Cheshire Constabulary ranks top in the country for securing charges and decreasing crime, according to new data.

The National Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables, which show the rate of crime outcomes applied in each police force area, were updated on Thursday 22 October.

Cheshire Constabulary has achieved the highest charge rate for all crime in England and Wales, for the 12 months to March 2026.

In addition, according to the same Home Office dataset, the force has also scored the highest charge rates in sexual offences, violence against the person, stalking and harassment, and burglary.

The data tables reveal that Cheshire Constabulary also ranks second in the country for vehicle crime, third for shoplifting, fifth for rape offences, and sixth for robbery.

A further report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), released on Thursday 22 October, shows that Cheshire remains one of the safest counties in the UK - with significant reductions across the board when it comes to a range of offences.

This includes a 12% reduction in residential burglaries, 2% in other burglary offences, 8% reduction in bike thefts, 7% reduction in stalking and harassment offences, 5% reduction in cases of theft from a person, and a further 1% reduction in shoplifting offences.

Overall, the figures confirm that crime across the county has decreased a further 1%, continuing a four-year trend of declining crime in Cheshire.

In response to the figures, Chief Constable Mark Roberts QPM said Cheshire Constabulary was continuing to be a "leading example of how policing should be done" nationally.

He said: "It fills me with an enormous sense of pride to see the efforts of our officers and staff reflected in these nationally released figures. My thanks, as always, goes to them for their great work.

"It is their vital contributions to protecting and serving the good people of our county that has resulted in Cheshire sitting at the top of the table for driving down the number of multiple major crime types and securing charges against those who are foolish enough to think they can get away with it.

"Crimes such as residential burglaries, shoplifting and bike thefts, all of which are seen as growing issues nationally, are being robustly dealt with and the efforts of your local policing teams are sending a clear message that these offences will not be tolerated anywhere in Cheshire.

"Not only this, but we are continuing to lead the way in the protection of vulnerable people, with the force ranking at the top in charging offenders involved in stalking and harassment cases as well as getting justice for victims of sexual offences.

"The Constabulary is also working hard to charge suspects involved in rape and serious sexual offences, ahead of 41 other English and Welsh forces - we will do all we can to ensure charges for these offences remain high as we move into 2027 and beyond."

Ahead of his retirement in November, he said he was "incredibly proud" to conclude his 33-years policing career in a force he described as "performing so strongly in tackling the biggest issues that matter the most to its residents".

He added: "We work around the clock, 365 days a year to help them feel safe, bring bad people to justice and, most importantly, keep Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals."