Official Statistics

Police use of force statistics, England and Wales: April 2024 to March 2025

Published 20 November 2025

Applies to England and Wales

Since 1 April 2017, all police forces in the UK have been required to record data on the police’s use of force, to provide the public with more information on the different types of force used, and the context in which it occurs.

Data has been collected from the 43 Home Office funded police forces in England and Wales since the year ending 31 March 2018. From the year ending 31 March 2024, data has also been collected from the British Transport Police (BTP).

One use of force report represents one police officer’s use of force on one person, where any of the following force tactics were used.

Restraint tactics:

  • handcuffing (compliant or non-compliant)
  • limb or body restraints
  • ground restraint

Unarmed skills:

  • escorting individuals
  • distraction strikes with hands and feet
  • pressure point and joint locks

Use of other equipment:

  • a baton (including where it was drawn but not used)
  • irritant spray (including where it was drawn but not used)
  • spit and bite guard
  • shield (for example, person struck or pushed with a shield)

Less lethal weapons:

  • conducted energy device (CED), for example, TASER ® (including non-discharge uses)
  • attenuating energy projectile (AEP) (including where it was drawn but not used)

Firearms:

  • use of conventional firearms (including where it was aimed but not fired)

Other:

  • use of dogs (including where a dog was deployed but did not come into contact with the person)
  • other or improvised tactics

See the user guide for more details on tactics, including a tactics glossary.

1. Main findings

In the year ending 31 March 2025, police forces in England and Wales, including the BTP, recorded 812,449 use of force reports, a 9% increase compared with the year ending 31 March 2024. Each report details one officer’s use of force on one person, and can involve multiple use of force tactics.

The increase was likely due to continued improvements in the recording of use of force, since the data collection began in the year ending 31 March 2018.

Restraint tactics (for example, handcuffing, limb restraints, ground restraint) were the most common type of force used (recorded in 627,556 reports, 77%), the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2024.

Men and boys were included in 80% of use of force reports, and 48% involved people aged 18 to 34 years. The rate of use of force for Black ethnic groups was 3.4 times that of White ethnic groups (in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan Police), which compares with 3.2 in the year ending 31 March 2024.

The most common reason an officer used force was to protect themselves from violence (497,084 use of force reports, 61%) and to assist in making an arrest (440,469 use of force reports, 54%).

The most commonly reported impact factor was alcohol (296,684 use of force reports, 37%); a similar proportion to the year ending 31 March 2024 (38%).

The most common outcome for the person experiencing the use of force was arrest (570,239 use of force reports, 70%); a similar proportion to the year ending 31 March 2024 (71%).

2. Information about these statistics

One use of force report represents ‘one officer’s use of force on one person’. More than one type of force may have been used per report.

As well as the tactics used, officers must also record:

  • the person’s details (age, gender, ethnicity and physical or mental health condition, as perceived by the reporting officer if not self-defined)
  • the reasons for using force
  • factors that impacted on the incident in which force was used in general
  • the outcomes for the person who force was used on
  • the type of location where force was used
  • injuries to the person involved resulting from the use of force directly, and to officers during the incident where force was used

Statistics on the police use of force do not include reports of force used in designated public order events (where officers may use force over a period of time against a person not subsequently apprehended). See the user guide for more information.

Limitations of these statistics

Whilst these statistics provide a national picture of police use of force in England and Wales, and coverage is considered to be good, there are some limitations; for example, injuries to the person experiencing the use of force, and the outcomes for that person, cannot be linked to individual tactics. See the user guide for more details.

Statisticians in the Home Office work closely with police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to improve the quality and completeness of these statistics.

2.1 Official statistics classification

Police use of force statistics have been published annually since the year ending 31 March 2018. From the year ending 31 March 2021, they have been classified as official statistics. Prior to this, they were designated as official statistics in development (previousy referrered to as experimental statisics).

More information on official statistics is available in the user guide.

3. Use of force reports and tactics

Police officers who deploy any use of force tactics must report the details of their use of force. Each report relates to one officer and one person only, but can involve multiple force tactics.

3.1 Total number of use of force reports increased by 9%

Police forces in England and Wales, including the BTP, submitted 812,449 use of force reports in the year ending 31 March 2025. This compares with 747,396 in the year ending 31 March 2024, an increase of 65,053 (+9%).

Of the 44 police forces in England and Wales (including BTP), 28 (64%) submitted a higher number of use of force reports compared with the year ending 31 March 2024.

Force is commonly used during arrests (for example, compliant handcuffing), and is also used in situations that do not result in arrest (for example, where the individual is cautioned). Therefore it is expected that the level of use of force should broadly exceed the number of arrests recorded by a police force each year.

Feedback from police forces, supported by analysis of force-level data, indicates that the increase in use of force in the year ending 31 March 2025 was partly driven by continued improvements in recording common use of force tactics (for example, restraint, unarmed skills and other tactics) in some police force areas. Accredited official statistics showed that arrests increased by 5% in the year ending 31 March 2025, which is also likely to have contributed to the increase in recorded use of force.

3.2 Number of tactics reported increased by 8%

There were 1,145,474 use of force tactics recorded within the 812,449 use of force reports, driven by increases in the most common tactics (restraint +9% (+56,494), unarmed skills +7% (+18,776) and other tactics +11% (+6,867)), likely due in part to the continued improvement in the recording of these tactics.

Figure 1: Number of times tactics were used, by tactic group, England and Wales, years ending 31 March 2021 to 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 1

Notes:

  1. The number of tactics does not sum to the total number of use of force reports, as multiple tactics can be recorded in a report.
  2. Less lethal weapons include conducted energy device (CED, for example, TASER ®), including where it was used without being discharged and attenuating energy projectile (AEP), including where it was drawn but not used.
  3. Other tactics include the use of dogs and other or improvised tactics such as vehicles or horses.
  4. Firearms is the use of conventional firearms, including where the firearm was aimed or fired. Information on the number of times a firearm was intentionally discharged at persons is published in Police use of firearms, April 2024 to March 2025.
  5. See the data tables for a full list of tactics included within groups.
  6. Includes BTP.

