Crime

This topic area covers statistics and information relating to crime in Hull including local strategic need and service provision. Further information can also be found within Domestic Abuse under Health and Wellbeing Influences.

This page contains information from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips. Information is taken ‘live’ from the site so uses the latest available data from Fingertips and displays it on this page. As a result, some comments on this page may relate to an earlier period of time until this page is next updated (see review dates at the end of this page).

Headlines

• Crime and the fear of crime can have a high impact on people’s mental wellbeing, but can also affects their families and community.
• There were an average of 3,821 recorded crimes and incidents of anti-social behaviour each month in Hull in 2018/19, but this decreased to 3,375 during 2020/21 due to fewer crimes reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers have since increased to an average of 3,493 per month for 2022/23.
• There has been an increase in violence and sexual offences and public order offences over the last five years. The number of incidents of anti-social behaviour peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic but has decreased since and is currently at the lowest reported levels in the last five years. Rate of theft, shoplifting and robbery were generally highest in 2018/19 and 2019/20, and decreased 2020/21 and 2021/22 (likely due to the pandemic), but have increased between 2021/22 and 2022/23 (likely due to the cost of living crisis).
• During 2022/23, violent and sexual offences account for 37% of all reported crimes and incidents of anti-social behaviour with public order (12%), criminal damage and arson (10%) and anti-social behaviour (10%) accounting for approximately a further one-third of the reported offences. Shoplifting, other theft, burglary, vehicle crime, bicycle theft, robbery and theft from a person accounted for just under one-third of all reported crimes and incidents of anti-social behaviour. Drug offences (1.0%), possession of weapons (0.6%) and other crime (2.4%) made up the remaining cases of reported crimes.
• Across Humberside Police Area (covering Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire), the rate per 1,000 of 16+ population of recorded domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes increased between 2015/16 and 2018/19, but has remained relatively stable since that peak; peaking in 2018/19 at 36.9, decreasing to 36.5 in 2019/20 and decreasing further again to 35.1 in 2021/22. During the same period rates in Yorkshire and the Humber, and England as a whole are increasing, however the rates remain lower than those recorded across the Humberside Police Area, with the 2021/22 rate for Yorkshire and the Humber being 36.2 and for England being 30.8 per 1,000 population.
• Whilst the hospital admissions for violence (including sexual violence) has decreased in Hull between 2009/10-2011/12 and 2016/17-2018/19, the rate has levelled off with only a slight decrease overall between 2016/17-2018/19 and 2018/19-2020/21. For the three year period 2018/19-2020/21, there were 485 admissions (averaging over 160 per year) for violence giving a rate of 60.0 admissions per 100,000 population.
• The rate of violent offences and sexual offences increased sharply between 2010/11 and 2018/19, and whilst the rate has levelled off or slightly decreased since then, it increased between 2020/21 and 2021/22. The rates are considerably higher than England. During 2021/22, there were 15,295 violent crimes (‘violence against the person’) and an additional 1,087 sexual offences reported (which excludes exposure and voyeurism).
• The city centre has the highest rate of crime (all crimes and anti-social behaviour incidents) per 1,000 resident population. This is not particularly surprising given the large increase in the non-resident population during the day as well as a substantial night time economy. Furthermore, it also has one of the highest concentrations of shops, parked cars and cycles, which increases the opportunities for crime. Some of the other areas of the city where the rates of crime and anti-social behaviour is relatively high also includes areas where shopping centres are located or areas with a night-time economy.
• In 2021, there were 671 first time offenders (aged 10+ years) in Hull equating to a rate of 298 per 100,000 population which was 80% higher than England (166). The rate has been decreasing in Hull since 2017 when the rate was 364 per 100,000 population. Whilst the percentage of offenders who re-offend within a year has decreased slightly between 2016/17 and 2019/20, the average number of offences per re-offender increased between 2016/17 and 2018/19, although there has been a decrease between 2018/19 and 2019/20. During 2019/20, 34.0% of offenders in Hull re-offended within a year compared to 25.4% for England, and these offenders committed an average of 4.44 re-offences in Hull compared to 3.74 re-offences in England.
• In 2021, there were 45 juveniles receiving their first conviction, caution or youth caution among 10-17 year olds in Hull. This equates to a rate of 192 first time entrants into the youth justice system per 100,000 population aged 10-17 years which is around one-third higher than England (147). The numbers have fallen sharply since 2010 and 2011 when they are were around 200 first time entrants into the youth justice system among 10-17 year olds. At its peak the rate was 924 per 100,000 population in 2011 so the rate has decreased considerably in Hull. During 2020/21, there were 87 young people aged 10-17 years who had previously been cautioned or had received a sentence.
• Some changes over time can be related to better recording and focus on different crimes (such as domestic abuse), and changes to recording methods and ways of working. Clearly, the impact of the COVID-19 with lockdowns, and changes to behaviour such as working at home, less social contact, closures and restrictions on pubs will have had an influence on the crime figures for 2020 and 2021.

