Crime in the United Kingdom

Responsibility for crime in England and Wales is split between the Home Office, the government department responsible for reducing and preventing crime,[1] along with law enforcement in the United Kingdom; and the Ministry of Justice, which runs the Justice system, including its courts and prisons.

[4] As of January 2018 police figures have shown a sharp increase in violent crime and sex offences rates over the last few years.

[6][7][8][9] In January 2025, the UK announced to introduce a groundbreaking sanctions regime targeting people smugglers, aiming to disrupt criminal networks behind Channel crossings.

The plan was announced by David Lammy, which included measures like asset freezes and travel bans, supported by Labour's £150 million-funded Border Security Command to enhance surveillance and intelligence.

Priti Patel criticized the government for abandoning the Rwanda deportation scheme and questioned its effectiveness in tackling illegal migration.

Furthermore, even if the magistrates retain the jurisdiction of an offence, the defendant has the right to elect for a Crown Court trial by jury.

[13] Among the differences with common law legal systems are that juries in Scotland have 15 members, and only need a simple majority in order to give a verdict.

[citation needed] Crime in London was the highest in England and Wales in 2009 (111 per 1000 of the population), followed by Greater Manchester (101 per 1000).

[22] Between April 2008 and 2009, there were just over 110,000 crimes recorded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, an increase of 1.5% on the previous year.

While only a few people may have been able to attend a trial or an execution, these stories allowed for the entertainment of such events to be extended to a much greater population.

[26] These real crime stories depicted the gruesome details of criminal acts, trials and executions with the intent to "articulate a particular set of values, inculcate a certain behavioral model and bolster a social order perceived as threatened".

They stressed the idea of learning from others wrongdoings to the extent that they would place warnings within the epitaphs of executed criminals.

For example, the epitaph of John Smith, a highway thief and murderer, said: "thereto remain, a Terrour to affright All wicked Men that do in Sins delight... this is the Reason, and the Cause that they May Warning take.

"[27] The epitaph ends with the Latin phrase Faelix quem faciunt aliena pericula cantum, which means "fortunate the man who learns caution from the perils of others".

Because of this it has been observed that the rise of hate crime is correlated to certain events; such as the EU referendum (2016) and the terrorist attacks (2017).