Restraint was the most common tactic type (719,361 tactics, 63% of use of force tactics). The majority of restraint tactics involved handcuffing (80% of restraint tactics), which accounted for half (50%) of all use of force tactics, a similar proportion to the year ending 31 March 2024 (49%). 66% of handcuffing was compliant (where the individual does not resist and follows requests) and 33% was non-compliant, similar to proportions recorded in the year ending 31 March 2024 (65% and 34% respectively). Compliancy was not stated for 1% of handcuffing tactics.

Unarmed skills were the second most common tactic type, reported 274,738 times (24% of tactics; the same as the year ending 31 March 2024). These include escorting the individual, distraction strikes with the hands or feet, and pressure point and joint locks.

Other tactics (which can include improvised tactics and the use of dogs) were the third most common tactic type, reported 69,658 times (6% of tactics; the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2024).

Tactics involving ‘other equipment’, for example, baton, irritant spray, spit and bite guard and shield were reported 39,931 times (3% of all tactics).

There were 7,045 firearms tactics used; 6,884 where the firearm was aimed, 4 where the firearm was fired and 157 where the use type was not stated (for example, where it may have been drawn but not aimed). This compares with 5,949 firearm aimed tactics, 2 firearm fired tactics and 260 tactics where the use type was not stated in the year ending 31 March 2024. As a proportion of all tactics, firearms tactics remained the same as the year ending 31 March 2024 (0.6%).

3.3 The number of people experiencing use of force was an estimated 73% of the number of reports recorded

The number of use of force reports does not equate to the number of individuals who experienced use of force, because each report records one officer’s use of force on one person. For example, if 2 officers used force on the same individual, 2 reports would be recorded, even though only one person was involved.

To provide greater clarity, data to enable an estimate of the number of individuals who experienced police use of force (rather than simply counting the number of use of force reports or tactics used) was collected for the first time in the year ending 31 March 2024. In the year ending 31 March 2025, an estimate was calculated for the first time.

These figures are presented as official statistics in development indicating that the data is newly collected and that there will be further development and quality assurance of the data.

Of a total 812,449 use of force reports, 315,827 (39%) were of sufficient quality to support an estimation. Within the 315,827 reports, an estimated 230,462 individuals had force used on them, suggesting that the number of people who experience force is around 73% of the number of reports recorded.

4. Use of force by personal characteristics

Given the nature of police incidents involving the use of force, self-defined characteristics of the individual experiencing the use of force are not always known or recorded at the time. However, this information can sometimes be obtained during the wider incident, such as when the person is questioned in custody following an arrest.

To improve the quality of data on personal characteristics, from the year ending 31 March 2024, officers separately recorded the person’s ‘self-defined’ ethnicity and health condition, if it was known and from the year ending 31 March 2025 the ‘self-defined’ gender. Where self-defined characteristics were not known, officers recorded what they perceived the characteristics to be. The statistics below include self-defined personal characteristics where available and officer perceived characteristics where not available.

4.1 Almost half of use of force reports involved people aged 18 to 34 years

In the year ending 31 March 2025:

  • almost half (48%) of use of force reports involved people aged 18 to 34 years (386,493)
  • 11% of reports (87,675) involved those aged 11 to 17
  • 0.1% of reports (995) involved those aged under 11

Overall, the age distribution of those experiencing police use of force remained similar to the year ending 31 March 2024.

Figure 2 shows that people aged 18 to 34 years were the group most over-represented in use of force reports (48%) compared with the overall population of England and Wales (22%).

Figure 2: Population and use of force by age of person involved, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 2a; Office for National Statistics (ONS) Population estimates for England and Wales: mid-2024 data table MYE2

Notes:

  1. Includes BTP.

Figure 3 and table 1 below show use of force tactics by age group. Restraint tactics were used in proportionally fewer reports involving the youngest and oldest age groups (32% for those aged under 11 and 58% for those aged 65 and over). These age groups experienced a higher proportion of unarmed skills and other or improvised tactics which may be evidence of officers using alternative tactics to handcuffing, for example, on the youngest and oldest age groups, as per police guidance on personal safety.

In the under 11 age groupp, there were 9 reports of CED tactics. None of these were discharge uses and instead involved drawing, aiming, red-dotting, or arcing the CED. There were also 2 reports involving under 11s where a firearms was aimed (but not fired).

Figure 3: Proportion of tactics used by type of tactic and age of person involved, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 2b

Notes:

  1. Some tactics have been grouped - see the data tables for details of groupings.
  2. Proportions of less than 2% are not labelled.
  3. Includes BTP.

Table 1: Proportion of each tactic group by age of person involved, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Proportion of tactic experienced by group Under 11 11 to 17 18 to 34 35 to 49 50 to 64 65 and over Age not reported Total Number of times tactic group used
Restraint 0.06% 10% 48% 32% 8% 0.7% 0.4% 100% 719,361
Unarmed skills 0.2% 12% 47% 31% 8% 0.8% 1% 100% 274,738
Other equipment 0.05% 7% 51% 33% 7% 0.5% 2% 100% 39,931
Less lethal weapons 0.03% 9% 52% 30% 8% 0.8% 0.9% 100% 34,741
Firearms 0.03% 9% 56% 25% 8% 1% 0.8% 100% 7,045
Other 0.4% 13% 46% 30% 8% 1% 1% 100% 69,658
Percentage of reports involving group 0.1% 11% 48% 32% 8% 0.8% 0.7% 100%  

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 2b

Notes:

  1. Includes BTP.

Table 1 shows that 11% of use of force reports involved those aged 11 to 17 (this age group represents 9% of the population of England and Wales). This group experienced proportionally fewer less-lethal weapons (9%) and firearms tactics (9%) compared with other tactics. These proportions were the same in the year ending 31 March 2024.

People aged between 18 and 34 years accounted for 48% of all use of force reports and experienced a higher proportion of police use of less lethal weapons (52%) and firearms (56%) compared with other tactics. These proportions were 51% and 57% respectively in the year ending 31 March 2024.