The Population Affected – Why Is It Important?

Unsurprisingly, research has found that the effect of local crime rates does affect the mental wellbeing of residents. Crime causes considerable mental distress of residents, and these effects are mainly driven by property crime. However, there is also an effect due to violent crime.

The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (previously Public Health England) stated that individuals dependent on opioids and/or crack cocaine are responsible for an estimated 45% of acquisitive crime (shoplifting, burglary, vehicle crime and robbery), and around 40% of all violent crimes are alcohol-related. Social return on investment tools for drugs and alcohol make the case for investing in drug and alcohol treatment programmes to reduce overall crime and anti-social behaviour to reduce costs incurred by drug and alcohol issues to society and the economy.

The Hull Picture

Total Number Crimes and Types of Crimes

From Humberside Police data, there were 37,640 recorded crimes and a further 4,272 incidents of anti-social behaviour for the latest financial year 2022/23. There were fewer reported crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic with the lockdowns and changes to people’s behaviour, but more incidents of anti-social behaviour.

Financial year	Anti-social behaviour	All crimes	All crime and ASB
2018/19	6,412	39,439	45,851
2019/20	6,026	37,336	43,362
2020/21	6/975	33,519	40,494
2021/22	5,396	36,108	41,504
2022/23	4,272	37,640	41,912

There appears to be a strong correlation between crime and anti-social behaviour and the restrictions and lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021.  During the first COVID-19 lockdown, beginning in the last week of March 2020, levels of overall recorded crime (not including anti-social behaviour) decreased sharply, whilst records of anti-social behaviour increased. However, levels of overall crime steadily increased – in the main due to higher levels of violence and sexual offences which peaked in July 2020 with 1,475 for this crime type alone. Records of crime and anti-social behaviour decreased steadily from this peak, and with a second national lockdown being announced at the end of October 2020, remained on this downwards trend into the Christmas and New Year period and beyond, reaching their lowest point in February 2021. The rates then sharply increased, reaching pre-pandemic levels by April 2021. Although various restrictions and limits continued at different times, most legal limits on social contact were removed in England on 19 July 2021, and the final closed sectors of the economy reopened (e.g. nightclubs). Subsequently, from this point forwards levels of anti-social behaviour can be seen to decrease whilst records of overall crime begin to increase, although both crime and anti-social behaviour records decreased sharply once again over the Christmas and New Year period, before increasing to what would appear to be ‘usual’ levels in the early part of 2022, and this maintained throughout 2022 and the early part of 2023 with apparent seasonal variability.

Over the last five years, violence and sexual offences accounted for the greatest numbers of reported crimes with around 1,200 to 13,000 such crimes each month. Public order offences had the second highest monthly average followed by criminal damage and arson, and anti-social behavioural, although the patterns over time differed. There has been an increase in the reported number of violence and sexual offences and public order offences over the last five years, but a reduction over time for criminal damage. Reported cases of anti-social behaviour and drug offences peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since decreased to levels considerably lower than pre-pandemic levels. Levels of shoplifting were highest for 2018/19 and reduced considerably to almost half this rate for both 2020/21 and 2021/22, but have increased by just over one-third between 2021/22 and 2022/23 likely associated in part to the cost of living crisis. Other theft, burglary, vehicle crime, bicycle theft, robbery and theft from a person have also followed a similar pattern with the highest levels in 2018/19, lower levels for both 2020/21 and 2021/22 followed by an increase between 2021/22 and 2022/23. The numbers of offences related to possession of weapons are low, but was relatively content for the three years 2018/19 to 2020/21, with a reduction in 2021/22 and an increase to the highest levels in five years for the most recent year 2022/23. Other crimes include forgery, perjury and other miscellaneous crime (an eclectic grouping of offences, for example (but not limited to) bail offences, wildlife crime, dangerous driving and bigamy). 

