On 11 March, we were pleased to host the 2026 Crime Surveys User Conference in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Scottish Government. The conference featured updates from data producers and an insightful mix of presentations from researchers who have used data from UK crime surveys.
Mapping the crime landscape
Greg Rose, a Senior Research Officer at the ONS, started the event with an update on data and findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. In total, there were 9.3 million incidents of headline crime in the year ending September 2025, but the overall picture is of falling crime rates. As Greg noted, “there is a general downward trend of crimes being committed since the mid-1990s, when crime reached its peak in England and Wales.”
The findings showed decreasing rates of domestic burglary, vehicle-related theft, computer misuse and fraud compared to the previous year. However, there remain some key areas of concern. There was a rise in bank and credit account fraud, while 37.7% of those surveyed indicated they had personally experienced or witnessed anti-social behaviour in their local area.
Mark Bell, the Survey Manager for the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, gave an overview of crime trends in Scotland. Much like England and Wales, there has been a long-term decline in crime in Scotland. However, the latest survey covering 2023/24 found an increase in crime compared to the previous survey in 2021/22. There was also an increase in violent crime during the same period and some new trends in how these crimes are being committed.
Mark explained: “Overall, violent crime has fallen in the long-term, but what we are seeing now is the nature of violent crime changing in Scotland. The survey has picked up two significant new trends: an increase in violence taking place in the workplace, with an opposite fall in violent crimes taking place in public spaces, and an increase in violent crimes being committed by younger individuals, including those in schools.”
Transforming data collection
A major theme of the presentations was the modernisation of data collection. Catherine Grant, a Lead Analyst for the Crime Survey for England and Wales at the ONS, gave a comprehensive overview of future plans for the survey.
These include exploring how online data collection can be incorporated to combat lower response rates seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. An online sampling approach was tested at the end of 2025 and the results will be analysed over the next few months to determine the next steps.
Diverse research perspectives
The research sessions showcased the breadth of work being conducted using UK crime surveys. Presentations included new research on:
- The hidden victims of intimate partner and sexual violence.
- Conflicting trends in violent crime figures in England and Wales.
- Attitudes to crime and punishment in England and Wales.
- Online and offline stalking victimisation.
The day concluded with a session led by Sophie Gawryla from the UK Data Service Impact team on how crime survey data and research can drive social impact. If you’d like to read more about the event, material from each of the sessions is available via our dedicated event page.