Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) on the extent and trends of illicit drug use.

In the 2024/25 reporting year, Merseyside Police reported ****drug offences per 1,000 population, the highest among police force areas of England and Wales in this year.

In 2024/25, there were around 203,950 drug offences in England and Wales, compared with 182,370 in the previous year. For the period between 2002/03 and the most recent reporting year, drug offences in England and Wales peaked in 2008/09, when there were approximately 243,540 offences. Since the peak in 2008/09, the number of drug offences has declined, with 2017/18 having the fewest number of offences in this provided time period. Cannabis involved in highest number of seizures In 2022/23, the police and border forces in England and Wales made approximately 140,370 seizures of cannabis, the most of any drug. By comparison, the next-most common drug, Cocaine, was seized by the police just 18,978 times. While the current government has no plans to legalize cannabis, approximately 32 percent of UK citizens surveyed in 2024 thought that the drug should be legal, with a further 24 percent supporting its decriminalization. Recent surveys also indicate that almost one in three people in England and Wales had used Cannabis at some point in their lives, despite it being illegal. Regional drug crime When broken down by individual police force areas, Merseyside Police, who cover the city of Liverpool, had the highest drug crime rate in England and Wales, at 8.6 offences per 1,000 population. For the whole of England and Wales, the drug crime rate per 1,000 people was three, and was lowest in Dorset, where it was just 1.3. In terms of drug seizures, London was the region with the highest drug seizure rate in England and Wales in 2022/23 at 3,920 seizures per million people, followed by the North East of England at 3,832. By contrast, the West Midlands of England had the lowest of any region, with 1,545 seizures per million people in the same year.

Drug misuse, symptoms of common mental disorder and personal well-being in adults who reported being a victim of crime in the last year; data from the Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW), year ending March 2021.

In 2023/24 there were approximately 58,275 arrests for drug offences in England and Wales, compared with 60,705 in the previous year.

For the first time, this annual statistical bulletin presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. The topics covered include: prevalence of drug misuse, including the types of drugs used trends in drug misuse over recent years patterns of drug misuse among different groups of the population, including 'vulnerable groups' european comparisons of drug misuse drugs and crime health outcomes related to drug misuse including hospital admissions, drug treatment and deaths related to drug misuse. The bulletin also summarises Government plans and targets in this area, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents.

This statistical report presents a range of information on drug use by adults and children drawn together from a variety of sources. It focuses on England only where possible although some statistics are only readily available at GB or UK level or for England and Wales combined. Some of this is new information whilst some has been published previously. More detail can be found in the source publications which contain a wider range of data and analysis. Newly published data includes: Analyses from NHS Digital Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The latest information from already published sources includes data from: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) on deaths related to drug misuse. National drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS). Crime survey for England and Wales (CSEW). Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS), Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use (SDD). What About Youth (WAY).

This release presents data on self-reported drink and drug driving, from the Home Office's Crime Survey for England and Wales, in which repsondents are asked whether they have driven under the influence of illegal drugs or whilst over the legal alcohol limit. Usually published as a part of the DfT's Annual Report on Reported Road Casualties if available in time.

Source agency: Transport

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Self-reported drink and drug driving: Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales

The Arrestee Survey, 2003-2006, was the first nationally representative survey of drugs and crime among the population of individuals representing arrest events in England and Wales. The survey aimed to provide information on a range of areas within the drugs and crime nexus, including the prevalence of problematic drug misuse among respondents representing arrest events; drug and/or alcohol consumption; availability of drugs; levels of demand (met and/or unmet) for drug and alcohol treatment services among respondents; levels of intravenous drug use among respondents; and gang membership.

