 75 | 51% | 4% | 33% | 4% | 8% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 1% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 3.0 |
| Burglary | 9.1 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 112.1 |
| Drugs | 24.4 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 5.8 |
| Other theft | 17.2 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 3.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 8.4 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 27.8 |
| Public order | 39.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 3.7 |
| Shoplifting | 33.2 |
Postcode districts in Birkenhead
Nearby towns
Council: Wirral
Questions about crime in Birkenhead
- Is Birkenhead a safe place to live?
- Birkenhead scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 3.6 times the Wirral average.
- Is crime going up or down in Birkenhead?
- Down 21% over 5 years, from 4,397 recorded crimes a year to 3,482.
- What is the most common crime in Birkenhead?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 112 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Birkenhead compare with Wirral?
- Crime severity in Birkenhead is 3.6 times the Wirral average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Birkenhead?
- In CH41, the postcode district at the centre of Birkenhead, 18% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 27% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Birkenhead?
- Of 122 burglaries reported in CH41, the postcode district at the centre of Birkenhead between September 2024 and August 2025, 12% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 57% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Birkenhead?
- In Wirral, the council area Birkenhead is in, the police recorded 274 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.8 per 1,000 residents, down 15% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Birkenhead?
- 1,799 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Wirral, the council area Birkenhead is in, 5.5 per 1,000 residents, 1.1 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Birkenhead last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Wirral, the council area Birkenhead is in, against 3 the year before.