4.2 Eighty per cent of police use of force involved men

In this publication we refer to the gender of person who experienced the use of force and report it in the format it was collected. We are working to bring this data in line with Government Statistical Service sex and gender harmonisation standards. In reality, it is likely that officers record a mixture of perceived and self-reported gender and sex, depending on force recording systems and practices. ‘Sex’ can be considered to refer to whether someone is male or female based on their physiology. ‘Gender’ refers to a social construct or sense of self that takes a wider range of forms.

Of the 812,449 use of force reports in the year ending 31 March 2025, 80% involved men (646,956), a similar proportion to the year ending 31 March 2024 (79%), and 18% involved women (the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2024). In 2% of reports gender was not reported (similar to the year ending 31 March 2024; 3%) and in 0.2% of use of force reports the person’s gender was recorded as other gender (a similar proportion as the year ending 31 March 2024; 0.3%), which may include people who are or were perceived as non-binary, for example.

Figure 4: Proportion of tactics used, by type, and gender of person involved, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 3b

Notes:

  1. Some of the tactics have been grouped - see the data tables for groupings.
  2. Proportions of less than 2% are not labelled.
  3. Gender is likely to include a mixture of officer perceived and self-reported gender and sex.
  4. Includes BTP.

Table 2 shows that 80% of use of force reports involved men, and they experienced a higher proportion of police use of less lethal weapons (89%) and firearms (88%) compared with other tactics. Proportions were similar to the year ending 31 March 2024.

Table 2: Proportion of tactics experienced, by type, and gender of person involved, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Proportion of tactic experienced by group Men Women Other Gender not reported Total Number of times tactic group used
Restraint 81% 18% 0.2% 2% 100% 719,361
Unarmed skills 74% 22% 0.3% 3% 100% 274,738
Other equipment 84% 12% 0.3% 4% 100% 39,931
Less lethal weapons 89% 8% 0.3% 3% 100% 34,741
Firearms 88% 9% 0.2% 3% 100% 7,045
Other 71% 25% 0.3% 3% 100% 69,658
Percentage of reports involving group 80% 18% 0.2% 2% 100%  

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 3b

Notes:

  1. Gender is likely to include a mixture of officer perceived and self-reported gender and sex.
  2. Includes BTP.

4.3 Use of force increased across all ethnic groups

Table 3 shows the number and proportion of use of force reports by ethnic group (self-defined ethnic group where available; officer perceived ethnic group where it was not). In the year ending 31 March 2025, 7% of use of force reports involved an individual from an Asian ethnic group, 11% from a Black ethnic group, 3% from a Mixed ethnic group, 75% from a White ethnic group and 3% from an Other ethnic group, similar proportions to the year ending 31 March 2024.

Table 3: Use of force by ethnic group, years ending 31 March 2024 and 2025

Ethnicity Year ending 31 March 2024 Year ending 31 March 2025
Asian (or Asian British) 51,054 (7%) 59,786 (7%)
Black (or Black British) 88,160 (12%) 93,388 (11%)
Mixed ethnic group 19,385 (3%) 22,810 (3%)
White 544,231 (73%) 607,560 (75%)
Other ethnic group 17,652 (2%) 21,491 (3%)
Ethnicity not reported 26,914 (4%) 7,414 (0.9%)
Total use of force reports 747,396 (100%) 812,449 (100%)

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 4a

Notes:

  1. Includes BTP.
  2. Where possible, officers recorded the person’s self-defined ethnicity as one of the 19 categories defined by the ONS 2021 Census; these were then grouped into the above categories and combined with officer perceived ethnicity for analysis.

Figure 5 shows the number of use of force reports in the year ending 31 March 2025 by ethnic group compared with the year ending 31 March 2024. The number of use of force reports increased by 9% overall, with increases seen in those from an Asian ethnic group (+17%; +8,732), Black ethnic group (+6%; +5,228), Mixed ethnic group (+18%; +3,425), White ethnic group (+12%; +63,329) and Other ethnic group (+22%; +3,839). There was a 72% (-19,500) decrease in reports where ethnicity was not reported which reflects improvements in ethnicity recording .

Figure 5: Number of use of force reports by ethnicity, years ending 31 March 2024 to 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 4a

Notes:

  1. Chart does not show figures for ethnicity not reported.
  2. Where possible, officers recorded the person’s self-defined ethnicity as one of the 19 categories defined by the ONS 2021 Census; these were then grouped into the above categories and combined with officer perceived ethnicity for analysis.
  3. Includes BTP.

Figure 6 shows the proportion of tactics used by tactic type and ethnicity.

Figure 6: Proportion of tactics used by type and ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 4b

Notes:

  1. Some tactics have been grouped - see the data tables for details on groupings.
  2. Where possible, officers recorded the person’s self-defined ethnicity as one of the 19 categories defined by the ONS 2021 Census; these were then grouped into the above categories and combined with officer perceived ethnicity for analysis.
  3. Proportions of less than 3% are not labelled.
  4. Includes BTP.

People from different ethnic groups experienced tactics in different proportions:

  • whilst 11% of use of force reports involved people from a Black ethnic group in the year ending 31 March 2025, table 4 shows that they were involved in proportionally more incidents involving the police use of less lethal weapons (15%) and firearms (20%)

  • people from a White ethnic group were involved in 75% of use of force reports but only 71% involving less lethal weapons and 60% involving firearms

  • whilst people from an Asian ethnic group were involved in 7% of use of force reports they were involved in proportionally more incidents involving the police use of firearms (12%).

This pattern was similar to that seen in the year ending 31 March 2024. See data table 4 for further information.

