England's most dangerous towns and cities have been named in a new ranking that compares overall offences and populations. The analysis reveals where residents are statistically most likely to witness or become victims of crime.
Birmingham's Surprising Position
Despite the West Midlands' reputation for crime, only Birmingham made the national top 20, coming in at 16th place out of 276 areas. This is much lower than many might expect, given headlines often dominated by stabbings and shootings. The ranking shows that Birmingham's huge population is at least partially responsible for its crime problems, along with other factors like poverty and deprivation.
Black Country Areas Outside Top 50
In a pleasant surprise for the Midlands, no Black Country area made the top 50 for England's most dangerous areas. Sandwell ranked 54th, Wolverhampton 61st, and Walsall 69th. Coventry is down in 75th, while Solihull is 104th. Dudley borough, with its more affluent edges, was further down in 123rd place.
National Top 10 Dominated by Northern England
The national top 10 was dominated by areas in the north of England. Nottingham was the only place in the Midlands to make the top 10, in seventh place. Blackpool has now overtaken Middlesbrough to become the most dangerous place in England.
East Midlands Worse Than West Midlands Outside Birmingham
Outside of Birmingham, crime is worse in the East Midlands, the data showed. Derby is in 20th place, Stoke-on-Trent and Gloucester are joint 24th, and Leicester is 38th.
The analysis compared towns and cities based on the number of offences relative to population, providing more context about how much crime an area suffers. Bigger cities will always be higher in total offences alone, but the per capita ranking offers a fairer comparison.
