The UK town centres worst hit by fights, drunks and thugs - full list
The map shows the areas which were hit by the most public order offences last year
An interactive map shows the areas of the UK worst hit by violence and drunken behaviour last year. Police received over 400,000 reports of public order offences across the nation in 2024, which included rioting in the wake of murder of three children at a dance class in Southport last summer.
Public order offences also consist of crimes which cause fear, alarm and distress, such as violent disorder, affray, threatening or drunk and disorderly behaviour. Any offence related to stirring up racial, religious, or homophobic hatred is also included.
According to the data, Leeds city centre saw more crime than anywhere else with a total of 1,355 - this equates to four crimes every day or one public order offence every six-and-a-half hours. The offences included drunken fights and threatening and abusive behaviour.
Meanwhile, Leicester city centre comes in second with 1,179 crimes reported. The Central and Islington district in Liverpool saw the third highest across the UK with 1,018.
In London, 974 crimes were reported in Westminster's busy Strand, St James and Mayfair area. There were also 829 public order offences reported in the wealthy City of London.
Southport saw overwhelming levels of public order offences last year, including 361 at Southport Waterfront. However, it is not possible to say if these crimes were linked to the riots as there were actually more offences in Southport Waterfront in 2023 (482).
The map, which gives figures for neighbourhoods with between 7,000 and 10,000 residents, also shows areas suffering high numbers of public order offences outside city and town centres that are not known for their raucous nightlife. For example, in Longton West and Sandford Hill, Stoke-on-Trent, there were 338 public order crimes.
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There more offences reported in Longton West and Sandford than there were in Birmingham’s North Central and Dartmouth Circus (337), Preston Town Centre (335), and Central Westminster (318).
According to the Public Order Act 1986, public order offences are defined as acts of violence or intimidation that disrupt the peace and order of society. Rioting is at the more extreme end of the spectrum and involved at least 12 people acting in a violent manner for a “common purpose”. It carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Violent disorder involves at least three people and could result in a five-year prison sentence. Affray is when someone uses or threatens violence, and could involve a group fight.
