Crime in Cheshire East
Recorded crime in Cheshire East is 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 17%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
421,298 residents in 244 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 6/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.3/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +17%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 17% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Cheshire East, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the England and Wales average. 58 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 71% of the harm here
- Burglary: 12% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 71% 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: 14 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
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 | 0.3 |
| Burglary | 2.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 26.1 |
| Drugs | 1.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.4 |
| Other crime | 1.2 |
| Other theft | 4.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.2 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.5 |
| Public order | 8.5 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.7 |
| Shoplifting | 4.4 |
What crimes are recorded in Cheshire East
61.1 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Cheshire East in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 25,146. Home Office recorded crime: 25,758 (2% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. 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 | 295 | 0.70 | Down 2% |
| Cars broken into | 274 | 0.65 | Down 21% |
| Vehicle tampering | 154 | 0.37 | Up 26% |
| Vandalism to homes | 437 | 1.0 | About the same |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 226 | 0.54 | Down 9% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 573 | 1.4 | Down 8% |
| Arson | 65 | 0.15 | About the same |
| Burglary of homes | 559 | 1.3 | Down 4% |
| Burglary of businesses | 218 | 0.52 | Down 6% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 159 | 0.38 | Up 2% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 163 | 0.39 | Up 77% |
| Robbery of people | 86 | 0.20 | Down 29% |
| Robbery of businesses | 50 | 0.12 | Up 400% |
| Violence with injury | 2,919 | 6.9 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 3,976 | 9.4 | Down 2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 4,365 | 10.4 | Down 4% |
| Sexual offences | 1,371 | 3.3 | Up 4% |
| Shoplifting | 1,934 | 4.6 | Down 14% |
| Bicycle theft | 175 | 0.42 | Down 19% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 63 | 0.15 | Down 16% |
| Drug dealing | 344 | 0.82 | Up 147% |
| Drug possession | 1,088 | 2.6 | Up 40% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Cheshire Police area: 487 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (567 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Cheshire East.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Cheshire East, 13% 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) | 12,454 | 11% | 10% | 62% | 10% | 7% |
| Public order | 2,911 | 11% | 5% | 51% | 29% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 1,932 | 28% | 7% | 11% | 50% | 3% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,838 | 8% | 7% | 27% | 55% | 3% |
| Other theft | 1,667 | 3% | 3% | 27% | 62% | 5% |
| Drugs | 1,055 | 34% | 45% | 11% | 6% | 3% |
| Burglary | 949 | 9% | 1% | 19% | 66% | 6% |
| Other crime | 761 | 20% | 3% | 52% | 16% | 9% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 731 | 8% | 1% | 11% | 75% | 5% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 282 | 33% | 6% | 49% | 8% | 5% |
| Bicycle theft | 191 | 6% | 3% | 9% | 77% | 4% |
| Robbery | 128 | 14% | 2% | 44% | 33% | 8% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 75 | 7% | 0% | 20% | 64% | 9% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 6% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Cheshire East
Postcode districts in Cheshire East
Questions about crime in Cheshire East
- Is Cheshire East a safe place to live?
- Cheshire East scores 6 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Cheshire East?
- Up 17% over 5 years, from 21,852 recorded crimes a year to 25,506.
- What is the most common crime in Cheshire East?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 26 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Cheshire East?
- In Cheshire East, 13% 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 Cheshire East?
- Of 949 burglaries reported in Cheshire East between September 2024 and August 2025, 9% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 66% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Cheshire East?
- In Cheshire East, the police recorded 295 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.7 per 1,000 residents, down 2% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Cheshire East?
- 1,236 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Cheshire East in 2025/26, 2.9 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Cheshire East last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Cheshire East in 2025/26, against 0 the year before.