1. Recent updates
We are continuing to improve how we collect and present crime data to more effectively meet users' needs and provide the best overview of crime using all available sources. Over the past year, we have made several important updates:
improved our quarterly crime bulletins by making the main points and overall statistical narrative clearer, based on feedback from our Crime statistics presentation and communication review: October 2024
reorganised our data tables to make them easier to use:
national-level data are now available in the Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables
local-level data by police force area and community safety partnership are now available in the Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables
following an independent review by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) regained its accredited official statistics status in October 2024; the CSEW remains the most reliable source for tracking long-term crime trends among the household population
evaluated and implemented new domestic abuse questions, which provide a more accurate measure; estimates from these questions are now our official figures from the year ending March 2024 onwards
completed development and testing of new CSEW questions on sexual victimisation
produced the first combined measure of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking, supporting the Government's ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade
performed a comprehensive analysis comparing crime rates from face-to-face and telephone interviews; our results will be published later this year
advanced our plans for online data collection, including developing and testing new CSEW modules for self-completion; a field test is planned for Autumn 2025
moved forward with plans to launch a new online survey to replace the Children's Crime Survey for England and Wales (CCSEW), subject to funding
continued development of a new Safety During Childhood Survey to measure the prevalence of child abuse; this includes Collaboration between the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the NSPCC to deliver the survey, material preparation, and operational planning; our initial pilot plans have been approved by both the National Statistician's Data Ethics Committee and the NSPCC Research Ethics Committee; more background is available in our feasibility of a survey measuring child abuse in the UK articles.
Publications from the past year
We have continued to publish regular bulletins and in-depth articles.
Bulletins:
Article:
Methodology articles:
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys2. Planned work for the next 12 months
Improving crime statistics presentation
Over the next year, we will continue to improve how we present crime statistics. This will include making changes to our statistical articles in line with improvements to the ONS website.
Data quality
In May 2024, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) published a review of The quality of police recorded crime statistics in England and Wales. In response, we released an Action plan outlining how we will improve the quality of these data and our understanding of them. As we carry out this plan and share our findings, we will continue to keep users informed with regular updates and supporting evidence.
In April 2025, the OSR also published a Review of fraud and computer misuse statistics for England and Wales. This review included several recommendations for improvements in non-survey data sources. We are now working closely with data providers to create a joint action plan to address these recommendations, which we aim to publish by the end of 2025.
We are monitoring response rates to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for any signs of non-response bias, where certain groups in the target population may be underrepresented in the results.
Additionally, we are reviewing how crime types are prioritised in the CSEW. In some instances, the current order no longer matches the Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) used for police recorded crime. We plan to publish an analysis of the effect of updating this priority order, aiming to align with the current HOCR from April 2026.
Crime Survey for England and Wales: data collection
We have been exploring new ways to increase the number of interviews in the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). One approach tested was a panel design, where people who took part in the survey once were invited to take part again each year by telephone. We have been conducting a thorough analysis by comparing results from face-to-face and telephone interviews, including a review by the University of Southampton. A research update will be published soon.
We intend to investigate if the CSEW can be completed online, and how effectively components of the CSEW can be completed. We have developed a prototype online crime screener, which will undergo testing this year to ensure it works effectively. We also plan to run a first field test to see whether an online-first approach could be effective, or whether an online screener could be used as part of a panel design.
We are currently prioritising the development of online modules covering topics important to the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, in support of the Safer Streets Mission.
We consulted with users on a programme of work to update and enhance the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) in 2022. An update to our Consultation response: Redesign of the Crime Survey for England and Wales will be published on 8 August 2025.
Violence against women and girls
We have developed a new combined measure of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking using data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). This is the main measure for monitoring the Government's ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.
Not all respondents have been asked about every type of VAWG-related crime during the last two years because of extensive trialling of new domestic abuse questions on the CSEW. As a result, we have had to use innovative approaches to account for victims across multiple categories in this first combined measure. From summer 2026, we will be able to produce more accurate estimates using a direct method.
We concluded that new crime survey questions provide a better estimate of domestic abuse after extensive testing and evaluation this year. Therefore, these improved estimates will be used in the Domestic Abuse Compendium, which is due for publication in November. The Domestic Abuse Compendium will reflect the additional types of abuse and greater detail captured by the new questions. We plan to include data from victim support services and provide an update on our work to develop domestic abuse profiles this year.
We are also updating CSEW questions on sexual victimisation. The previous questions were removed in April 2025, and new ones will be introduced in October 2025. The first results are based on six months of data and will be available in summer 2026. A research update explaining how the new questions were developed will be published later this year.
As the new domestic abuse questions now include information on domestic stalking, we have updated the stalking module of the survey. Questions on domestic stalking have been removed from the stalking module and replaced with updated questions on non-domestic stalking from April 2025. Stalking estimates will be based on a combination of data from both sources for the year ending March 2026. We recognise that further improvements are needed in how we ask about stalking and harassment, and we plan to begin this work later in the year.
This year we will also publish a full Sexual victimisation release. This will include data from the survey years ending March 2023, March 2024, and March 2025.
Crimes against children
Following a successful pilot of the Young Person's Safety Survey (YPSS) last year, we have discontinued the Children's Crime Survey for England and Wales (CCSEW) from April 2025. This decision was made in response to a significant drop in response rates for the CCSEW after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To improve participation and data quality, we have redesigned the survey for online completion and rebranded it as the YPSS.
The first module of the new survey, if funding is agreed, is planned to launch in Autumn 2025. We are currently finalising the statistical design, which will draw participants from the NHS Patient Demographic Service (PDS) and the English School Census. Based on feedback from user testing, we have updated YPSS questions on weapon carrying to enhance the reliability of the data collected. Additional topics in this module include online behaviours and wellbeing.
Over the coming year, our focus will be on collecting and analysing data from this first module. We will simultaneously begin developing the second module, which will include updated measures on crime victimisation and bullying.
In parallel, we are continuing to develop the Safety During Childhood Survey, which aims to measure the prevalence of child abuse. Two pilot studies are planned for this year. These studies include:
a school-based pilot for young people aged 12 to 16, conducted in classroom settings.
an online pilot for individuals aged 16 to 25 who are no longer in school, completed independently.
3. Cite this methodology
Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 28 July 2025, ONS website, methodology, Improving crime statistics for England and Wales – progress update July 2025