Lawless Britain? Perceptions vs Reality

31 Oct 2025 10:56 AM

Official data show that violent crime has fallen, even as visible low-level offences and social media-fuelled perceptions of disorder continue to shape a growing sense of lawlessness and insecurity.

Britain is lawless and at risk of being overwhelmed by a surging crime wave – or so one would think based on comments from a variety of influential political figures. Such warnings of imminent societal collapse are not solely the preserve of the Conservative Party or Reform; Labour’s Attorney General also stated that the very fabric of the nation is at risk of ‘unravelling’ due to crime.

These concerns appear to be shared by the wider public. In last year’s Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) 82% of respondents believed that crime had risen last year, versus 57% ten years ago. Similar trends have been observed in Scotland in recent years. Furthermore, 21% of Brits believe that crime is one of the most important issues facing the country, up from 9% in 2016.

Yet, despite the prevailing mood – and excepting Scotland where crime rates diverge and should be treated separately – data from police, hospitals and population surveys indicate that, in many respects, Britain is safer than ever. What should one make of this discrepancy?

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