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Crime & safety · Justice · England and Wales · 2025–26

What happens after a crime is reported?

Most recorded crimes never reach court. In 2025–26, 8.5% led to a charge or summons, up from a low of 5.6% in 2021–22; 38% were closed with no suspect identified. Separately, the Crown Court has 80,829 open cases, a record.

Evidence last reviewed 3 October 2026

How recorded crimes end

What happens to reported crimes?

8.5% of recorded crimes led to a charge — up from 5.6% in 2021–22, below 15.5% in 2014–15

Share of police-recorded offences (excluding fraud) in each year by outcome assigned by the time of first publication, England and Wales, 2014–15 to 2025–26.

England and Wales · 2014–15 to 2025–26

1996–2026 displayed window · observations only. Shading marks years outside the displayed record.

Per cent of recorded offencesNo observations shown0%20%40%60%20002010202037.8%24.5%8.5%
The charge rate fell by almost two-thirds between 2014–15 and 2021–22 and has recovered since, but most recorded crimes still end without one. 38% are closed because no suspect was identified, and 25% because the victim does not support further action — about 2.8 times its 2014–15 share.

England and Wales · 2014–15 to 2025–26 · Official statistics (not accredited)

Sources, definitions and data — 8.5% of recorded crimes led to a charge — up from 5.6% in 2021–22, below 15.5% in 2014–15
Geography:
England and Wales — Offences recorded by the police in the year (excluding fraud)
Measure:
Per cent of recorded offences
Period:
2014–15 to 2025–26
Status:
Official statistics (not accredited)
Calculation:
As published (Table 1.3). Three of the outcome groups; the others (out-of-court disposals, evidential difficulties with a supportive victim, not yet assigned and smaller categories) make up the rest.
Compare with:
2014–15, the first year of the current outcomes framework
Not included / breaks:
Measured a few months after the year ends, so some crimes are still under investigation and the latest charge rate is slightly understated. Better recording since 2014 added harder-to-solve offences to the base, which pulls the charge rate down for reasons other than performance.

Source: Home Office, Crime outcomes in England and Wales, year ending March 2026, Table 1.3 (released 23 July 2026). Chart CRIME-12.

View the data as a table
YearCharged/summonsedNo suspect identifiedVictim does not support action
2014–1515.5%48.9%8.7%
2015–1613.1%48.1%13.2%
2016–1711.2%47.7%16.7%
2017–189.1%47.5%20.0%
2018–197.8%44.4%22.6%
2019–207.0%43.1%24.2%
2020–217.3%36.4%26.3%
2021–225.6%36.4%26.5%
2022–235.7%39.3%26.7%
2023–246.4%40.2%24.9%
2024–257.3%39.0%25.1%
2025–268.5%37.8%24.5%

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

A charge rate is a share of recorded crime, so it falls when recording improves even if the police solve just as many cases: offences that used to go unrecorded, often violence with no clear suspect or a reluctant victim, joined the denominator after 2014. How much of the fall to 2021–22 this explains is not measured. The recovery since then leaves the rate well below where it started.

Fraud is not in these figures: the outcomes table excludes it, and fraud cases take far longer — see fraud and online harm.

The Crown Court queue

How long is the queue for court?

80,829 cases are open in the Crown Court, the most on record — more than double December 2019

Criminal cases open in the Crown Court at the end of each quarter, England and Wales, thousands, Mar 2016 to Jun 2026.

England and Wales · Mar 2016 to Jun 2026 (quarterly)

1996–2026 displayed window · observations only. Shading marks years outside the displayed record.

Thousand open casesNo observations shown0k50k100k20002010202080.8k
The caseload fell to the late 2010s, then rose through the pandemic and kept rising as more cases arrived than were completed. The April–June 2026 bulletin reported a median 445 days from charge to completion for defendants pleading not guilty to a jury. This dated duration measure is separate from the automatically refreshed caseload. The Leveson review describes delays on this scale as having devastating impacts on victims and defendants and eroding confidence in the system.

England and Wales · Mar 2016 to Jun 2026 (quarterly) · Accredited official statistics

Sources, definitions and data — 80,829 cases are open in the Crown Court, the most on record — more than double December 2019
Geography:
England and Wales
Measure:
Thousand open cases
Period:
Mar 2016 to Jun 2026 (quarterly)
Status:
Accredited official statistics
Calculation:
As published (Table C1, all cases: open). The back series was revised up by under 1% in the latest release.
Compare with:
December 2019, before the pandemic: 38,341
Not included / breaks:
The open caseload includes trials, sentencing hearings and appeals; it is never zero. Magistrates’ courts, where most criminal cases are dealt with, have their own caseload.

Source: Ministry of Justice, Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, Table C1 (released 24 September 2026). Chart CRIME-13.

