Crime in Redditch can provide useful insight into what is happening across the local area, but the headline total does not always reveal the full picture.
Between January 2025 and January 2026, 8,289 crimes were recorded in Redditch, equivalent to approximately 638 recorded offences per month or around 21 per day.
Compared with the period from January 2024 to January 2025, total recorded crime increased by approximately 1.9%. However, individual categories moved in very different directions. Criminal damage and arson rose by almost 24%, burglary increased by more than 15%, while vehicle crime fell by more than 24%.
For residents, property owners and local businesses, the figures show a mixed picture rather than a simple story of crime uniformly rising or falling.
Key Point: Redditch recorded 8,289 crimes between January 2025 and January 2026, equivalent to around 21 recorded offences per day. Overall recorded crime rose by approximately 1.9%, while criminal damage and arson increased by 23.9% and burglary by 15.2%.
How Much Crime Was Recorded in Redditch?
The latest dataset shows:
- 8,289 total recorded crimes
- approximately 638 crimes per month
- approximately 21 crimes per day
The earlier period, from January 2024 to January 2025, recorded 8,132 crimes.
This means the latest period saw 157 additional recorded offences, representing an increase of approximately 1.9%.
On its own, that is a relatively modest change. The more noticeable movements appear when the figures are broken down by individual crime type.
What Were the Most Common Crimes in Redditch?
Violence and sexual offences were the largest recorded category during the latest period, followed by anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.
| Crime category | Recorded incidents | Share of total crime |
|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,232 | 39.0% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,358 | 16.4% |
| Shoplifting | 722 | 8.7% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 642 | 7.7% |
| Public order | 521 | 6.3% |
| Other theft | 468 | 5.6% |
| Vehicle crime | 414 | 5.0% |
| Burglary | 334 | 4.0% |
| Other crime | 186 | 2.2% |
| Drugs | 163 | 2.0% |
Violence and sexual offences accounted for approximately 39% of all recorded crime in Redditch during the period.
However, the largest category is not necessarily the most relevant to every person or organisation.
A resident may be more interested in burglary or vehicle crime. A retailer may focus on shoplifting. Property owners and businesses may pay closer attention to burglary, criminal damage, theft and anti-social behaviour.
The value of local crime statistics therefore depends partly on the type of risk being considered.
Has Crime Increased or Decreased in Redditch?
Overall recorded crime rose by approximately 1.9%, but the individual categories show a much more varied picture.
| Crime category | January 2024 to January 2025 | January 2025 to January 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,052 | 3,232 | +5.9% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,241 | 1,358 | +9.4% |
| Shoplifting | 829 | 722 | -12.9% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 518 | 642 | +23.9% |
| Public order | 583 | 521 | -10.6% |
| Other theft | 507 | 468 | -7.7% |
| Vehicle crime | 546 | 414 | -24.2% |
| Burglary | 290 | 334 | +15.2% |
| Drugs | 193 | 163 | -15.5% |
| Possession of weapons | 86 | 104 | +20.9% |
| Robbery | 47 | 79 | +68.1% |
The largest percentage increase shown was robbery, which rose from 47 to 79 recorded incidents. However, because the starting number was relatively low, a smaller numerical change produced a much larger percentage increase.
The broader picture is therefore more useful than any single percentage. Some crime types fell significantly, while others rose noticeably.
Criminal Damage and Arson Increased by Nearly 24%
One of the clearest changes in the Redditch data was the rise in criminal damage and arson.
Recorded incidents increased from 518 to 642, a rise of approximately 23.9%.
This category can cover a wide range of incidents and circumstances, so the figures should not be interpreted as though every offence involved the same severity or type of damage.
Even so, the increase is notable.
Criminal damage can affect homes, vehicles, public spaces, shops, industrial premises, vacant buildings and other property. For businesses and property owners, damage to doors, windows, gates, fencing, lighting or other infrastructure can also create additional problems if it leaves a property more exposed afterwards.
The increase of 124 recorded incidents makes criminal damage and arson one of the most significant movements in the latest local figures.
Burglary Rose by More Than 15%
Burglary increased from 290 recorded incidents to 334, representing a rise of approximately 15.2%.
That equates to 44 additional recorded burglary offences across the latest period.
The actual risk to an individual property will vary considerably depending on location, occupancy, access points, existing security, previous incidents and the type of premises involved.
A private home, warehouse, vacant property and construction site can all face different forms of exposure, even within the same wider area.
The Redditch-wide figure is therefore useful for understanding the broader trend, but it should not be treated as a precise measure of risk for every individual address.
Anti-Social Behaviour Also Increased
Anti-social behaviour rose from 1,241 incidents to 1,358, an increase of approximately 9.4%.
That made it the second-largest recorded category in Redditch during the latest period.
Anti-social behaviour can cover a broad range of incidents and does not necessarily involve theft, violence or criminal damage. However, repeated nuisance behaviour, unauthorised gatherings or recurring activity around particular locations can affect residents, businesses and property owners.
For some vacant or commercial premises, persistent activity around car parks, boundaries or unused buildings may also become a management concern, particularly where the same location experiences repeated incidents.
Vehicle Crime Fell by More Than 24%
Not all of the major movements were increases.
Vehicle crime fell from 546 incidents to 414, a reduction of approximately 24.2%.
That represents 132 fewer recorded incidents compared with the earlier period.
