Conservative response to crime statistics

Chris Philp MP, Shadow Home Secretary, said:

Crime is spiralling out of control under Labour. Record numbers of sexual offences, knife crime and shop theft show what happens when criminals know they can get away with it.  This is a direct consequence of Labour cutting police numbers by 2,000 and letting thousands of prisoners out of jail early.

Victims are being failed at every turn, with 92 per cent of crimes not being solved. Labour needs to stop making excuses and back the police to ensure criminals face consequences.

The Conservatives have a plan to take back our streets with 10,000 extra police officers, hotspot policing and tripling the stop and search to restore law and order and make sure crime has consequences.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• Sexual offences have reached the highest level on record under Labour, with the police now logging around 600 of them every single day. Police in England and Wales recorded 218,994 sexual offences in the year to June 2026, the highest annual total since the series began in 2002-03. In the year to June 2024, the twelve months before Labour took office, the figure stood at 193,815, so the total has risen by 13.0 per cent since the election, and it is up 3.9 per cent on 210,827 a year earlier. Sexual offences rose in 33 of the 43 police force areas over the past year. (ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables, year ending June 2026, 22 October 2026, Table A5a, link; Home Office, Crime outcomes in England and Wales, year to June 2026: data tables, 22 October 2026, Table 2.4, link; ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Police force area data tables, year ending June 2026, 22 October 2026, Table P2, link)

• Police are recording more rapes of women than at any point since records began, at a rate of around 142 every day. There were 51,731 recorded rapes of women aged 16 or over in the year to June 2026, the highest figure since the series began in 2004-05. In the year to June 2024, the twelve months before Labour took office, there were 46,862, which means the total has climbed by 10.4 per cent on Labour's watch, and it is up 3.7 per cent on 49,883 a year earlier. Recorded rapes of men aged 16 or over have also reached a record 4,177, up 21.2 per cent on 3,447 in the year to June 2024. (ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables, year ending June 2026, 22 October 2026, Table A5a, link; ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables, year ending June 2025, 23 October 2025, Table A5a,link)

• More people are being caught carrying knives and blades than at any point since records began.Police recorded 30,216 offences of possessing an article with a blade or point in the year to June 2026, the highest figure since the series began in 2008-09. That is up 8.8 per cent on 27,760 in the year to June 2024, the twelve months before Labour took office, and up 4.9 per cent on 28,803 a year earlier. All possession of weapons offences reached a record 63,732, up 10.2 per cent on 57,815 in the year to June 2024, and rose in 34 of the 43 police force areas over the past year. (ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables, year ending June 2026, 22 October 2026, Table A5a, link; ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables, year ending June 2025, 23 October 2025, Table A5a, link; Home Office, Crime outcomes in England and Wales, year to June 2026: data tables, 22 October 2026, Table 2.4, link; ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Police force area data tables, year ending June 2026, 22 October 2026, Table P2, link)

• Thefts and robberies from shops have reached a record high under Labour, with more than 1,500 recorded every single day. Police recorded 519,516 shoplifting offences and 31,089 robberies of business property in the year to June 2026, a combined 550,605 and the highest total since the series began in 2002-03. In the year to June 2024, the twelve months before Labour took office, the combined figure was 481,604 (469,617 shoplifting offences and 11,987 business robberies), so shop crime has risen by 14.3 per cent since the election. Shoplifting on its own is up 10.6 per cent over the same period. (ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables, year ending June 2026, 22 October 2026, Table A5a, link; Home Office, Crime outcomes in England and Wales, year to June 2026: data tables, 22 October 2026, Table 2.4, link)