Antisocial behaviour rises and household thefts surge by more than a fifth amid a wave of parcel theft - but homicides and knife offences fall

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 16:54, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 16:57, 23 July 2026 Antisocial behaviour rose last year while household thefts surged by more than a fifth amid a wave of parcel theft.  Nearly 41 per cent of people witnessed or suffered antisocial behaviour in the year to March, compared to around a third in the previous 12 months.  There was a 21 per cent spike in household theft - to around 791,000 incidents - because of an increase in the number of items stolen from outside homes.  Parcel theft is likely to be one factor behind the rise, with criminals increasingly targeting packages left on doorsteps by online couriers.  Figures for police-recorded crime collated by the Office of National Statistics for England and Wales also showed a four per cent rise in sexual offences.  Elsewhere the picture was more positive, with homicides down by seven per cent to 499 and knife offences and gun crime decreasing by eight per cent.  Some 176 knife homicides were logged by forces in 2025/26, down 14 per cent from 204 the previous 12 months and the lowest level for 35 years.  The drop in knife-related killings helped push the overall homicide total to 'the lowest level seen this century', the ONS said. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Crime and policing minister Sarah Jones said the figures showed the Government was 'turning the tide on the crimes that blight communities', but acknowledged that 'too many people still worry about crime on their high street'. Referring to the number of police-recorded shoplifting offences, which are down four per cent year on year, she added: 'After years of neglect, we are making a difference. 'This is what happens when retail crime is finally treated with the seriousness it deserves. 'Charges are up 19 per cent in the last year alone, and almost one in four shop theft offences now lead to a charge.' Police-recorded shoplifting fell by four per cent. But with more than half a million offences last year it remains higher than in 2023/24.  The ONS said reporting rates for shoplifting are 'known to be very low', adding that police are 'actively encouraging the reporting of all incidents and the submission of supporting evidence, such as CCTV, to strengthen intelligence, identify offenders, and link related offences'. The drop may reflect a change in the way shoplifting offences are recorded by police forces. A clarification issued to forces by the Home Office in April 2025 said that where someone has entered a retail premises, steals, then either uses or threatens violence against staff or other people, the offence should be recorded as robbery of business property, not shoplifting. This change may also account for the steep increase in offences classed as robbery of businesses, which have nearly doubled from 15,546 in 2024/25 to 29,669 in 2025/26. Overall, police forces recorded 5.24 million offences in England and Wales in 2025/26, excluding fraud and computer misuse, down one per cent from 5.31 million in 2024/25. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. The total is slightly below the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20 (5.30 million), but up from a decade earlier in 2015/16 (3.90 million). Increases in the number of offences over the last 10 years 'have been largely influenced by improvements in recording standards', the ONS said. As such, police-recorded crime 'is not considered a reliable indicator of overall crime trends'. Responding to the rise in antisocial behaviour, Ms Jones pointed to the national rollout of 'Respect Orders' - a new take on 'Asbos'.  The Government's 'respect orders' will be imposed on yobs by a civil court and breaches could lead to immediate arrest and a jail sentence. However, respect orders will be less wide-ranging than their predecessor - anti-social behaviour orders, or 'Asbos' – which were introduced by Tony Blair's government in 1998 and scrapped by the Coalition government in 2014. Asbos applied to anyone over the age of 10 and carried up to five years' imprisonment, but the new measure will only be imposed on adults and carry a maximum two-year term. Marcus Johnstone, a sex crimes specialist at PCD Solicitors, said he was 'not surprised' by the increase in reported sex offences and said it was partly down to a greater willingness among victims to come forward.  Separate figures from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales suggest people aged 16 and over experienced 9.62 million incidents of crime in 2025/26, with 'no statistically significant change' from 9.45 million in 2024/25. A parcel thief caught on Doorbell camera footage shared in a TV documentary  This is 14 per cent lower than the 11.22 million incidents in 2016/17, the earliest comparable year. The survey 'provides a reliable measure of crime trends for the population, and the offence types it covers' because it is not affected by police reporting or recording changes, the ONS added. It covers a range of personal and household victim-based crime, but does not include sexual offences, stalking, harassment and domestic abuse, which are presented separately. Billy Gazard of the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice said: 'While the crime survey paints a relatively stable picture, there has been an increase in theft from outside homes in the past year, as well as more victims reporting fraud. 'There has also been an increase in experiences of anti-social behaviour. 'Many aspects of police recorded crime have fallen – homicide is at the lowest level seen this century, with a decrease in knife homicides driving the fall in the past year. 'Gun crime is at levels last seen a decade ago, while knife crime is below pre-pandemic levels.' Chris Philp MP, Shadow Home Secretary, said: 'People do not feel safe on their own streets, and it is not hard to see why when crime is up by nearly 10 per cent under Labour. 'Labour have slashed the number of police officers, they are letting out dangerous criminals early, and are failing to back our communities. 'The Conservatives have a fully funded plan to clear up Labour's mess and deliver 10,000 extra police officers as part of a plan to take back our streets.'