Manchester Crime Rates: What Do the Stats Say?

Crime rates don’t always make for easy reading, but they can also be a useful tool for businesses in Manchester evaluating whether their security remains up to the task or whether changing trends and incident levels may require more robust measures.

Recent Manchester crime rate data is promising, with overall crime in the city reducing by 9.7% between 2022/23 and 2023/24, but this still amounts to over 333,000 incidents recorded by Greater Manchester Police. [1]

Businesses and residents in Manchester may also be keenly aware that a crime rate of 155.54 per 1,000 people indicates a higher likelihood of becoming a victim of crime than the national average. [2]

In this article, we discuss Manchester crime rates and what businesses can do to protect themselves against common crimes in the area.

Manchester Crime Stats: Key Figures

• Overall, crime in Manchester is above average. Still, in some types of incidents, such as criminal damage and burglary, the frequency of reports is close to averages in other cities like Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle.
• Businesses may, though, need to take action to protect themselves from robbery, with a 3.27 crime rate, possession of weapons at 2.57 and public order incidents at 17.12, all of which occur more often than in comparable cities. [2]
• Vehicle crime has improved gradually over time, whereas shoplifting and drug offences have risen steadily, based on data from June 2022 to June 2025.

 Why Crime Rates in Manchester Matter to Local Businesses

Any organisation based in a large city needs to take security precautions seriously. Monitoring crime rates and being informed when particular incidents spike can give businesses a heads-up that their current safeguards may not be sufficient.

Crime, of course, changes with the seasons and can be exacerbated during holidays, heatwaves, and darker winter periods, when criminals can navigate the city unseen, but this never means it’s safe to make assumptions about when risks are elevated.

Greater Manchester Police recorded 6% of all knife-related crimes nationwide in the year to March 2025, a considerable proportion of some of the most dangerous crimes.

This may mean businesses need to think carefully about aspects of their operations they’ve long considered safe – such as delegating open and lock-up duties to staff, or leaving managers to respond to alarm callouts that could have been triggered by a live break-in. [3]

This is just one example, but the focus is on proactivity and prevention, knowing how crime rates are evolving and responding before your business becomes another statistic.

Understanding Crime Rate Comparisons Between Manchester Neighbourhoods

Like almost every city in the world, there are areas within Greater Manchester with higher crime rates, often linked to deprivation, a higher concentration of pubs and clubs, or where gang activity tends to be concentrated.

ONS data, as referenced above, tells us that:

• Public order issues are most likely to occur in Moss Side.
• Counterfeit products and organised crime are most prevalent in Strangeways and Cheetham Hill.
• Burglary rates have historically been highest in Longsight, although this is improving thanks to concerted police efforts.
• Violence and opportunist thefts are common in the City Centre and Northern Quarter, especially around nightlife areas.

Incorporating this knowledge into risk assessments can be meaningful, for instance, by enabling a business in the Northern Quarter to see the tangible benefit of installing security screens and shutters overnight.

In contrast, a retailer in Cheetham Hill might realise that AI analytical CCTV may be the best way to spot suspicious behaviour that could tell them an organised gang is ‘scouting’ a premise before an attack happens.

How Businesses Trading in Manchester Can Reinforce Their Security

There are numerous ways to augment business security, from alarms and CCTV cameras to guard patrols, 24/7 monitoring, security lighting, fencing, and physical barriers – alongside technological protections such as access controls and perimeter intrusion detection systems.

A lot depends on the location and nature of your business, because we would make very different recommendations for a construction site or developer than for a warehousing business or a city centre shop.

However, there are many highly effective safeguards that might form an integral part of any security approach, which we’ve summarised below.

Protecting Manchester Businesses Against Knife Crime

Knife crime is incredibly serious, and the first step we’d recommend is a thorough, detailed risk assessment to look at physical and monitoring controls, staff training, and procedures such as lock-up processes and cash management.

Security-rated shutters, locks, doors, motion-activated alarms, and CCTV capable of covering larger areas like car parks and forecourts may all be advisable, alongside intelligent monitoring that can raise an urgent alert when there is an identification of a potential intent to commit violent crime.

Daniel Meeajane

Business Development Director, Clearway

Daniel Meeajane

Manchester's crime rates remain above the national average at 155.54 per 1,000 people, making it essential for businesses to evaluate their security measures and implement robust systems tailored to local crime trends.

Effective Ways to Lower Theft Risks for Manchester Businesses

Although theft and robbery sound the same, the latter is more serious. It can involve force, violence, threats and intimidation – rather than stealing an item or machinery from a business without being seen.

Businesses worried about robbery risks can implement security strategies that include:

• Lock-up and unlock services with an SIA-certified guard, ensuring staff never open premises alone or in isolated areas when the risk of targeted robbery is higher.
• Continually monitored CCTV, particularly AI-enabled security systems that can detect the presence of an unknown person or vehicle or notify responders when an individual approaches the premises behaving erratically.
• Ensuring access to inventory, valuables, machinery, and tools is tightly managed, with access controls, security gates, bollards to prevent vehicular access, and surveillance – both to reduce access to items most likely to be targeted and to ensure attempts are detected quickly.

Other safeguards might also be advisable where risks are elevated, and you have urgent concerns, such as guard patrols, lighting and signage, commercial grade CCTV to monitor the area, and sirens and audible warnings to intercept intruders before they attempt a break-in.

Get Advice for Protecting Your Manchester Business

Prevention is always better than the cure, and by taking decisive action before a crime occurs, business owners can rest assured that they have effective security in place at all times, protecting their staff, business and assets.

If you’d like more detailed advice about the precautions we’d recommend for your business, or to schedule a professional risk assessment, please contact Clearway at your convenience. We offer security services in Manchester, and have been protecting businesses in the city for many years.

Written by Daniel Meeajane

Business Development Director, Clearway Fire and Security

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Daniel Meeajane is Business Development Director at Clearway Fire and Security, bringing strong commercial expertise alongside a detailed understanding of fire protection systems and industry standards.

Having contributed to a number of major projects and delivered successful outcomes, Daniel uses his knowledge and experience to drive awareness of effective fire protection solutions across a wide range of environments. His approach combines relationship-led business development with a clear understanding of technical compliance, operational requirements, and customer risk.

Daniel has a strong understanding of BS 5839-1, recognising the importance of compliant fire detection and alarm system design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance. He also keeps pace with the latest developments in fire technology, ensuring clients benefit from informed guidance, up-to-date solutions, and best practice across every stage of delivery.