What Are The 20 Most Common Types Of Crime In The UK?

Actual bodily harm (ABH) is a form of assault or battery that causes physical harm to someone’s body. For an act to be considered ABH, it doesn’t need to be severe but must be more significant than a push or a shove. Some examples of ABH injuries can include scratching, minor fractures, swelling, among others.

This type of crime covers any behaviour, which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to someone. Antisocial behaviour can include any form of behaviour from street drinking to misuse of fireworks.

This type of crime covers the deliberate burning of property (such as a car or a building) with criminal or fraudulent intent.

Assault is the act of threatening or trying to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on someone, which puts a person in immediate danger or causes them to feel fear. Examples of assault can include anything from attempting to spit on someone to pointing a loaded gun at someone.

Burglary is where someone deliberately breaks into someone’s home to steal or attempt to steal. An example of burglary is someone breaking a window to get into someone’s house and then stealing some jewellery.

Child abuse is an umbrella term that covers any form of harm or mistreatment to someone below the age of 18. Examples of child abuse include sexual, physical and emotional abuse by an adult (someone over the age of 18).

This type of crime covers any criminal activities which have been conducted over the internet. Common examples of cybercrime include computer hacking and phishing emails.

This type of crime covers any behaviour that someone uses to control their partner. Domestic abuse can come in many forms, from economic abuse (controlling partners finances) to sexual abuse (forcing someone into sexual acts).

In short, fraud covers a criminal or wrongful act that intends to result in personal or financial gain. Common examples of fraud include tax evasion, benefit fraud, identity fraud, among others.

Grievous bodily harm (GBH) is when someone intentionally or recklessly inflicts serious bodily harm on someone else. Common examples of GBH include breaking someone’s leg, acid attacks and attacking someone with a sharp object.

Harassment is when a harasser’s behaviour violates someone else’s dignity. It’s important to note that this behaviour doesn’t necessarily need to be intentional and often leaves the victim feeling intimidated and humiliated. Examples of harassment can include inappropriate jokes or offensive messages online.

A hate crime is typically a crime that includes violence or the threat of violence targeted towards someone due to their sexual orientation, race, religion, among other grounds.

This type of crime is the recruitment, harbouring, movement or receiving of men, women or children through force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception with the incentive of exploitation.

In short, manslaughter is an unlawful killing of another person where the offender didn’t intend to kill the victim or wasn’t responsible for their actions. Someone is not accountable for their actions is if they intentionally killed someone in the ‘heat of the moment’, but the killing wasn’t premeditated (planned). The best example of a ‘heat of the moment’ killing is if someone comes home from work to find their partner committing adultery.

Murder is where someone premeditates (pre-plans) the killing of another human being. An example of murder is if someone has been careful planning the date and time that they’re going to kill their partner.

Rape is when someone intentionally penetrates another person without their consent in their vagina, anus or mouth.

Robbery is the action of taking something unlawfully from someone else by using the force of threat. An example of robbery is someone pointing a gun at a cashier in a petrol station to hand over all the money in the cash register.

Sexual assault is any non-consensual sexual act, not including penetration with a penis. Examples of sexual assault can include penetration of someone with any body part apart from a penis, sexual torture and groping.

This crime covers a range of unpleasant behaviour of a sexual nature that makes you feel humiliated, humiliated or seriously uncomfortable. Common examples of sexual harassment include unwanted sexual advances and being subjected to sexual jokes.

Stalking is a crime where somebody aims to follow a person or a group without being noticed. An example of stalking is if you go on a date with another person who persists in following you and walking past your place of work.