Crime type (monthly average number)	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
Violence and sexual offences	1,184	1,182	1,205	1,317	1,279
Public order	296	325	373	390	413
Criminal damage and arson	424	416	340	386	362
Anti-social behaviour	534	502	581	450	356
Shoplifting	381	315	193	195	262
Other theft	255	216	174	191	221
Burglary	255	241	185	155	197
Vehicle crime	205	164	93	106	131
Bicycle theft	90	65	36	68	85
Drugs	46	47	60	47	35
Robbery	33	27	24	23	31
Possession of weapons	17	18	18	15	20
Theft from person	30	24	12	16	19
Other crime	72	71	79	99	83
Total	3,821	3,614	3,375	3,459	3,493

Whilst anti-social behaviour accounted for 17.3% of all recorded crime and anti-social behaviour in 2020/21, this decreased to 10.2% in 2022/23. Violence and sexual offences accounted for the greatest numbers of recorded crimes – more than one-third of all recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour incidents (36.6% in 2022/23). Public order accounted for one in eight of all recorded recorded crime and anti-social behaviour in 2022/23, and both criminal damage and arson, and anti-social behaviour accounted for one in ten of all incidents in 2022/23. Shoplifting, other theft, burglary, vehicle crime, bicycle theft, robbery and theft from a person accounted for just under one-third of all recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour incidents in 2018/19, but this was reduced to 27.1% for 2022/23.

Crime type	2018/19 (%)	2019/20 (%)	2020/21 (%)	2021/22 (%)	2022/23 (%)
Violence and sexual offences	31.0	32.7	35.7	38.1	36.6
Public order	7.7	9.0	11.1	11.3	11.8
Criminal damage and arson	11.1	11.5	10.1	11.2	10.4
Anti-social behaviour	14.0	13.9	17.2	13.0	10.2
Shoplifting	10.0	8.7	5.7	5.6	7.5
Other theft	6.7	6.0	5.2	5.5	6.3
Burglary	6.7	6.7	5.5	4.5	5.6
Vehicle crime	5.4	4.5	2.8	3.1	3.8
Bicycle theft	2.4	1.8	1.1	2.0	2.4
Drugs	1.2	1.3	1.8	1.4	1.0
Robbery	0.9	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.9
Possession of weapons	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.6
Theft from person	0.8	0.7	0.4	0.5	0.5
Other crime	1.9	2.0	2.3	2.9	2.4
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Domestic Abuse and Violent Crime

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Fingertips also presents information on the rate of domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes, and violent crime rates. For 2021/22, the rates of domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes was 14% higher in Hull compared to England. The same crime rate is given for Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire – local authorities are allocated the rate of the police force area within which they sit (in this case Humberside Police). It is highly likely that the rates will differ across the local authorities.

For the three year period 2017/18-2020/21, the hospital admission rate for violence was 42% higher in Hull compared to England.

For 2021/22, the rate of violent offences was around 70% higher in Hull compared to England, and the rate of sexual offences was around 40% higher in Hull.

The rate of domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes, and violent and sexual offence crimes are given as the number of crimes per 1,000 population, and the hospital admission rate is given as a directly standardised rate per 100,000 population (standardised to the European Standard Population). Further information can also be found within Domestic Abuse under Health and Wellbeing Influences. Violent crimes include all ‘violence against the person’ offences (and do not include sexual offences). The rate of sexual offences include all sexual offences except for exposure and voyeurism.

The rate of domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes have increased in recent years, and part of this increase might be attributed to better awareness and reporting, although rates have fallen slightly in the last three years between 2018/19 and 2021/22. Further information can be found within Domestic Abuse under Health and Wellbeing Influences.

Whilst the rate of hospital admissions due to violence has decreased since 2009/10-2011/12, the decreases have been mainly in the first four to five years, and there has been little change in the rate in the more recent years with the rate remaining around 65 per 100,00 population between 2014/15-2016/17 and 2017/18-2019/20, although the rate fell slightly to 60.0 admissions per 100,000 population for for 2018/19-2020/21.

Over the three year period 2018/19-2020/21, there were 485 hospital admissions resulting from violence.

The rate of violent offences has increased considerably over time with a levelling off between 2018/19 and 2020/21. However, the rate increased between 2020/21 and 2021/22. In 2021/22, there were 15,295 violence offences giving a rate of 59.0 per 1,000 population.

The number of sexual offences per 1,000 population followed a very similar pattern to violent offences, increasing sharply between 2010/11 and 2018/19. Whilst the rate fell between between 2018/19 and 2019/20 from 4.7 to 4.1 per 1,000 population, the rate has increased slightly since then.

In 2021/22, there were 1,087 sexual offences that had been reported giving a rate of 4.2 per 1,000 population.

