Crime in Shropshire
Recorded crime in Shropshire is 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 10%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
332,455 residents in 198 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 6/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 4.5/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −10%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 10% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Shropshire, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the England and Wales average. 52 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 67% of the harm here
- Burglary: 16% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 67% 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: 19 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 | 3.6 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 23.1 |
| Drugs | 1.3 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 1.1 |
| Other theft | 4.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.7 |
| Public order | 3.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.5 |
| Shoplifting | 4.4 |
What crimes are recorded in Shropshire
47.5 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Shropshire in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 16,653. Home Office recorded crime: 15,799 (5% 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 | 256 | 0.77 | Down 25% |
| Cars broken into | 193 | 0.58 | Down 10% |
| Vehicle tampering | 66 | 0.20 | Down 31% |
| Vandalism to homes | 387 | 1.2 | Down 3% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 154 | 0.46 | Down 35% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 503 | 1.5 | Down 2% |
| Arson | 73 | 0.22 | Up 9% |
| Burglary of homes | 328 | 0.99 | Down 3% |
| Burglary of businesses | 240 | 0.72 | Down 8% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 4 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 83 | 0.25 | Down 13% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 89 | 0.27 | Down 14% |
| Robbery of people | 66 | 0.20 | Down 11% |
| Robbery of businesses | 58 | 0.17 | Up 383% |
| Violence with injury | 1,918 | 5.8 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 2,515 | 7.6 | About the same |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,493 | 7.5 | Up 13% |
| Sexual offences | 863 | 2.6 | Up 15% |
| Shoplifting | 1,374 | 4.1 | Down 26% |
| Bicycle theft | 157 | 0.47 | Down 2% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 48 | 0.14 | Down 32% |
| Drug dealing | 204 | 0.61 | About the same |
| Drug possession | 270 | 0.81 | Up 48% |
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.
West Mercia Police area: 647 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (648 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Shropshire.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Shropshire, 7% 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) | 8,101 | 5% | 2% | 76% | 9% | 9% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,729 | 4% | 3% | 39% | 50% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 1,628 | 24% | 2% | 24% | 47% | 3% |
| Public order | 1,382 | 4% | 2% | 64% | 24% | 7% |
| Other theft | 1,360 | 1% | 1% | 38% | 54% | 5% |
| Burglary | 761 | 5% | 1% | 21% | 70% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 627 | 3% | 1% | 18% | 75% | 4% |
| Other crime | 469 | 9% | 1% | 59% | 10% | 21% |
| Drugs | 436 | 17% | 18% | 25% | 18% | 22% |
| Bicycle theft | 214 | 2% | 0% | 17% | 77% | 4% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 187 | 18% | 5% | 55% | 5% | 17% |
| Robbery | 107 | 14% | 0% | 55% | 26% | 5% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 83 | 1% | 1% | 34% | 55% | 8% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Shropshire
Postcode districts in Shropshire
Questions about crime in Shropshire
- Is Shropshire a safe place to live?
- Shropshire 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 Shropshire?
- Down 10% over 5 years, from 18,614 recorded crimes a year to 16,688.
- What is the most common crime in Shropshire?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 23 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Shropshire?
- In Shropshire, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 28% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Shropshire?
- Of 761 burglaries reported in Shropshire between September 2024 and August 2025, 5% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 70% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Shropshire?
- In Shropshire, the police recorded 256 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.8 per 1,000 residents, down 25% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Shropshire?
- 1,044 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Shropshire in 2025/26, 3.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Shropshire last year?
- 4 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Shropshire in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.