Drug crime hotspots mapped in UK - worst area not London, Manchester or Glasgow

Liverpool has been named Britain’s drug crime capital after recording the highest rate of offences anywhere in the country last year. Police figures showed there were more than 15 drug offences for every 1,000 residents in the city in 2025, putting it well ahead of all other areas.

The figures for drug offences in the city have surged by 19% in the past year to the current figure of 7,770 recorded crimes – more than 20 every day. Detectives believe serious organised crime gangs are behind many of its drug offences, which often escalates to violence, weapon-related crimes and gun murders.

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Ashley Dale, 28, was killed by a bullet from a sub-machine gun in her Liverpool home in August 2022, after a drugs gang burst into the house looking to attack her boyfriend.

The same month saw the nation appalled when nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead in her home in the city by gunman Thomas Cashman.

He had been firing at drug dealer Joseph Nee but botched the assassination and accidentally hit Olivia when his target barged into her home in a bid to escape the gunfire.

Then in December of that year Elle Edwards, a 26-year-old beautician was shot outside a pub in Wallasey after getting accidentally caught in the crossfire between the city’s warring drug gangs.

Westminster ranked second with a rate above 13 per 1,000, while Manchester was close behind at more than 11 offences per 1,000 people. In some of the worst-hit areas, that means roughly one in every 65 residents was caught up in drug-related crime over the year.

A string of London boroughs dominate the list, with Islington, Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, Tower Hamlets and Brent all recording rates above eight offences per 1,000.

Knowsley and Salford also feature among the hardest-hit areas, highlighting how the problem stretches beyond the capital into major urban centres.

Critics say the figures expose the scale of the UK’s drug crisis, with high levels of dealing and possession offences continuing to blight communities.

The figures include crimes such as possession of controlled drugs, supply offences and the production of illegal substances, many of which are linked to organised criminal networks.

Experts warn that high levels of drug activity often go hand-in-hand with exploitation, violence and intimidation, particularly in areas where gangs compete for territory.

Police forces have stepped up efforts to dismantle supply chains, targeting so-called “county lines” operations that move drugs between cities and smaller towns.

But critics say enforcement alone is not enough to tackle the problem, pointing to rising demand and the ease with which drugs can be bought on the streets and online.

At the opposite end of the scale Broadland, in Norfolk, had a drugs crime rate of just 0.7 per 1,000 residents, while North Kesteven, in Lincolnshire, and Ribble Valley, in Lancashire, had a rate of 0.8.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Ryan, head of crime and intelligence at Merseyside Police, acknowledged that drug crime numbers had increased in the last year.

He said: “Although we understand that such an increase may cause concern, we don’t necessarily see an increase in drug arrests as a negative result, but in part as a result of proactive resources being invested in the issue.

“In the past year, our policing of serious and organised crime has led to significant numbers of warrants, arrests, charges and sentences - some brilliant - across many strands of the force.”

ACC Ryan added: “We are constantly looking for information and opportunities to target drug offences and offenders, and such proactive policing will naturally result in more offences being identified.”