6 in 10 Britons believe shoplifting has risen over the past year, half believe drug related crime has increased

Ipsos UK today released findings from a new poll exploring public perceptions of crime and policing in Britain. The poll found that 43% of Britons are worried about being a victim of crime, with 12% saying they are ‘very worried’. This concern is reflected in the public’s perception of crime trends, with 62% of Britons believing that crime has increased nationally in the past 12 months. When asked about crime in their local area specifically, 37% of Britons said they believe crime has increased in the past 12 months (-5 pp from June 2024).
Public perceptions of crime trends vary significantly depending on the type of crime.  Over half of Britons (59%) believe shoplifting has increased in their local area in the past 12 months. This is followed by drug use and drug related crime (51%), and anti-social behaviour (50%). Conversely, only 17% believe gun crime has increased.

When asked about their level of trust in the police, a majority of Britons (65%) said they have a ‘great deal’ or ‘fair amount’ of trust in the police to respond to emergency calls. However, public trust in the police decreases when it comes to other areas of policing. For example, 53% each of Britons say that they do not trust the police to reduce or prevent crime or listen to the views of the public. 58% of Britons say they do not trust the police to respond to non-emergency calls. When asked about police presence in their local area, four in ten (40%) said they see a uniformed police presence on foot less often than they did compared to a year ago.

When asked specifically about efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, half (51%) say they are not confident in their local police force to address the issue. Just over six in ten (62%) are not confident in the UK government.

Just over half (53%) believe that prison sentences are not effective at preventing people who have previously committed offenses from offending in the future. Six in ten (61%) think that community sentences (e.g. unpaid work, curfews, ankle tags) are ineffective at preventing reoffending. 
When asked about their confidence in the ability of courts and tribunals to treat all people accused of crimes equally (regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and other demographic characteristics), 45% of Britons are confident, while a similar proportion (44%) are not confident. Regarding equal treatment of alleged victims of crimes, 43% of respondents are confident in the courts and tribunals, while 46% are not confident.
In general, six in ten Britons think that prison sentences are too short (34% much too short, 26% a bit too short). 18% each believe that they are the right length and a bit too long. Just 1% believe they are much too long.

Commenting on the findings, Hannah Shrimpton, Head of Crime, Justice and Security at Ipsos, said:

This latest polling demonstrates that public concern about crime remains high, with over four in ten Britons worried about becoming victims themselves and 1 in 12 describing themselves as very worried. This is reflected in perceptions of rising crime, with six in ten believing that crime has increased nationally in the past 12 months.  While trust in the police remains strong for responding to emergencies, it's clear that more needs to be done to reassure the public on other aspects of policing, particularly regarding police visibility, with many feeling their local area has less of a police presence than a year ago, and responsiveness to less serious crime.

Technical note: 

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,087 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between the 3rd-5th February 2025.  
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.