REVEALED: The Most Common Crimes in each Region of the UK 

• Cyber fraud is most common in the Southwest of England, whereas arson and criminal damage are most common in the Northwest 
• London sees more vehicle theft, robbery and bank fraud than any other UK region 
• The East Midlands sees the second-highest number of fraud-related crimes. 
• Fraud is the most common crime across the UK as a whole  

The study by  A-Plan Insurance has discovered the most common type of crime in each region of the UK. The study analysed ONS data on the number and type of crimes committed between May 2020 and March 2021. 

London 

London has the highest rates of several different types of crime including vehicle-related theft, bicycle theft, robbery and fraud.  

It has more reports of Fraud than any other region of the UK and has seen double the rate of bank account fraud crimes than the Northwest of England. 10% of the population of London have been victims of this crime.  

Vehicle-related thefts are the second most common type of crime recorded in London with 8.83% having been victims of this. This is six times higher than the rate in Wales. 4.9% of London’s population in addition, reported bicycle theft in the time period measured. 

Northwest 

The Northwest sees the most criminal damage and arson reports, compared to the rest of the UK. Of its population, 3.5% have experienced this crime while the region also sees the second-highest levels of domestic burglary. 

The most reported crime in this region is fraud, with 6.8% of the population having reported this crime. 

The Northwest has the fewest thefts from vehicles reported compared to any other UK region at 0.04%. 

Northeast 

Consumer and retail fraud is reported more in the Northeast of England than any other region of the UK. It sees 3.68% of the population being victims of this crime. However, the most reported crime in the area is fraud at 8.15%. 

The Northeast saw one of the lowest accounts of Robbery whilst London had the highest number of reported accounts.  

Yorkshire and The Humber 

Yorkshire and The Humber have more reports of Domestic Burglary than any other region in the UK; 2.5% of the population are subject to this crime. The region saw one of the lowest reports of robbery between 2020 and 2021and it is also the safest area for computer virus related crimes, at 0.4%.  

West Midlands 

The West Midlands sees the second largest number of bicycle-related theft compared to the UK. 

Southwest 

Fraud related crimes include cyber, bank account and consumer. Cyber fraud is most common in the Southwest of the UK, with 5.6% of the population being subject to victims of this. 

Wales 

Wales has the lowest level of reported crimes for many factors including vehicle theft, theft from a vehicle, theft from a person, and fraud. London sees six times more vehicle-related thefts than Wales. 

Despite having the lowest number of reported fraud-related crimes in the UK, fraud is the most reported crime in Wales at 6.58%. 

Southeast 

The Southeast sees the fewest domestic burglary reports compared to any other UK region at 1.1%. However, computer misuse and hacking are reported the most in the southeast. 

The Southeast has seen three times more computer virus and hacking crimes than the Northeast. 

East Midlands 

The East Midlands has the lowest number of criminal damage and arson reports compared to the rest of the UK, as well as having one of the lowest rates of robbery. 

It sees the second-highest number of fraud-related crimes, coming in just below London with 8.9% of the population having been subject to this crime. 

 
East 

The East has the fewest reported crimes to do with consumer and retail fraud, half the number of the Northeast.  

A spokesperson from A-plan Insurance commented on the findings: “Protecting ourselves from crime is essential and this study offers a fascinating insight into the fact that the type of crime committed across the country varies by region. For example, Yorkshire and the Humber is the worst area for domestic burglary, while hacking is most prevalent in the Southeast. Fraud is reported massively more than any other crime, perhaps due to the pandemic and movement to online crime. The research also highlights that no area is free from crime and therefore we need to remain vigilant in all parts of our lives, whether we’re at home, out and about or online.” 

Each Crime and the regions with the Lowest/Highest reported crime rate
Crime	Area with lowest reported crimes	Area with highest reported crimes
Domestic Burglary	Southeast	Yorkshire and The Humber
Vehicle related theft	Wales	London
Bicycle theft	Wales	London
Criminal damage and arson	East Midlands	Northwest
Robbery	Northeast, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands	London
Fraud	Wales	London
Cyber Fraud	Wales	Southwest
Bank and credit account fraud	Northwest	London
Consumer and retail fraud	East	Northeast
Computer misuse	Wales	Southeast
Computer Virus	Yorkshire and The Humber	Southwest
Hacking	Wales	Southeast

The research was carried out by A-Plan Insurance, which has more than 100 high street branches nationwide. The company, established in the 1960s, provides a personalised service to more than 600,000 clients.