Table 4: Proportion of tactics experienced by type and ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Proportion of tactic experienced by group Asian (or Asian British) Black (or Black British) Mixed ethnic group White Other ethnic group Ethnicity not reported Total
Restraint 7% 11% 3% 75% 3% 0.7% 100%
Unarmed skills 6% 11% 3% 77% 2% 1% 100%
Other equipment 5% 12% 3% 76% 3% 2% 100%
Less lethal weapons 6% 15% 3% 71% 3% 1% 100%
Firearms 12% 20% 4% 60% 3% 2% 100%
Other 4% 9% 3% 80% 2% 2% 100%
Percentage of reports involving group 7% 11% 3% 75% 3% 0.9% 100%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 4b

Notes:

  1. Where possible, officers recorded the person’s self-defined ethnicity as one of the 19 categories defined by the ONS 2021 Census; these were then grouped into the above categories and combined with officer perceived ethnicity for analysis.
  2. Includes BTP.

4.4 Calculating rate of use of force by ethnicity has several limitations

The rate of use of force can be calculated for different ethnic groups by taking the number of times tactics were used on each ethnic group and dividing by the number of people resident in England and Wales in each ethnic group.

Population figures by ethnicity from the ONS 2021 Census were released by ONS on 29 November 2022 and have been used to calculate the rates of use of force by police force area and ethnicity.

Calculating rates of use of force by ethnicity provides insight into the relative use of force for different ethnic groups. However, it has the following limitations and should be interpreted with caution for the following reasons:

  • multiple reports of use of force may be recorded on the same individual, meaning that the personal characteristics of that individual are over-represented in the use of force dataset
  • data is not available on the ethnicity of all people that the police come into contact with, and therefore the calculation does not consider any disproportionality in this group - which is affected by much wider socioeconomic factors; instead, the calculation assumes the distribution is the same as the resident population of England and Wales
  • police force areas vary in their ethnicity composition; an average national figure presumes that all use of force tactics and ethnicity groups are spread evenly across forces, whereas these can differ considerably between police force areas
  • within a police force area there can be significant variation in terms of the distribution of different ethnic groups, which may be masked by force level averages
  • rates are influenced by the accuracy of the population figures available at the time

The Metropolitan Police force area is the largest in England and Wales. It has a proportionately larger number of Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups resident within its police force area (46%) compared with the rest of England and Wales (13%) (calculated from the ONS 2021 Census).

Therefore, rates are calculated for the Metropolitan Police separately from other forces in England and Wales.

The following analysis compares the overall rate of use of force per 1,000 people for each ethnic group against the relative rate at which people from each ethnicity experienced use of force in comparison to White individuals. A relative rate lower than one indicates a lower likelihood whilst a relative rate greater than one indicates a higher likelihood. For example, a relative rate of 2 would mean that a group experiences use of force twice as much as the White group.

4.5 Rate of use of force for the Black ethnic group was 3.4 times that of the White ethnic group

Table 5 shows that, in police force areas in England and Wales excluding the Metropolitan Police, people from a Black ethnic group experienced the use of force at a rate 3.4 that of those from a White ethnic group (3.2 in the year ending 31 March 2024 and 3.3 in the year ending 31 March 2023). The rate for those from an Asian ethnic group was 0.9 (compared with 0.8 in the previous year), 1.2 for the Mixed ethnic group (1.1 in the previous year), and 1.3 for the Other ethnic group (1.4 in the year ending 31 March 2024).

In the Metropolitan Police force area, use of force tactics involved people from a Black ethnic group at a rate 3.5 times that of those from a White ethnic group (3.7 in the year ending 31 March 2024 and 3.5 in the year ending 31 March 2023). Similar to the year ending 31 March 2024, the rate for those from an Asian or Mixed ethnic group was lower than the rate for those from a White ethnic group and the rate for Other ethnic groups was 1.5 (1.1 in the previous year).

Table 5: Rate of use of force (all tactics) by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending 31 March 2025 and 31 March 2024

Asian (or Asian British) Black (or Black British) Mixed ethnic group White Other ethnic group
Year ending 31 March 2025          
England and Wales 0.8 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.2
England and Wales excluding Metropolitan Police 0.9 3.4 1.2 1.0 1.3
Metropolitan Police 0.8 3.5 0.9 1.0 1.5
Year ending 31 March 2024          
England and Wales 0.8 3.1 1.0 1.0 1.2
England and Wales excluding Metropolitan Police 0.8 3.2 1.1 1.0 1.4
Metropolitan Police 0.8 3.7 0.8 1.0 1.1

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 16; ONS 2021 Census

Notes:

  1. From the year ending 31 March 2024, officers separately recorded the person’s self-defined ethnicity as one of the 19 categories defined by the ONS 2021 Census where possible; these were then grouped into the above categories and combined with officer perceived ethnicity for analysis.
  2. Rates for Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups are shown in relation to the White ethnic group.
  3. Excludes BTP.

Separate rates of use of force for men aged 18 to 34 were also calculated; derived from data table 15, as 39% of use of force involved this group (the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2024). Men aged 18 to 34 and from a Black ethnic group experienced use of force at a rate 3.6 times that of men from a White ethnic group and aged 18 to 34 in England and Wales. The rate for men aged 18 to 34 for those from an Asian and Mixed ethnic group was similar to White individuals and the rate for Other ethnic groups was slightly higher than the White ethnic group (1.5).

Women aged 18 to 34 and from a Black ethnic group experienced use of force at a rate 1.7 times that of women from a White ethnic group and aged 18 to 34 in England and Wales. The rate for women aged 18 to 34 from an Asian, Mixed or Other ethnic groups was lower than the rate for White women.

4.6 Rate of use of force per 1,000 people varied by personal characteristics

The overall rate of use of force in England and Wales was 14 reports per 1,000 people in the year ending 31 March 2025. This rate was higher for men aged 18 to 34 years (49 per 1,000 people) and, of these, highest for those from a Black ethnic group (153 per 1,000 people). This compares with 147 per 1,000 people from a Black ethnic group in the year ending 31 March 2024. The rate was 43 per 1,000 people for White men aged 18 to 34 years. See data table 15 for rates of use of force by age, gender and ethnicity.

Figures 7 and 8 show the proportion of use of force by age and gender compared with the resident population of England and Wales for Black and White ethnic groups.

