20 most violent areas of England and Wales revealed through crime data

The most violent city in England and Wales through crime data saw 760 violent crimes committed per 10,000 residents in 2022/23. New research shows the areas where more violent crimes were committed per population, according to the security experts at Get Licensed.

During the 2022/23 reporting year, England and Wales saw over 6.7 million criminal offences, and around two million were categorised as violent crimes. Get Licensed gathered crime data from the last two years across England and Wales to determine the most violent areas.

According to their research, with more than 760 crimes per 10,000 residents, Blackpool is the most violent area in England and Wales. That’s followed by Middlesbrough with 657.6 violent crimes per 10,000 residents.

The following rank reveals the areas across England and Wales with the highest violent crime rate over the last year.

1. Blackpool – 769.7 Violent Crimes per 10,000 Residents

Totalling nearly 770 violent crimes per 10,000 residents, Blackpool has seen more violent crimes than any other area in England and Wales. Known best for its amusement park, Pleasure Beach, this town has a rich history with tourists. Unfortunately, you may need to be careful if you have planned a trip here, as Blackpool witnessed nearly 11,000 violent crimes last year.

The top 10 England and Wales cities per violent crime

2. Middlesbrough – 657.6 Violent Crimes per 10,000 Residents

Middlesbrough has garnered a reputation over the last year for violent crimes, with over 650 offences per 10,000 residents since March 2022. From perpetrators threatening the use of violence to committing assault, over 9,400 cases of violent-related crimes have been reported in this English town.

3. Thanet – 621.5 Violent Crimes per 10,000 Residents

Thanet is completing the top three areas with the highest violent crime rate per 10,000 residents. Located in Kent, this government district has been responsible for over 8,700 violent crimes between March 2022 and March 2023, which equates to 621.5 crimes per 10,000 residents – the third highest of any location on our list.

Get Licensed says you won’t find an area with a lower violent crime rate than Richmond upon Thames, totalling 153.2 violent crimes per 10,000 residents From the most violent areas to the least, our following list shows the locations with the fewest number of violent crimes per 10,000 residents since March 2022.

1. Richmond upon Thames – 153.2 Violent Crimes per 10,000 Residents

With just over 153 violent crimes per 10,000 residents, Richmond upon Thames takes the top spot on our list. Despite having the fewest violent crimes per 10,000 residents, this London borough is still far from perfect in crime, as there have been almost 3,000 violent-related offences in the last year.

2. Wealden – 154.4 Violent Crimes per 10,000 Residents

Next up on our list of areas with the fewest violent crimes in England and Wales is Wealden. This district prides itself on protecting its rural landscape, and the residents here are equally as keen to protect each other, evidenced by the 154.4 violent crimes per 10,000 residents – the second lowest of all the entries on our ranking.

3. Ribble Valley – 156.7 Violent Crimes per 10,000 Residents

Ribble Valley falls shy of the second spot, with 156.7 violent crimes per 10,000 residents. Despite this English district having the lowest number of violent crime cases on our list, totalling 970, the area takes third place when the population is concerned.

Get Licensed used GOV.UK to find the following data for each local authority across England and Wales as of March 2023: annual number of violent crimes and the percentage change in violent crimes between 2021/22- 2022/23. By dividing the number of violent crimes by each area’s population and multiplying this by 10,000, we calculated the number of violent crimes per 10,000 residents.

They used UKCrimeStats to find the number of crimes committed per type per month for the following timeframes: September 2022 – August 2023 and August 2018.