The objectives of the survey were to provide the following:

• measurement of the prevalence and change in problematic drug misuse among a sample of individuals representing arrest events in England and Wales
• information to allow monitoring of drug use within drug-using groups that are likely to be under-represented in household surveys
• individual-level data for the purpose of researching the behavioural links between drug and/or alcohol consumption and criminal offences leading to arrest
• a means to estimate the level of demand (met and/or unmet) for treatment services among the problematic drug/alcohol user population
• monitoring information on the level of intravenous drug use among arrestees to better inform harm reduction programmes
• a means for routine collection of custody suite information for the purpose of analysing arrestee flows and the process of being in custody, and for analysing the characteristics and offending histories of individuals entering the Criminal Justice System (CJS)

Drug use statistics for adults and young people from the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Source agency: Home Office

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Drug misuse declared

When incidents happened, information about offenders, the victim’s perception of the incident, injuries sustained, use of weapons and if the offender was under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Annual data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks a sole adult in a random sample of households about their, or their household's, experience of crime victimisation in the previous 12 months. These are recorded in the victim form data file (VF). A wide range of questions are then asked, covering demographics and crime-related subjects such as attitudes to the police and the criminal justice system (CJS). These variables are contained within the non-victim form (NVF) data file. In 2009, the survey was extended to children aged 10-15 years old; one resident of that age range was also selected from the household and asked about their experience of crime and other related topics. The first set of children's data covered January-December 2009 and is held separately under SN 6601. From 2009-2010, the children's data cover the same period as the adult data and are included with the main study.The Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW) became operational on 20 May 2020. It was a replacement for the face-to-face CSEW, which was suspended on 17 March 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It was set up with the intention of measuring the level of crime during the pandemic. As the pandemic continued throughout the 2020/21 survey year, questions have been raised as to whether the year ending March 2021 TCSEW is comparable with estimates produced in earlier years by the face-to-face CSEW. The ONS Comparability between the Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales and the face-to-face Crime Survey for England and Wales report explores those factors that may have a bearing on the comparability of estimates between the TCSEW and the former CSEW. These include survey design, sample design, questionnaire changes and modal changes.More general information about the CSEW may be found on the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales web page and for the previous BCS, from the GOV.UK BCS Methodology web page.History - the British Crime SurveyThe CSEW was formerly known as the British Crime Survey (BCS), and has been in existence since 1981. The 1982 and 1988 BCS waves were also conducted in Scotland (data held separately under SNs 4368 and 4599). Since 1993, separate Scottish Crime and Justice Surveys have been conducted. Up to 2001, the BCS was conducted biennially. From April 2001, the Office for National Statistics took over the survey and it became the CSEW. Interviewing was then carried out continually and reported on in financial year cycles. The crime reference period was altered to accommodate this. Secure Access CSEW dataIn addition to the main survey, a series of questions covering drinking behaviour, drug use, self-offending, gangs and personal security, and intimate personal violence (IPV) (including stalking and sexual victimisation) are asked of adults via a laptop-based self-completion module (questions may vary over the years). Children aged 10-15 years also complete a separate self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaires are included in the main documentation, but the data are only available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7280), not with the main study. In addition, from 2011 onwards, lower-level geographic variables are also available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7311).New methodology for capping the number of incidents from 2017-18The CSEW datasets available from 2017-18 onwards are based on a new methodology of capping the number of incidents at the 98th percentile. Incidence variables names have remained consistent with previously supplied data but due to the fact they are