The highest rate of drug crime in England and Wales has been recorded in Liverpool, new Home Office figures show. Although the data shows that many types of recorded crime fell over the past year, drug offences increased by 18% nationally.
There were more than 230,000 crimes involving the possession, supply or production of drugs recorded by police. The statistics show that police officers recorded 7,770 drug offences in Liverpool during 2025.
This was a 19% rise on the previous year and the highest total of any local authority in England and Wales, the Liverpool Echo reports. And it equates to more than 20 drug offences being recorded every day, or around one every 68 minutes.
Merseyside Police previously said that the increase reflects intensified enforcement activity, including more arrests and warrants targeting organised crime groups involved in the drugs trade.
It comes after a series of high-profile incidents linked to suspected gang activity in the city. In June, two shootings were reported in the Toxteth area of Liverpool following what police said is an escalation in violence between rival groups. Meanwhile, in March, a teenage girl was shot in the legs in Toxteth.
Outside Liverpool, Manchester recorded 6,631 drug offences in 2025, up 31% on the previous year. Birmingham recorded 4,680 offences, an increase of 23%, while Leeds saw 3,114 offences, up 7%.
When population size is taken into account, Liverpool also had the highest drug crime rate in England and Wales. The city recorded 15 drug offences for every 1,000 residents. Westminster had the second-highest rate, with 13 offences per 1,000 people, followed by Manchester with 11. Islington and Knowsley each recorded nine drug offences per 1,000 residents.
The Home Office figures include offences relating to the possession, supply and production of drugs. Many supply and production offences are linked to organised criminal groups, although the data also includes lower-level possession offences.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Ryan, Head of Crime and Intelligence for Merseyside Police – which has seen a 13% force-wide rise in drug crime – said: “The most eye-catching increase is a 13% increase in drug offences. Although we understand that such an increase may cause concern, we don’t necessarily see an increase in drug arrests as a negative result, but in part as a result of proactive resources being invested in the issue.
“In the past year, our policing of serious and organised crime has led to significant numbers of warrants, arrests, charges and sentences – some brilliant – across many strands of the force. We are constantly looking for information and opportunities to target drug offences and offenders, and such proactive policing will naturally result in more offences being identified.”
High levels of drug crime can lead to a rise in other types of offending, such as violence and intimidation, particularly when rival gangs fight over territory. Police have stepped up efforts to tackle “county lines” gangs and disrupt supply chains in response.
A framework for tackling serious organised crime in neighbourhoods and communities, called “Clear Hold Build”, was rolled out nationally in 2024. The scheme provides police forces with a blueprint to transform areas by linking organised crime specialists with neighbourhood policing teams to tackle the specific challenges in a particular area. The National Police Chiefs Council last week announced that 1,254 people had been arrested, 331 people charged, and offenders sentenced to a combined total of more than 438 years.
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