Different scales have been used for the charts, so comparisons should be made with caution.

Figure 7: Proportion of use of force by age, gender and Black ethnic group, compared with the resident population, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Figure 8: Proportion of use of force by age, gender and White ethnic group, compared with the resident population, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, open data table; ONS 2021 Census

Notes:

  1. Includes BTP.
  2. Gender is likely to include a mixture of officer perceived and self-reported gender and sex.

4.7 Situations in which police use force can include arrests, stop and search and detentions under the Mental Health Act (MHA)

The Home Office collects and publishes information on arrests, stop and search and detentions under the MHS in the annual Police powers and procedures: Stop and search, arrests, and mental health detentions, England and Wales statistical bulletin.

Figure 9 shows police use of force, arrests, stop and search and detentions under the MHA by ethnic group (where reported), alongside the prison population and overall population of England and Wales.

Where ethnicity was reported, people from a Black ethnic group were over-represented for the police use of force (12%) compared with the population of England and Wales (4%). Proportions were similar across the England and Wales prison population (12%) and stop and search incidents (13%) for those from a Black ethnic group.

People from an Asian ethnic group were under-represented in police use of force (7%) compared with the population of England and Wales (9%).

Figure 9: Ethnicity proportions by population, prison population, use of force, stop and search, arrests and detentions under the MHA, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 4a; ONS 2021 Census; Home Office ‘Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions, March 2025’, tables A_01c, SS_05 and MHA.03a; Ministry of Justice ‘Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2025’, Prison population data tool: 30 June 2025

Notes:

  1. One person may appear in multiple datasets, for example, where a person is stopped and searched, the person is arrested and force is used.
  2. ‘Ethnicity not reported’ is not shown in figure 9.
  3. Proportions of less than 4% are not labelled.
  4. Police use of force, stop and search and detentions under the MHA data include data from BTP. Arrests data excludes BTP.

4.8 Twenty-two per cent of use of force involved people with a mental health condition

The health condition of the person is based on self-reported information where available and officer perception where it was not.

The majority (73%) of police use of force involved people with no physical or mental health condition (596,250 reports).

People with mental health conditions (including those with mental and physical health conditions) accounted for 22% of use of force (20% in the year ending 31 March 2024). Those with physical health conditions (including those with physical and mental health conditions) accounted for 4% of use of force (3% in the year ending 31 March 2024). Figure 10 shows use of force tactics by health condition of the person involved.

Figure 10: Proportion of tactics by type and health condition, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 5b

Notes:

  1. Some tactics have been grouped - see the data tables for groupings.
  2. Proportions of less than 3% are not labelled.
  3. Data is based on self-reported information where available and officer perception where not.
  4. Includes BTP.

Table 6: Proportion of tactics experienced by type and health condition, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Proportion of tactic experienced by group No health condition Mental health condition Physical health condition Physical and mental health condition Not reported Total
Restraint 73% 21% 2% 2% 2% 100%
Unarmed skills 68% 25% 2% 2% 2% 100%
Other equipment 71% 23% 2% 2% 3% 100%
Less lethal weapons 73% 22% 2% 2% 1% 100%
Firearms 89% 9% 2% 0.6% 0.3% 100%
Other 65% 26% 2% 2% 5% 100%
Percentage of reports involving group 73% 20% 2% 2% 3% 100%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 5b

Notes:

  1. Data is based on self-reported information where available and officer perception where it was not.
  2. Includes BTP.

Use of force on individuals with a mental health condition (including those with a mental and physical health condition) varied by ethnic group.

For those who force was used on, a mental health condition was self-reported or perceived in:

  • 24% of White individuals
  • 17% of Black individuals
  • 14% of Asian individuals
  • 20% of individuals from a Mixed ethnic group
  • 15% of individuals from an Other ethnic group

5. Use of force by reason, impact factors and outcomes

Officers have the option to record multiple reasons, impact factors and outcomes relating to their use of force. For example, an officer may use force to assist in making an arrest and to protect themselves.

5.1 Protection most common reason for using force

The most common reasons for a police officer using force were:

  • to protect themselves from violence (61%, 497,084 reports)
  • to assist in making an arrest (54%, 440,469 reports)
  • to protect other officers from violence (52%, 424,062 reports)

From the year ending 31 March 2025, the wording of some of the questions relating to the reasons for using force was revised to explicitly reference violence, to improve clarity around the categorisation for officers recording the data and users of the statistics. The revised wording may have had an impact on the data recorded from this year.

Figure 11: Top 5 reasons for using force, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 6a

Notes:

  1. Figure 11 shows the 5 most common reasons only.
  2. Multiple reasons can apply, therefore percentages sum to more than 100%.
  3. Includes BTP.

5.2 Over a third of reports recorded alcohol as an impact factor

Factors that impacted on the incident in which force was used are recorded by officers and include:

  • the possession of weapons
  • alcohol
  • drugs
  • mental health
  • prior knowledge relating to the incident
  • the size, gender or build of the person
  • acute behavioural disturbance
  • crowds

Multiple impact factors can be recorded in each use of force report.

The most common impact factors were:

  • alcohol (37%, 296,684 reports)
  • the size, gender or build of the person involved (32%, 263,320 reports)
  • drugs (31%, 250,228 reports)

These proportions were similar to the year ending 31 March 2024.

Where firearms or less lethal weapons (CEDs and AEPs) were used, the most common impact factor was the person being in possession of a weapon: 82% of reports including firearms tactics and 65% of reports including less lethal weapon tactics.

5.3 Most common outcome for the person involved was arrest

The most common outcome for the person experiencing the use of force was arrest (70%, 570,239 reports), a similar proportion to the year ending 31 March 2024 (71%).

‘Other’ was the second most common outcome (14%, 116,475 reports), the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2024. ‘Other’ can include the person being cautioned, or de-arrested following further information, for example. See the user guide for further details.

