County is second safest in England and Wales - ONS

Suffolk is the second safest in England and Wales after its force recorded some of the lowest levels of crime, new figures have revealed.

In the county 43,000 crimes were recorded in 2025 compared with 45,000 in 2024, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

However the number of shoplifting offences rose by 10% and knife crime increased by 16% over the same period.

Deputy chief constable Dan Vajzovic at Suffolk Police said: "There is so much more to policing Suffolk than just a set of figures and these statistics won't mean much if you have been the victim of criminality."

Suffolk has a population of about 786,000, which equates to 55.4 crimes recorded per 1,000 people - only North Yorkshire has a lower rate.

The ONS data showed Suffolk has the sixth lowest total number of offences recorded in 2025, which includes being measured against areas with smaller populations.

The data only included crimes that people had reported, Vajzovic added: "It is vital that victims and witnesses of crime continue to report incidents to us so we can respond as required and ensure we can make best use of officers and police staff."

There were 338 offences in Suffolk that involved a knife or sharp object last year, compared with 292 in 2024. Although the figure was 470 in 2023.

The figures do fluctuate, with a high in 2017/18 of 822 offences and 218 in 2014/15.

When comparing the number of recorded knife-related crimes per 100,000 people, Suffolk has the 10th lowest number of offences in the country.

Suffolk Police said it had a "proactive, intelligence-led approach to tackling weapon related crime" and has taken part in "weeks of action, use of knife amnesty bins and ongoing operational work to tackle anti-social behaviour, gangs and violence".

There were 4,097 recorded incidents of shoplifting in 2025, compared with 3,728 the year before.

In 2024 a shop in Bury St Edmunds partly blamed its closure on the impact of shoplifters.

Vajzovic said: "The rise in shoplifting reflects the continuing national trend and our teams frequently run operations to identify, target, and disrupt prolific offenders involved in retail crime through enforcement, investigation and problem-solving strategies, with the goal of improving community and business confidence."

Joanne Thomas, the general secretary of the retail trade union Usdaw, said: "[Shoplifting] is in no way a victimless crime. Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers."

Suffolk's Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: "Suffolk Constabulary will be the envy of forces across the country as the county remains one of the safest places in which to live, work, travel and invest.

"To be ranked second for the lowest levels of recorded crime in England and Wales is a tremendous achievement."

Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.