Crime in Sefton
Recorded crime in Sefton is about the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 22%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
286,281 residents in 191 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.7/10Good
- 5-year change
- −22%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 22% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Sefton, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the England and Wales average. 78 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 65% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Drugs: 8% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 65% 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: 16 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 | 0.6 |
| Burglary | 4.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 33.6 |
| Drugs | 5.6 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 1.7 |
| Other theft | 4.8 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.5 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.9 |
| Public order | 8.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.1 |
| Shoplifting | 4.9 |
What crimes are recorded in Sefton
75.5 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Sefton in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 21,661. Home Office recorded crime: 21,616 (0% 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 | 246 | 0.86 | Down 18% |
| Cars broken into | 340 | 1.2 | Down 28% |
| Vehicle tampering | 80 | 0.28 | Down 34% |
| Vandalism to homes | 600 | 2.1 | Up 8% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 269 | 0.94 | Up 7% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 575 | 2.0 | Down 2% |
| Arson | 57 | 0.20 | Down 34% |
| Burglary of homes | 318 | 1.1 | Down 29% |
| Burglary of businesses | 155 | 0.54 | Down 28% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 90 | 0.31 | Up 18% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 98 | 0.34 | Up 31% |
| Robbery of people | 142 | 0.50 | Up 11% |
| Robbery of businesses | 75 | 0.26 | Up 178% |
| Violence with injury | 2,171 | 7.6 | Down 6% |
| Violence without injury | 4,243 | 14.8 | Up 2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,940 | 10.3 | About the same |
| Sexual offences | 836 | 2.9 | Up 10% |
| Shoplifting | 1,719 | 6.0 | Up 4% |
| Bicycle theft | 174 | 0.61 | Down 16% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 71 | 0.25 | Up 54% |
| Drug dealing | 231 | 0.81 | Down 18% |
| Drug possession | 1,413 | 4.9 | About the same |
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.
Merseyside Police area: 1,184 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,160 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Sefton.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Sefton, 12% 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) | 10,057 | 9% | 4% | 73% | 12% | 2% |
| Public order | 2,517 | 12% | 1% | 53% | 33% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,842 | 8% | 2% | 30% | 59% | 1% |
| Shoplifting | 1,740 | 20% | 1% | 16% | 62% | 0% |
| Drugs | 1,735 | 36% | 48% | 12% | 1% | 2% |
| Other theft | 1,165 | 2% | 2% | 28% | 67% | 1% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 774 | 5% | 0% | 13% | 81% | 1% |
| Burglary | 696 | 10% | 1% | 19% | 69% | 1% |
| Other crime | 541 | 15% | 3% | 61% | 16% | 6% |
| Bicycle theft | 203 | 5% | 0% | 12% | 78% | 5% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 200 | 47% | 5% | 29% | 9% | 12% |
| Robbery | 190 | 14% | 1% | 41% | 43% | 2% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 72 | 3% | 1% | 32% | 63% | 1% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 2% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Sefton
Postcode districts in Sefton
Questions about crime in Sefton
- Is Sefton a safe place to live?
- Sefton scores 4 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Sefton?
- Down 22% over 5 years, from 27,651 recorded crimes a year to 21,665.
- What is the most common crime in Sefton?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 34 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Sefton?
- In Sefton, 12% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 30% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Sefton?
- Of 696 burglaries reported in Sefton between September 2024 and August 2025, 10% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 69% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Sefton?
- In Sefton, the police recorded 246 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.9 per 1,000 residents, down 18% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Sefton?
- 1,444 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Sefton in 2025/26, 5.0 per 1,000 residents, about the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Sefton last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Sefton in 2025/26, against 3 the year before.