based on the new 98th percentile cap, and old datasets are not, comparability has been lost with years prior to 2012-2013. More information can be found in the 2017-18 User Guide (see SN 8464) and the article ‘Improving victimisation estimates derived from the Crime Survey for England and Wales’. The fifth British Crime Survey in the series asked respondents about their experiences of crime over the previous 13 - 14 months. All respondents were queried on their experience of crime, including fear of crime. Type of area lived in and other demographic details were also gathered, as well as factual and attitudinal questions on crime-related topics. Those respondents who had been victims of crime during the reference period were also asked about each incident of crime. For the May 2000 edition of the 1994 dataset, some changes were made to the data and documentation, including the addition of a Training Guide. Main Topics: Topics covered included : the extent and nature of crime; fear of crime; attitudes to the police; contacts with the police; Neighbourhood Watch schemes; crime prevention; fires in the home; self-reported use of prohibited drugs; self-reported attitudes to the purchase of stolen goods; self-reported sexual victimisation against women. An additional ethnic boost sample of Asians and Afro-Caribbeans generated through focused enumeration - screening three addresses to the left and the right of main sample households. Multi-stage stratified random sample Face-to-face interview survey conducted using laptop computers (CAPI) 1994 ADOLESCENTS ADULTS ADVICE AGE ALCOHOL USE AMPHETAMINES ANABOLIC STEROIDS APARTMENTS ARREST ARSON ASIANS ASSAULT ATTITUDES BICYCLES BLACK PEOPLE BUILDINGS BURGLARY CANNABIS CAR PARKING AREAS CHILDREN CLOTHING CLUBS COCAINE COMBATIVE SPORTS COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS COMMUNITIES COMMUNITY BEHAVIOUR COMMUNITY IDENTIFIC... COMMUNITY SAFETY CONSUMER GOODS CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS COSTS CRIME AND SECURITY CRIME PREVENTION CRIME VICTIMS CRIMINAL DAMAGE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION CRIMINALS CULTURAL GOODS Crime and law enfor... DEBTS DISABILITIES DISEASES DOMESTIC RESPONSIBI... DOMESTIC SAFETY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DRUG ABUSE DRUG USE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC VALUE ECSTASY DRUG EDUCATIONAL INSTITU... ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT EMERGENCY AND PROTE... EMOTIONAL STATES EMPLOYEES EMPLOYERS EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT HISTORY EQUIPMENT ETHNIC CONFLICT ETHNIC GROUPS ETHNIC MINORITIES EVERYDAY LIFE EXPECTATION EXPOSURE TO NOISE England and Wales FAMILY MEMBERS FEAR OF CRIME FINANCIAL COMPENSATION FIRE FIRE DAMAGE FIRE FIGHTING SERVICES FIRE PROTECTION EQU... FRAUD FRIENDS FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT GARAGES GENDER GROUPS HARASSMENT HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD HEALTH HEROIN HOME BUYING HOME OWNERSHIP HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS HOUSEHOLD HEAD S EC... HOUSEHOLD HEAD S OC... HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING HOUSING CONDITIONS HOUSING TENURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR HUMAN SETTLEMENT INCOME INDUSTRIES INFORMATION INFORMATION MATERIALS INJURIES INSURANCE INSURANCE CLAIMS INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT INTERPERSONAL RELAT... INTRUDER ALARM SYSTEMS JOB DESCRIPTION JUDGMENTS LAW JUVENILE DELINQUENCY LANDLORDS LAW ENFORCEMENT LEAVE LEISURE TIME ACTIVI... LIGHTING LOCATION LOCKS LSD DRUG MANAGERS MARITAL STATUS MASS MEDIA COVERAGE MASS MEDIA USE MEDICAL CARE MEMBERSHIP MONEY MOTOR VEHICLES NEIGHBOURHOODS NEIGHBOURS NON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS OCCUPATIONS OFFENCES ORGANIZATIONS PART TIME EMPLOYMENT PATIENTS PAYMENTS PERSONAL FASHION GOODS PERSONAL IDENTIFICA... PERSONAL SAFETY PERSONALITY PHYSIOLOGICAL DEVEL... POLICE BRUTALITY POLICE COMMUNITY RE... POLICE CORRUPTION POLICE SERVICES POLICING PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS PUBLIC HOUSES PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC TRANSPORT PUNISHMENT PURCHASING QUALIFICATIONS QUALITY OF LIFE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION REFUSE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION RELIGIOUS ATTENDANCE RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS RELIGIOUS DISCRIMIN... RENTED ACCOMMODATION RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY RESPONSIBILITY RETIREMENT ROAD ACCIDENTS ROBBERY SATISFACTION SECURITY SYSTEMS SELF EMPLOYED SEXUAL ASSAULT SEXUAL HARASSMENT SEXUAL OFFENCES SHOPS SMOKING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES L... SOCIAL HOUSING SOCIAL PROBLEMS SOCIAL SUPPORT SOLVENT ABUSE SPORT SPORTS FACILITIES STREET LIGHTING STUDENTS SUPERVISORS Social behaviour an... TERRORISM THEFT THEFT PROTECTION TIED HOUSING TIME TRAFFIC OFFENCES TRANQUILLIZERS TRESPASS UNEMPLOYED UNEMPLOYMENT VAGRANTS VISITS PERSONAL VOLUNTARY WELFARE O... WAGES WITNESSES WOMEN WORKERS WORKPLACE YOUTH

