Crime in St Helens
Recorded crime in St Helens is 2.1 times the St. Helens average and 2.3 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 26%. 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 St Helens: about 21,218 residents in 24 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Living
- 7.5/10Good
- 5-year change
- −26%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 2.1×the St. Helens average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of St Helens.
Crime over 5 years
Down 26% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of St Helens, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 2.1× the St. Helens average (2.3× the England and Wales average). 194 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 66% of the harm here
- Burglary: 10% of the harm here
- Drugs: 9% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 66% 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: 38 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in St. Helens (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole St. Helens council area, not only St Helens. 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 | 1.3 | Down 12% |
| Cars broken into | 289 | 1.5 | Up 8% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,186 | 6.3 | Up 13% |
| Burglary of homes | 241 | 1.3 | Down 15% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in WA10
In WA10, the postcode district at the centre of St Helens, 15% 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) | 2,030 | 11% | 3% | 71% | 13% | 2% |
| Public order | 598 | 15% | 2% | 52% | 30% | 1% |
| Drugs | 449 | 32% | 49% | 18% | 0% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 374 | 8% | 2% | 29% | 60% | 0% |
| Shoplifting | 372 | 22% | 2% | 15% | 61% | 0% |
| Other theft | 273 | 3% | 0% | 29% | 66% | 2% |
| Burglary | 163 | 14% | 0% | 23% | 61% | 2% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 121 | 7% | 1% | 14% | 78% | 1% |
| Other crime | 115 | 17% | 3% | 62% | 15% | 3% |
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 | 1.5 |
| Burglary | 8.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 79.2 |
| Drugs | 14.8 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 2.0 |
| Other crime | 4.2 |
| Other theft | 11.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2.1 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.4 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 20.2 |
| Public order | 24.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.0 |
| Shoplifting | 17.1 |
Postcode districts in St Helens
Nearby towns
Council: St. Helens
Questions about crime in St Helens
- Is St Helens a safe place to live?
- St Helens scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 2.1 times the St. Helens average.
- Is crime going up or down in St Helens?
- Down 26% over 5 years, from 5,259 recorded crimes a year to 3,879.
- What is the most common crime in St Helens?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 79 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in St Helens compare with St. Helens?
- Crime severity in St Helens is 2.1 times the St. Helens average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in St Helens?
- In WA10, the postcode district at the centre of St Helens, 15% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 29% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in St Helens?
- Of 163 burglaries reported in WA10, the postcode district at the centre of St Helens between September 2024 and August 2025, 14% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 61% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in St Helens?
- In St. Helens, the council area St Helens is in, the police recorded 246 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.3 per 1,000 residents, down 12% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in St Helens?
- 1,186 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in St. Helens, the council area St Helens is in, 6.3 per 1,000 residents, 1.3 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in St Helens last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in St. Helens, the council area St Helens is in, against 2 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.