For residents and businesses operating fleets, depots, yards or car parks, this is a positive trend. However, more than 400 vehicle crime incidents were still recorded during the latest period.
The actual risk to an individual vehicle or site can still depend on factors such as location, parking arrangements, lighting, vehicle type and public accessibility.
A borough-wide decrease is encouraging, but it does not mean that every location faces the same level of risk.
Shoplifting Also Declined
Shoplifting fell from 829 incidents to 722, representing a decrease of approximately 12.9%.
Despite that reduction, shoplifting remained the third-largest recorded crime category in Redditch.
This illustrates an important point when interpreting crime statistics: a category can fall significantly while still accounting for a substantial number of incidents.
A decrease does not mean the issue has disappeared. It simply means fewer offences were recorded than during the earlier period used for comparison.
What Do the Figures Show About Crime in Redditch?
The overall picture is mixed.
Total recorded crime increased by approximately 1.9%, but the individual categories moved much more noticeably.
The clearest changes included:
- criminal damage and arson up 23.9%
- burglary up 15.2%
- anti-social behaviour up 9.4%
- vehicle crime down 24.2%
- shoplifting down 12.9%
- other theft down 7.7%
It would therefore be misleading to describe crime in Redditch simply as rising sharply or falling overall.
A more accurate conclusion is that the total number of recorded crimes remained relatively stable, while the composition of those offences changed.
That distinction matters because different crime categories have different implications for residents, retailers, motorists, property owners and businesses.
What Do the Figures Mean for Commercial Premises?
For commercial premises, some crime categories may be more directly relevant than others.
Burglary, criminal damage and arson, vehicle crime and theft can affect buildings, vehicles, stock, tools, equipment, materials and day-to-day operations.
The level of exposure can vary considerably between different types of premises. A warehouse may have concerns around stock, loading areas and external yards. Industrial sites may contain machinery, equipment or materials, while vacant buildings and construction sites can remain unoccupied for extended periods.
This does not mean that every business in Redditch requires additional security because a particular crime category has increased.
Local statistics provide context. The actual level of risk still depends on the individual site, its location, previous incidents, occupancy, assets and existing security measures.
Businesses reviewing their local risk can also find more information about security services in Redditch, including the types of commercial sites where additional on-site protection may be considered.
Where a commercial site has experienced repeated incidents or requires visible patrol presence and active on-site assessment, security dog handler services may form part of a wider security arrangement where justified by the actual level of risk.
Crime Statistics Do Not Tell the Full Story
Police-recorded crime figures are useful, but they have limitations.
They reflect offences reported to and recorded by the police and should not automatically be treated as a complete measure of every crime that occurred.
The Office for National Statistics assesses crime trends using both the Crime Survey for England and Wales and police-recorded crime data because different sources measure different aspects of crime.
Local distribution also matters.
Crime is unlikely to be spread evenly across every part of Redditch. Residential streets, the town centre, retail areas, industrial estates and more isolated locations can all experience different patterns.
For that reason, local crime figures are best treated as broad context rather than as a prediction of what will happen at a specific address.
Methodology and Data Source
This article is based on street-level crime records for Redditch within the West Mercia Police force area.
The primary dataset covers January 2025 to January 2026, representing 13 months of recorded crime data.
For additional context, selected categories were compared with data from January 2024 to January 2025, which also covers 13 months.
January 2025 appears in both datasets, so this should not be read as a standard year-on-year comparison. The figures are used only to show whether selected crime categories increased or decreased between the two periods.
The underlying figures were drawn from official data.police.uk crime data downloads, which provide street-level crime records by police force and Lower Layer Super Output Area, or LSOA.
Redditch falls within the West Mercia Police force area.
The purpose of this Insight is to explain the latest crime picture in Redditch clearly and identify the changes most relevant to residents, property owners and local businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many crimes were recorded in Redditch?
There were 8,289 recorded crimes in Redditch between January 2025 and January 2026.
How many crimes are recorded in Redditch each day?
The latest dataset equates to approximately 21 recorded crimes per day on average.
What is the most common crime in Redditch?
Violence and sexual offences were the largest recorded crime category, with 3,232 incidents, representing approximately 39% of all recorded crime during the period.
Is crime increasing in Redditch?
Overall recorded crime increased by approximately 1.9% compared with the period from January 2024 to January 2025. However, individual categories moved in different directions, with some increasing significantly and others falling.
Has burglary increased in Redditch?
Yes. Recorded burglary increased from 290 incidents to 334 incidents, a rise of approximately 15.2%.
Has criminal damage increased in Redditch?
Yes. Criminal damage and arson increased from 518 incidents to 642 incidents, a rise of approximately 23.9%.
Has vehicle crime increased or decreased in Redditch?
Vehicle crime decreased from 546 incidents to 414 incidents, a reduction of approximately 24.2%.
What crime categories changed the most in Redditch?
Among the categories analysed, robbery had the largest percentage increase, rising by approximately 68.1%, although this involved relatively low numbers compared with the largest categories. Criminal damage and arson rose by 23.9%, while vehicle crime fell by 24.2%.
Does a high local crime figure mean a specific property is high risk?
No. Local crime figures provide wider context, but the actual risk to an individual home, business or commercial site depends on factors such as location, occupancy, previous incidents, access, existing security and the type of assets present.
Is Redditch covered by West Mercia Police?
Yes. Redditch is in Worcestershire and falls within the West Mercia Police force area.