This statistic shows the number of young people found guilty of drug offences in England and Wales in 2018/19, by age group. For the ages 15-17 there were ***** young offenders who were sentenced for such crimes.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS) (also sometimes known as the Crime and Justice Survey), was the first national longitudinal, self-report offending survey for England and Wales. The series began in 2003, the initial survey representing the first wave in a planned four-year rotating panel study, and ended with the 2006 wave. A longitudinal dataset based on the four years of the study was released in 2009 (held at the Archive under SN 6345). The OCJS was commissioned by the Home Office, with the overall objective of providing a solid base for measuring the prevalence of offending and drug use in the general population of England and Wales. The survey was developed in response to a significant gap in data on offending in the general population, as opposed to particular groups such as convicted offenders. A specific aim of the series was to monitor trends in offending among young people. The OCJS series was designed as a 'rotating panel' which means that in each subsequent year, part of the previous year's sample was re-interviewed, and was augmented by a further 'fresh' sample to ensure a cross-sectional representative sample of young people. The aim of this design was to fulfil two objectives: firstly, to provide a solid cross-sectional base from which to monitor year-on-year measures of offending, drug use, and contact with the CJS over the four-year tracking period (2003-2006); and secondly, to provide longitudinal insight into individual behaviour and attitudinal changes over time, and to enable the Home Office to identify temporal links between and within the key survey measures. The OCJS was managed by a team of researchers in the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate. The Home Office commissioned BMRB Social Research and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct the surveys jointly. Both organisations were involved in developing the surveys and, at each wave, the fieldwork was split between the two agencies. The longitudinal analysis of the OCJS, based on the four survey years, 2003-2006, aimed to describe the levels of change in offending behaviour, antisocial behaviour (ASB) and drug use within individuals. It also covered the timing of transitions into and out of offending, ASB and drug use. The analysis intended to:identify the most common ages for starting to offend and use illegal drugs, and the ages of desistancehelp to identify young people who are most at risk of offending and using drugsexplore the patterns of offending and drug use, including uptake and desistance among young peopleFurther information can be found in the user guide but users are also advised to consult the individual OCJS wave documentation. Main Topics: The Four-year Panel dataset comprises respondents who participated in all four waves of the OCJS between 2003 and 2006. The dataset includes: the derived offending, antisocial behaviour and drug use variables, derived risk factor variables and the original survey variables used in the derivation of the risk factors. The dataset also includes five cluster variables derived as a result of latent class analysis. The Paired Transitions dataset contains data for use in the analysis of 12-month transitions between two consecutive OCJS interviews. Each row in the data file represents a respondent who was interviewed at two consecutive waves of OCJS. Hence, respondents who had taken part in all waves appear three times in the dataset; with a separate record for each of the periods covered by waves one to two, waves two to three and waves three to four. Respondents did not need to have been involved in all waves to be included in the transitions data file, although they did need to have taken part in at least two consecutive interviews. Multi-stage stratified random sample Face-to-face interview Self-completion CAPI, ACASI and CASI used

This data shows the recored crime in England and Wales for 2010-11. Crimes are listed against the police force areas and are broken down into broad categories such as crimes against persons, burglary, sexual crimes (sexual assault, rape, exposure), fraud, drugs and robbery. This data was sourced from Home Office (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb1011/) and then manipulated in excel and joined with Police Force areas dataset from ShareGeo (http://hdl.handle.net/10672/313) in a GIS. Data is in shapefile format. GIS vector data. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2012-08-24 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.