Figure 12: Outcomes for the person experiencing the use of force, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 8a

Notes:

  1. Multiple outcomes can apply, therefore percentages sum to more than 100%.
  2. Includes BTP.

5.4 Violence was a factor in over half of reports with information provided

For the first time in the year ending 31 March 2025, officers recorded the type of violence involved in incidents where force was used. This is presented as official statistics in development indicating that the data is newly collected and that there will be further development of the data collection and quality assurance of the data (for example, to understand the interaction between reasons for using force that include protection from violence and the types of violence considered a factor in the incident).

Data was available in 343,633 of reports (42%). Of these, 11% described reported violence, 17% threatened violence, 25% actual violence and 47% no violence.

6. Conducted energy device

CED (for example, TASER ®) details are recorded against 7 categories.

Non-discharge uses (no electricity is discharged into the person):

  • drawn
  • aimed
  • arced
  • red-dot

Discharge uses:

  • direct contact mode
  • fired
  • angled drive stun

For category definitions, see the user guide.

The statistics present the ‘highest’ category recorded from each use of force report. For example, if a CED is drawn, aimed, red-dotted and fired, fired will be shown as the category.

6.1 Where the CED category was stated, 8% were discharged

CEDs were recorded as a tactic in 33,421 use of force reports (4% of all use of force reports) in the year ending 31 March 2025, a small decrease compared with the year ending 31 March 2024 (-57; -0.2%). The decrease included:

  • a 24% decrease (-195) in CED tactics where the category was not stated
  • a 4% (-100) decrease in discharge tactics
  • a 0.8% decrease (-135) in red-dot uses

There was a 0.8% (+238) increase in non-discharges.

Where the CED category was stated:

  • CEDs were discharged in 8% (2,557) of reports

  • not discharged in 92% (30,262) of reports

These proportions were the same in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Of the 2,553 use of force reports where the CED discharge type was known:

  • 2,515 (99%) involved the CED being fired
  • 10 (0.4%) involved the CED being discharged in direct contact mode
  • 28 (1%) involved the CED being discharged in angled drive stun mode

This compares with the previous year (ending 31 March 2024), where:

  • 2,553 (98% of discharges) involved the CED being fired
  • 31 (1%) involved the CED being discharged in direct contact mode
  • 19 (0.7%) involved the CED being discharged in angled drive stun mode

Since the year ending 31 March 2024, police forces have recorded whether the CED was fired once, fired more than once or fired with an extended discharge (more than the standard 5 second cycle), where a discharge was recorded. These are presented as official statistics in development indicating that the data is newly collected and that there will be further development of the data collection and quality assurance of the data.

Of the 2,557 use of force reports where the CED was discharged (including where discharge type was not stated):

  • 1,894 (74%) involved a single firing
  • 561 (22%) involved multiple firings
  • 251 (10%) included an extended discharge

This compares with 2,657 use of force reports where the CED was discharged (including where discharge type was not stated) in the year ending 31 March 2024 where:

  • 1,917 (72%) involved a single firing
  • 530 (20%) involved multiple firings
  • 242 (9%) included an extended discharge

These categories add up to more than the total discharges as more than one type of discharge can apply.

6.2 CED tactics remain stable

Figure 13 shows that the use of CED tactics (both discharges and non-discharges) doubled between the year ending 31 March 2018 and the year ending 31 March 2021 (+17,503; +103%). This rise likely reflects a combination of factors, including:

  • an increase in the number of CED-trained officers
  • greater availability of CEDs across police forces in England and Wales
  • improvements in data recording following the introduction of the national use of force data collection

Since the year ending 31 March 2021, CED tactics have remained stable.

Figure 13: Number of CED tactics, England and Wales, year ending 31 December 2015 to year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 13a; Police use of TASER ® X26 conducted energy devices statistics, England and Wales, collection

Notes:

  1. Includes BTP from the year ending 31 March 2024. Excluding BTP there were 33,255 CED uses in the year ending 31 March 2025 and 33,232 in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Statistics on police use of CEDs from 2003 to 2016 that were collected and published by the Home Office on a calendar year basis are available on GOV.UK.

6.3 Once drawn, CED discharges were similar across ethnicities

Once drawn, CEDs were discharged in:

  • 8% of reports involving people from a White ethnic group and also 8% where ethnicity was not stated
  • 7% of reports involving people from a Black or Mixed ethnic group
  • 6% of reports involving people from an Other ethnic group
  • 5% of reports involving people from an Asian ethnic group

These proportions are broadly consistent with those recorded in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Table 7: CED tactics, by type of use and ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

CED use type CED tactics Non-discharges Discharges Not stated
Asian (or Asian British) 2,149
(6%)
2,027
(94%)
109
(5%)
13
(0.6%)
Black (or Black British) 5,225
(16%)
4,836
(93%)
345
(7%)
44
(0.8%)
Mixed ethnic group 1,013
(3%)
924
(91%)
72
(7%)
17
(2%)
White 23,554
(70%)
21,114
(90%)
1,931
(8%)
509
(2%)
Other ethnic group 1,021
(3%)
940
(92%)
63
(6%)
18
(2%)
Ethnicity not reported 459
(1%)
421
(92%)
37
(8%)
1
(0.2%)
Total 33,421
(100%)
30,262
(91%)
2,557
(8%)
602
(2%)

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 4b

Notes:

  1. Drawn, aimed, arced and red-dot are defined as ‘non-discharges’ as no electricity is discharged into the person. Direct contact mode, fired, and angle drive-stun are defined as ‘discharges’.
  2. Where percentages have been rounded, they may not sum to the total.
  3. Includes BTP.

6.4 Rate of CED use highest for Black ethnic group

The rate of CED discharges (fired, direct contact mode and angled drive stun mode) and non-discharges (drawn, aimed, red-dot, arced) is calculated for different ethnic groups by dividing the number of times a CED was discharged or drawn, aimed or red-dotted, for each group by the corresponding population size.

While this approach offers insight into the relative use of CEDs across ethnic groups, it shares the same limitations as the broader relative use of force analysis outlined in Section 4.4 of this release. As such, these figures should be interpreted with appropriate caution.

