Crime measured by survey has more than halved since 2010. Knife offences have not.
Crime measured by survey has more than halved since 2010 (9.54m to 4.33m incidents a year). Recorded knife offences have not — 48,774 in the latest year, above 2011's level. Both are true.
The claim
"Crime is falling" or "crime is soaring" — both circulate as if one number describes the whole picture.
What is true
Both directions are real for what they measure: the broad Crime Survey total genuinely more than halved, and recorded knife offences genuinely rose over the same span — neither figure is wrong, they answer different questions.
Put it in scale
4.33m
Crime Survey: more than halved
A fall of more than half over sixteen years — the public reporting what happened to them, whether or not it was reported to police.
48,774
Knife offences: higher than a decade ago
Up from 36,068 in 2011 (recording began that year) — down 8% on the year, but well above where the series started. Two recording-practice breaks (April 2019, April 2024) mean comparisons crossing either are not like-for-like.
What we know / don’t know
Would the same "more than halved" finding hold for every individual crime type, not just the survey total?
No — the Crime Survey total is a broad aggregate. Knife offences are one of several categories (alongside some fraud and sexual-offence categories) that have moved differently from the aggregate; this card does not claim every crime type followed the total.
The verdict
Overall crime, measured by survey, is far lower than in 2010. Knife offences specifically are not — both are true at once.
Every number on this card
| Figure | What it counts | Geography · period | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.54m | Crime Survey incidents, year to March 2010 | England and Wales · Year ending March 2010 | KNOWN | ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix Table A1a |
| 4.33m | Crime Survey incidents, year to March 2026A fall of more than half over sixteen years — the public reporting what happened to them, whether or not it was reported to police. | England and Wales · Year ending March 2026 | KNOWN | ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix Table A1a |
| 48,774 | Police-recorded knife offences, year to March 2026Up from 36,068 in 2011 (recording began that year) — down 8% on the year, but well above where the series started. Two recording-practice breaks (April 2019, April 2024) mean comparisons crossing either are not like-for-like. | England and Wales · Year ending March 2026 | KNOWN | ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Appendix Table B6a (including Greater Manchester) |
- Both series are England and Wales only — Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate collections on different definitions.
- The Crime Survey and police-recorded crime are different measures: the survey asks what happened to people (unaffected by reporting/recording changes), recorded crime is shaped by what is reported and how police log it.
Verified against primary sources: 2026-08-31.