More than 280,000 crimes went unrecorded last year, with the logging of anti-social behaviour “unacceptably low”, according to the police inspectorate.
A report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that only 51.9% of crimes classed as anti-social behaviour targeting a specific individual or group were recorded between 2021 and 2025.
The report, which was released on Thursday, said: “This level of crime recording is unacceptably low, and it means victims remain at risk of harm.”
Unrecorded crimes are crimes that are reported to the police but not recorded as offences, often leading to no further action being taken.
The inspectorate also said forces should improve recording of crimes such as harassment, stalking and controlling or coercive behaviour, which made up 37.9% of unrecorded violent crime.
It added they must also improve the recording of offences linked to domestic abuse, crimes classed as anti-social behaviour, and crimes affecting vulnerable people.
It found that only 78% of crimes on average were being recorded within 24 hours, with five forces recording less than 40% of crimes within a day and one only achieving 2.6%, taking over a week to record most offences.
The correct procedure for unconfirmed reports of rape was used in less than 70% of cases sampled between 2021 and 2025, the report added.
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His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: “For the public to have trust and confidence in policing, they need to know that when they report a crime, the police will record it accurately and without delay.
“Correctly recording these crimes means forces can quickly allocate cases and begin investigations promptly.”
The overall feedback for police forces was largely positive, with the HMICFRS saying 94.8% of crimes were recorded by forces in England and Wales in the year to March 31, up from 80.5% in 2014.
“We have seen marked improvements in the way forces record crimes, and a greater awareness and understanding of its importance,” Mr Wilsher said.
“However, there is still more to do. There remains much difference between forces in how well they record crime. For example, violent crimes still aren’t being recorded well enough and the level of crime reporting related to antisocial behaviour remains unacceptably low.”