Use of force reports involving CEDs showed people from a Black ethnic group were involved at a rate:

  • 4.1 times that of those from a White ethnic group in police force areas in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan Police)

  • 4.5 times that of the White ethnic group in the Metropolitan Police force area

when compared with the ONS 2021 Census. These rates were the same in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Reports specifically involving CED discharges (including firing, direct contact mode, and angled drive stun) showed that people from a Black ethnic group were involved at a rate:

  • 3.3 times that of those from a White ethnic group in police force areas in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan Police)

  • 4.0 times that of the White ethnic group in the Metropolitan Police force area

based on the same census comparison. These rates were 3.5 and 4.1 respectively in the year ending 31 March 2024.

The Metropolitan Police is the largest police force in England and Wales and therefore had the highest number of CED reports (6,751, 20% of the England and Wales total).

It also has a proportionately higher population of people from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups (46%) compared with the rest of England and Wales (13%) (based on the ONS 2021 Census).

Table 8 shows the rate of CED discharges and non-discharges for the Metropolitan Police separately from the rest of England and Wales.

Table 8: Rate of CED use, by category and ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Asian (or Asian British) Black (or Black British) Mixed ethnic group White Other ethnic group
All CED use          
England and Wales 0.8 4.5 1.2 1.0 1.7
England and Wales excluding Metropolitan Police 0.8 4.1 1.3 1.0 1.7
Metropolitan Police 0.8 4.5 0.9 1.0 1.5
           
CED discharges          
England and Wales 0.5 3.6 1.1 1.0 1.3
England and Wales excluding Metropolitan Police 0.5 3.3 1.3 1.0 1.4
Metropolitan Police 0.5 4.0 0.6 1.0 1.1
           
CED non-discharges          
England and Wales 0.8 4.6 1.2 1.0 1.7
England and Wales excluding Metropolitan Police 0.8 4.2 1.3 1.0 1.7
Metropolitan Police 0.9 4.5 1.0 1.0 1.6

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, April 2024 to March 2025, data tables 16 and open data table; ONS 2021 Census

Notes:

  1. Rates for Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups are shown relative to the White ethnic group.
  2. Where possible, officers recorded self-defined ethnicity as one of the 19 categories defined by the ONS 2021 Census; these were then grouped into the above categories and combined with officer perceived ethnicity for analysis.
  3. Excludes BTP.

Separate rates of CED discharges and non-discharges for men aged 18 to 34 were also calculated, as around half (47%) of CED use of force reports involved this group. The rate for men from a Black ethnic group, and aged 18 to 34 was 4.9 times that of men from a White ethnic group, and aged 18 to 34 in England and Wales. The rate for men aged 18 to 34 for those from an Asian ethnic group was lower than the rate for those from a White ethnic group (0.8) and the rate for Mixed or Other ethnic groups was slightly higher (1.3 and 1.5 respectively) than the White group.

6.5 Possession of a weapon most common impact factor when CEDs reported

Possession of a weapon was reported as an impact factor in 65% of CED use of force reports, with half of these incidents involving those aged 18 to 34 (50%).

Figure 14 shows the ages of those involved where use of CED was recorded, and where possession of a weapon was an impact factor. Possession of a weapon was more often an impact factor in CED incidents in the youngest and oldest age groups.

Figure 14: Percentage of use of force reports involving CED use and an impact factor of possession of a weapon, by age group, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, open data table

Notes:

  1. Includes BTP.

Possession of a weapon was recorded as an impact factor in:

  • 16% of all use of force reports involving people from an Asian ethnic group
  • 22% of all use of force reports involving people from a Black ethnic group
  • 19% of all use of force reports involving people from a Mixed ethnic group
  • 17% of all use of force reports involving people from a Other ethnic group
  • 12% of all use of force reports involving people from a White ethnic group

6.6 CED tactics similar across ethnicities for those with a mental health condition

Proportionally, people with a mental health condition (including those with a mental and physical health condition; 22% of all use of force reports; perceived by the officer where not self-reported) were involved in more incidents where a CED tactic was used (24%) and where the CED was discharged (35%).

In use of force reports involving someone with a mental health condition (including those with a mental and physical health condition), CED tactics were used in similar proportions across ethnicities (4% for Asian, Mixed and White, 5% for other and 6% for Black). By age group, proportions were more varied (none for under 11s, 2% for 11 to 17 year olds, 4% for 18 to 34 year olds and 65 and over, 5% for 35 to 49 year olds and 6% for 50 to 64 year olds).

6.7 CED availability

Data on CED availability when force was used has been collected since the year ending 31 March 2024. Official statistics in development show that in the year ending 31 March 2025, of the 644,785 (79%) use of force reports where data was available, 46% of officers were carrying a CED readily available for use.

This compares with 43% of the 577,000 (77%) use of force reports where this data was available in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Where a CED was available, it was either drawn, aimed, red-dotted, arced or discharged in 11% of reports (10% non-discharges and 0.9% discharges). The reporting of this data is expected to improve as data collection processes are established.

7. Use of force by police force area and location

The number of use of force reports in each police force area can be influenced by the size of its population and a range of other socioeconomic factors.

7.1 Thirteen per cent of use of force reported by Metropolitan Police

The number of use of force reports submitted by each police force ranged from 2,963 in the City of London (0.4% of total reports) to 105,889 in the Metropolitan Police force area (13% of total reports). Cleveland reported the most use of force relative to its population, with 32 reports per 1,000 people, and Suffolk reported the least, with 6 reports per 1,000 people. Whilst the use of force data collection is now well established, it is likely that the recording of use of force data is still improving in some forces.

Figure 15: Use of force reports per 1,000 people, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 12a; ONS Population estimates for England and Wales: mid-2024

Notes:

  1. City of London are not shown due to the small resident population of the area relative to the transient or visiting population.
  2. Excludes BTP.