Geographical Areas Most Affected By Crimes

The total number of crimes differ substantially across Hull. The information is available at lower layer super output area geographical level, and there are 168 such geographical areas in Hull (following the 2021 Census). The rates are given as the total number of crimes in 2022/23 per 1,000 residents. This gives a reasonable way to ‘standardised’ the number of crimes for most geographical areas. However, areas with higher daytime populations (people working or shopping in those geographical areas) and/or a vibrant night time economy, those with higher numbers of cars, cycles and shops will have higher rates of crime with the higher non-resident populations, as well as the higher number of vehicles and shops which could be targeted. This is the case with the city centre, and thus these areas have the highest levels of crime and anti-social behaviour reported.

The area with the highest rate crime and anti-social behaviour rate has a rate three times higher than any other lower layer super output area in Hull. The area covers Paragon Street, Jamison Street, King Edward Street, Prospect Street, Brook Street, Prospect shopping centre, Whitefriargate, some of Princes Quay shopping centre, Queen’s gardens, and most of the Old Town area of Hull down to the docks including Humber Street.

The area with the second highest crime date covers an area south of part of Holderness Road covering roads Craven Street North to Jesmond Gardens. The two areas with the next highest rates covers an area both sides of Freetown Way between Beverley Road in the west and Charles Street / Caroline Street in the east, from Baker Street in the south to Brunswick Avenue in the north, and covers an area in both St Andrew’s & Docklands ward and Newington & Gipsyville wards which includes most of Hessle Road and an area between Brighton Street in the west to Daltry Street in the east. This area also covers St Andrew’s Quay shopping centre. The next highest rate occurred in an area within West Carr ward which covers an area between Barnstable Road in the south, Honiston Road in the north, Holwell Road in the west and Wawne Road to the east. The next highest rates occur to the east of the city centre which covers Kingston Retail Park, Hull Paragon Interchange, most of Hull Royal Infirmary and parts of Princes Avenue as well as an area mainly in Newington & Gipsyville covering an area along Anlaby Road and covers the streets of Springfield Road, Northfield Road, Glencoe Street, White Street, and Airmyn Avenue as well as a shopping centre area.

Hull Data Observatory

Further information is also given for Hull on the Hull Data Observatory (opens a new window) which tends to provide more up-to-date information as it is automatically populated with new data.

The 12 month following rates for different types of crime generally show that Hull has higher rates of crime per 1,000 population compared to England and the Yorkshire and Humber region for violence and sexual offences, public order offences, criminal damage and arson, burglary, robbery, shoplifting and bicycle theft, lower rates for drugs and theft from a person, and similar rates or more variable rates for possession of weapons, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour. Some of these differences will be expected given that Hull is a city, and both England and the region include rural areas which generally have fewer crimes.

The Hull Data Observatory also includes the trends over time by crime type for each ward in Hull, and these differ considerably by ward and type of crime.

First-Time Offenders and Re-offending

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Fingertips presents information on the rate of first-time offenders, and re-offending. The number of first time offenders per 100,000 population for 2021, the percentage of offenders who re-offend within one year (or within a further six months to allow the offences to be proven in court), and the average number of re-offences per re-offender for 2019/20 are all substantially higher in Hull compared to England.

The rate of first time offenders in Hull is almost double that of England (80% higher), and the percentage of offenders who re-offend is around one-third higher in Hull compared to England whereas the average number of reoffences in Hull is around one-fifth higher in Hull compared to England.

The rate of first time offenders has been quite variable, but has generally been decreasing since 2014 (although the rate in 2015 was particularly low). The number of first time offenders decreased in 2020 – perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic – but increased slightly in 2021. Despite this increase, the rate in Hull is lower in 2021 than it was for 2019 and following a similar decreasing trajectory as it had been doing so since 2017.

In 2021, there were 671 first time offenders in Hull.

The percentage of offenders who re-offend within one year (or within a further six months to allow the offences to be proven in court) has shown a consistent decreasing trend in Hull between 2016/17 and 2019/20.

The average number of re-offences per re-offender increased in Hull between 2016/17 and 2018/19, but decreased between 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Youth Offending

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Fingertips also presents information on the rate of first time entrants into the youth justice system (per 100,000 population), as well as the rate of children aged 10-17 years who have been cautioned or sentenced per 1,000 population (i.e. who are in the youth justice system by age).

For 2021, the rate of first time entrants into the youth justice system was higher than England, as was the rate of young people aged 10-17 years in the youth justice system in Hull is 29% higher than England for 2020/21.

The first time entrants into the youth justice system included 10-17 year olds who receive their first reprimand, warning or youth caution per 100,000 population whereas the rate of 10-17 year olds within the youth justice system included those who have been cautioned or sentenced, so the two measures involve different measures and levels of severity.

Whilst the rate of first time entrants into the youth justice system have decreased in Hull, they have generally been consistently higher than England. However, for the last two years, whilst the rate in Hull has been slightly higher than England, the differece has not been statistically significantly higher as it has most of the years between 2010 and 2019.

