Nigel Farage has launched a six-week campaign and policy blitz, pledging to halve overall crime in the first five years of a Reform UK government. At a press conference on Monday, the Reform leader made a series of claims about crime levels in the UK and government efforts to lower them.
Farage argued that crime has risen so much that the UK is 'facing societal collapse', with total crime 50% higher than in the 1990s. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) regards the Crime Survey for England and Wales as the more accurate metric, which shows crime against individuals and households has generally fallen over the last 10 years, with long-term decreases since the mid-1990s in violence, theft and criminal damage.
Farage claimed that 'people are scared of going to the shops' and that 'witnessing and experiencing crime has become normalised'. While 22% of voters regard crime as a big issue, it ranks behind the NHS (33%) and immigration (53%) in YouGov's poll tracker. He also said 57% of women felt unsafe walking on London streets, citing a Survation poll.
On London-specific claims, Farage said one in three people had been subject to phone theft, but this came from a survey by a fintech startup, not police data. The Metropolitan Police reported 80,000 phones stolen in London in 2024, affecting far fewer than one in three. He also claimed tourists were reluctant to visit and wealthy individuals like John Fredriksen were leaving due to crime, but Fredriksen cited tax changes as the main reason.
Farage said there had been 'so little debate' on crime in Westminster, yet both Labour and the Conservatives made crime pledges central to their 2024 election manifestos, and the government's missions include halving serious violent crime.