7.2 Absolute and relative rate of use of force by ethnicity varied by police force area

The national rates of use of force by ethnicity do not reflect the difference in ethnic diversity across individual police force areas. For example, police force areas with a relatively low number of use of force reports involving those from a particular ethnic group can have a relatively high rate of use of force for this group, if the population for the ethnic group is small. Conversely, police forces with a relatively high number of use of force reports involving those from a particular ethnic group can have a relatively low rate of use of force for this group, if they make up a larger proportion of the population.

Cumbria recorded the highest overall rate of use of force for those from a Black ethnic group, at 196 reports per 1,000 population. However, this figure is based on a relatively small number of use of force reports involving those from a Black ethnic group (234). Cumbria also has the smallest resident Black population (1,194) of all police forces, which means that even a relatively small number of use of force reports involving those from a Black ethnic group produces a high rate compared with other forces.

The Metropolitan Police recorded the most use of force reports involving those from a Black ethnic group (37,377) and an overall rate of 31 use of force reports per 1,000 population. Lincolnshire had the lowest overall rate of use of force reports involving those from a Black ethnic group, at 25 per 1,000 population.

Figure 16 shows the disparity rate against rates of use of force use for the Black ethnic group at police force area level.

Figure 16: Use of force rate per 1,000 people and relative rates for Black individuals, by police force area, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, open data table; ONS 2021 Census

Notes:

  1. City of London are not shown due to the small resident population of the area relative to the transient or visiting population.
  2. Labels are shown for police force areas with rates at the lower and upper end of the scale.
  3. Excludes BTP.

7.3 Almost half of use of force reports included street or highway as a location

Nearly half (48%) of use of force reports included a street or highway as the location (386,869 use of force reports).

Figure 17: Top 5 locations for using force, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 9a

Notes:

  1. Figure 17 shows the 5 most common locations only.
  2. Where multiple tactics and locations are reported, it is not possible to identify the location in which each tactic was used.
  3. Includes BTP.

7.4 Twelve per cent of use of force reports included custody block location

Custody block was listed as a location in 12% (101,197) of use of force reports.

Table 9 compares total tactics used in all locations with those that included custody block as a location.

Incidents in which custody block was listed as a location (but not necessarily the only location) featured a higher proportion of unarmed skills (36%) compared with use of force overall (24%). Proportions were slightly higher for other equipment (4%) and other tactics (8%) compared with use of force overall (3% and 6% respectively).

Restraint tactics, less lethal weapons and firearms were proportionately less likely to be used in custody blocks compared with use of force incidents overall. See data table 9b for further information.

Table 9: Proportion of tactics used in all locations by type and those with custody block listed, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

Total tactics reported Custody block reported as a location
Restraint 63% 52%
Unarmed skills 24% 36%
Other equipment 3% 4%
Less lethal weapons 3% 0.4%
Firearms 0.6% 0.08%
Other 6% 8%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics, April 2024 to March 2025’, data table 9b

Notes:

  1. Tactics have been grouped - see the data tables for groupings.
  2. Incidents with custody block listed as a location may also include additional locations.
  3. Includes BTP.

8. Injuries

Officers record if they or the person involved in the use of force incident were injured as a result of the use of force.

Injury level is recorded in the following categories:

Minor
An injury which may require some simple first aid but does not meet the definition of severe.

Severe
A fracture, deep cut, deep laceration or an injury causing damage to an internal organ or the impairment of any bodily function. In addition, an injury which may, after initial assessment at hospital, require formal admission to hospital.

8.1 Officer injury recorded in 5% of use of force reports

Injury to the officer was recorded in 5% (41,715) use of force reports. Where the level of injury was recorded:

  • 98% (19,651) were minor injuries
  • 2% (411) were severe injuries

Separately, officers recorded whether they were assaulted during the incident in which force was used in, and whether they were injured as a result of the assault.

Assault was recorded in 5% (39,099) reports and of these 43% (16,690) resulted in injury to the officer.

8.2 Person injury recorded in 5% of use of force reports

Official statistics in development show that injury to the person experiencing the use of force was recorded in 5% (41,156) of use of force reports. Where person injury was recorded:

  • 49% (20,013) recorded injury during the use of force
  • 18% (7,596) recorded injury separate to the use of force
  • 33% (13,547) did not record if the injury related to the use of force

Where injury was recorded during the use of force and the level of injury was stated:

  • 98% (16,057) were minor injuries
  • 2% (309) were severe injuries

Figures are presented as official statistics in development to indicate that the wording of the question relating to person injury changed in the year ending 31 March 2025 to provide clarity on whether the injury was related to the use of force or not, and there will be further development and quality assurance of the data.

Under the Police Reform Act 2002, police forces in England and Wales have a statutory duty to refer all incidents involving a death or serious injury to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for consideration. The IOPC will determine whether it is necessary to investigate and who should carry out the investigation. Some matters are investigated by police forces and some are investigated by the IOPC. The IOPC report on deaths during or following police contact provides more comprehensive information.

9. Developments, feedback and enquiries

Developments to the year ending 31 March 2025 police use of force statistics include:

  • data on gender as defined by the person who experienced the use of force was collected separately for the first time; officer perceived gender was reported where this was not available (reporting is likely to include a mixture of sex and gender)
  • data to estimate the number of people who experienced police use of force (rather than the number of use of force reports) was published for the first time; 39% of reports were of sufficient quality to support the estimation
  • data on the type of violence that was a factor in the incident where force was used was collected and published for the first time
  • data on person injury separated by whether the injury occurred during the use of force or not during the use of force was included for the first time; previously injuries that were separate to the use of force may have been recorded as being related to the use of force when it was not, and therefore the separation of the question has provided more accurate data
  • detailed location data was collected for the first time in the year ending 31 March 2025; whilst some forces were able to provide high quality data, many forces were not - feedback was given to forces with the aim of improving the quality of the data over time
  • the wording of the questions relating to the reasons for using force was revised to explicitly reference violence; for example, to ‘protect self from violence’, ‘protect other officers from violence’ to improve clarity around the categorisation for officers recording the data and users of the statistics

Statistical or public enquiries

Home Office statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly at PolicingStatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Frequency of release: Annual

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Jenny Bradley

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