The Metropolitan Police recorded 11,798 stalking offences last year, up from 647 a decade ago. Blackpool has the highest stalking crime rate in England and Wales at 7.2 per 1,000 people.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of stalking victims are women. More than 90% of victims experience psychological impacts. Almost half of those contacting the Suzy Lamplugh Trust helpline reported being stalked by an ex-partner.
The number of stalking offences leading to charges at the Crown Prosecution Service increased from 2,305 in 2020-21 to 6,790 in 2024-25. A CPS spokesperson said that stalking offences charged by the CPS have more than doubled in the last five years and reached an all-time high last year. The spokesperson added that as more lives are lived online, the way stalkers offend is changing, and even when abuse is digital, the harm it causes for victims is very real. The CPS launched its first stalking action plan last month, specifically designed to tackle the evolving nature of the offence in the digital age, and is working with tech and trauma experts to equip prosecutors with the tools they need to deliver justice for as many victims as possible.
Jo Silver, interim CEO of SafeLives, described stalking as often part of domestic abuse, especially after a relationship has ended, and a clear warning sign that risk is escalating. She said technology is making abuse easier, allowing perpetrators to track, monitor and harass victims beyond physical spaces. Silver added that the rise in recorded offences likely reflects improved awareness and changes in how crimes are identified and recorded, but the response must keep pace.
Drugs offences recorded by police soared by nearly a fifth to more than 230,000 in a year. Recorded drug crime in England and Wales in 2025 was 230,783, the highest since 2011. Recorded drug trafficking offences hit just under 76,000, the highest on record.
Sex offences recorded by police climbed to a record level of 215,180 in the year, up 5% on 2024. Robbery hit the highest level for five years with 84,666 recorded offences.
Recorded shoplifting offences dipped by 1% to 509,566 incidents. Lucy Whing of the British Retail Consortium described retail theft as a significant challenge, with their own figures showing 5.5 million detected incidents last year. She said the ONS figures likely underestimate the issue but align with their data showing high levels of shoplifting, and noted the rise in organised crime is particularly worrying. Whing welcomed the Crime and Policing Bill, which will abolish the £200 threshold for low-level theft and create a specific offence for assaulting retail workers.
Total recorded crime (excluding fraud and computer offences) was down 2% to 5.24 million. The Crime Survey of England and Wales showed crime levels stable at 9.6 million incidents.