Cheshire continues to be the safest place in the north west figures reveal

More offenders than ever are being brought to justice by Cheshire Constabulary as reports show the force ranks top in the country for securing charges and decreasing crime.

The National Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables, which show the rate of crime outcomes applied in each police force area, were updated on Thursday 22 October.

The Home Office data shows that for the 12 months to March 2026 Cheshire Constabulary has achieved the highest charge rate for all crime in England and Wales.

In addition, the force has also scored the highest charge rates in the following areas:

• Sexual Offences
• Violence Against the Person
• Stalking and Harassment
• Burglary

Cheshire Constabulary also ranks second in the country for vehicle crime, third for shoplifting, fifth for rape offences and sixth for robbery.

A further report released on Thursday 22 October has shown that Cheshire remains one of the safest counties in the UK, with significant reductions across the board when it comes to a range of offences, including:

• 12% reduction in residential burglaries
• 2% in other burglary offences
• 8% reduction in bike thefts
• 7% reduction in stalking and harassment offences
• 5% reduction in cases of theft from a person
• A further 1% reduction in shoplifting offences

Overall, crime across the county has also decreased a further 1%, continuing a four-year trend of crime declining in Cheshire.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts QPM said: “Cheshire Constabulary is continuing to be a leading example of how policing should be done, not just in the Northwest, but nationally. It fills me with an enormous sense of pride to see the efforts of our officers and staff reflected in these nationally released figures. My thanks, as always, goes to them for their great work.

“It is their vital contributions to protecting and serving the good people of our county that has resulted in Cheshire sitting at the top of the table for driving down the number of multiple major crime types and securing charges against those who are foolish enough to think they can get away with it.

“Crimes such as residential burglaries, shoplifting and bike thefts, all of which are seen as growing issues nationally, are being robustly dealt with and the efforts of your local policing teams are sending a clear message that these offences will not be tolerated anywhere in Cheshire.

“Not only this, but we are continuing to lead the way in the protection of vulnerable people, with the force ranking at the top in charging offenders involved in stalking and harassment cases as well as getting justice for victims of sexual offences.

“The Constabulary is also working hard to charge suspects involved in rape and serious sexual offences, ahead of 41 other English and Welsh forces – we will do all we can to ensure charges for these offences remain high as we move into 2027 and beyond.

“As I approach my retirement in November, I am incredibly proud to be finishing my 33-years in policing in a force that is performing so strongly in tackling the biggest issues that matter the most to its residents. We work around the clock, 365 days a year to help them feel safe, bring bad people to justice and, most importantly, keep Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals.”