The number of first time entrants into the youth justice system – currently at 45 young people aged 10-17 years – is less than one-quarter of that of the number in 2011 when it was 220 first time entrants into the youth justice system.

The rate of young people within the youth justice system in Hull decreased sharply between 2013/14 and 2015/16, and whilst the rate increased between 2015/16 and 2016/17, the rate has generally fallen since then.

Over the period 2013/14 to 2020/21, the rate of young people entering the youth justice system has been statistically significantly higher in Hull compared to England with the exception of 2015/16.

The rate decreased by 38% between 2019/20 and 2020/21 from 5.8 to 3.6 per 1,000 population aged 10-17 years. It is possible that the COVID-19 pandemic had an influence on this fall, although there was no additional decrease for either England or across the region (over and above the continuing falling trend).

For 2020/21, there were 87 young people aged 10-17 years who had previously received a caution or sentence.

Strategic Need and Service Provision

There are a number of initiatives and multi-agency work happening around domestic abuse, violence against women and girls, and responding to problems identified by communities.

The four key objectives in Hull’s Community Safety Partnership Strategy for 2022-25 are:

• reducing serious and violent crime;
• reducing the number of offenders and reoffenders;
• support for vulnerable people and victims of crime; and
• engaged and empowered communities.

The Police and Crime Plan for Humberside 2021-24 has three aims:

• Engaged, Resilient and Inclusive Communities;
• Safer Communities; and
• Effective Organisations.

Hull’s Alcohol and Drugs Partnership Strategy 2022-2025 is primarily focussed on preventing and reducing harm to individuals; however, it is well integrated with other relevant plans and strategies that reflect the full breadth of alcohol and drug related issues across Hull. Such strategies and plans include the Safer Hull plans and programme through Community Safety Partnership, the Humberside Police Drugs Strategy, and Safeguarding and Early Help Strategies. The Government’s 10 year drug strategy, From Harm to Hope (2022) focuses on reducing crime associated with drug use and also improved treatment. Social return on investment tools for drugs and alcohol make the case for investing in drug and alcohol treatment programmes to reduce overall crime and anti-social behaviour to reduce costs incurred by drug and alcohol issues to society and the economy.

People’s circumstances can often be improved by early help, and any early help and intervention for all families should be timely, accessible and appropriate for their circumstances. Hull’s Early Help and Prevention offer is focused on a whole family approach which aims to identify individuals and families with problems and brings together different services and agencies to collectively look at what support is needed and then work together to deliver the required support in a coordinated way. The framework outlines the approach to ensure that collaboration and alignment of services, and that early help may be ‘early in life or at the earliest opportunity’ which is also part of the day job, helpful, non-stigmatising, preventative, targeted and tailored.

The COVID-19 pandemic, associated lockdowns, and changes to working and social behaviour is likely to have changed the number and type of crimes reported. With pubs, nightclubs and restaurants closed or with restrictions placed up on them during the lockdowns, this would have affected alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour. However, other crimes have been more prevalent such as domestic abuse with an increased number of calls and referrals into domestic abuse services. Following sustained local and national campaigns, domestic abuse reports rose during the pandemic and at March 2022, the number of victims receiving support has been at the highest levels ever for the city.

Resources

Dustmann, C. and F. Fasani, The effect of local area crime on the mental health of residents.  www.ucl.ac.uk. 2012, University College London: London.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (formerly Public Health England). Police and Crime Commissioner support pack 2018-19: key drug and alcohol data: Summary of area data for Police and Crime Commissioners: Kingston upon Hull. London, 2017.

Data Police UK. https://data.police.uk/

Hull Data Observatory. https://data.hull.gov.uk/crime-and-community-safety/

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Fingertips: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/

Hull’s Community Safety Partnership Strategy for 2022-25. https://www.hull.gov.uk/crime-and-safety/community-crime-and-prevention/community-safety-partnership

Police and Crime Plan for Humberside 2021-24. https://www.humberside-pcc.gov.uk/Our-Work/Police-and-Crime-Plan.aspx

UK Government, 2022. From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/from-harm-to-hope-a-10-year-drugs-plan-to-cut-crime-and-save-lives

Hull City Council. Hull Alcohol and Drugs Partnership Strategy 2022-2025. https://www.hull.gov.uk/sites/hull/files/media/Editor%20-%20Public%20health/Hull%20Alcohol%20and%20Drugs%20Strategy%202022-2025.pdf

Updates

This page was last updated / checked on 4 September 2023.

This page is due to be updated / checked in April 2024.