View the data as a table
Quarter endOpen cases
Mar 201648,308
Jun 201644,916
Sep 201643,520
Dec 201643,170
Mar 201741,775
Jun 201741,185
Sep 201740,292
Dec 201739,082
Mar 201836,951
Jun 201835,753
Sep 201834,765
Dec 201833,188
Mar 201933,264
Jun 201934,388
Sep 201935,622
Dec 201938,341
Mar 202041,202
Jun 202043,403
Sep 202051,589
Dec 202057,378
Mar 202160,176
Jun 202161,218
Sep 202160,314
Dec 202159,008
Mar 202258,541
Jun 202259,867
Sep 202263,471
Dec 202263,142
Mar 202362,471
Jun 202365,068
Sep 202366,790
Dec 202367,599
Mar 202469,303
Jun 202471,184
Sep 202473,142
Dec 202474,472
Mar 202576,798
Jun 202578,226
Sep 202579,700
Dec 202580,462
Mar 202680,437
Jun 202680,829

For defendants who plead not guilty and face a jury, the median time from charge to completion was 445 days in April to June 2026, up from 389 a year earlier. Fraud has the highest share of cases open for a year or more (43%). The government’s Courts and Tribunals Bill would create a judge-only Bench Division for cases likely to bring three years or less, and let magistrates sentence up to 18 months; it was at Commons report stage in September 2026 and is compared as an option on the crime overview.

Police numbers

How many police officers are there?

145,886 officers: back above 2010, after falling to 122,405 in 2018

Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales, 31 March each year, thousands, 2003 to 2026.

England and Wales (43 territorial forces) · March 2003 to March 2026

1996–2026 displayed window · observations only. Shading marks years outside the displayed record.

Thousand officers (FTE)No observations shown0k50k100k150k200k200020102020145.9k
The 2019–2023 uplift programme restored officer numbers to about their 2010 level, with subsequent totals shown in the chart. Many are recent recruits — about 29% of officers had under five years’ service in March 2026 — which matters for complex investigations such as fraud.

England and Wales (43 territorial forces) · March 2003 to March 2026 · Accredited official statistics

Sources, definitions and data — 145,886 officers: back above 2010, after falling to 122,405 in 2018
Geography:
England and Wales (43 territorial forces)
Measure:
Thousand officers (FTE)
Period:
March 2003 to March 2026
Status:
Accredited official statistics
Calculation:
As published (Table H3).
Compare with:
March 2010: 143,734
Not included / breaks:
Not adjusted for population growth: similar officer totals need not mean similar officers per head. Excludes police staff, PCSOs and special constables. Officer numbers alone say nothing about investigative experience.

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2026, Table H3 (released 22 July 2026). Chart CRIME-14.

View the data as a table
31 MarchOfficers (FTE)
2003132,509
2004138,468
2005141,059
2006141,523
2007141,893
2008141,157
2009143,769
2010143,734
2011139,110
2012134,100
2013129,584
2014127,909
2015127,192
2016124,066
2017123,142
2018122,405
2019123,189
2020129,110
2021135,301
2022140,228
2023147,434
2024147,745
2025146,452
2026145,886

Officer numbers are an input, not an outcome. This page does not estimate how much officer numbers change crime — that depends on what officers are deployed to do — which is why the options on the overview are framed by harm — fraud, serious violence, court capacity — rather than by headcount. What would move the needle?

After sentence: safe custody and effective supervision

Clearing the court queue is only one part of justice. Prison capacity, treatment and community supervision determine what happens after a case ends.

Delivery and safety · England and Wales

A tag only protects people if the whole system works

The NAO’s July 2026 audit found gaps in monitoring, information and responses to breaches. Better supplier performance alone does not establish that the public is protected.

  1. A valid order reaches the service
  2. The person is monitored
  3. Police or probation respond to a breach
What this means, sources and limits

Expansion needs reliable records, timely fitting and a staffed response to breaches. Tag counts are an input; monitoring coverage, response times and subsequent harm are the tests. The audit does not estimate the crime prevented by an additional tag.

Process illustration; no effect sizes implied. National Audit Office: Electronic monitoring: improving resilience to meet increasing demand · 2026-07-10 · Conclusions.

The weakness in the UK SWOT →Related action and its limits →

Delivery and safety · England and Wales

More prison places do not by themselves deliver rehabilitation

The NAO reported that about half of people in prison had an identified drug problem in April 2025. Its February 2026 audit found that prison operations and health services were not consistently working together.

  1. Reduce drug supply
  2. Enable treatment and recovery
  3. Continue support after release
What this means, sources and limits

Security, treatment and recovery need to work together. The audit could not establish an overall value-for-money estimate; the prevalence figure is not an estimate of treatment effectiveness. Track access to treatment, continuity after release and harms alongside capacity.

Process illustration; no effect sizes implied. National Audit Office: The costs of tackling drug harms in prisons · 2026-02-04 · Background and conclusions.

The weakness in the UK SWOT →Related action and its limits →
Sources and methods (3)

Method notes

  • Outcomes are those assigned to offences recorded in the year, as first published; the latest year is slightly understated because some investigations are still open.
  • The Crown Court open caseload counts cases, not defendants, and includes sentencing hearings and appeals from magistrates’ courts.
  • Police officer numbers are full-time equivalents at 31 March, not adjusted for population.