Data

This section contains links to the source data that supports policing information shown on this website. Please choose a dataset from the menu to the left.

The data available on this site is licensed for use under the Open Government Licence

HMICFRS is committed to making the data it collects easily accessible. If you have any queries regarding the content of this section, please email contacthmicfrs@hmicfrs.gov.uk.

Data comparators

HMICFRS most often uses England and Wales (sometimes referred to as national) averages or Most Similar Groups (MSGs) to provide comparators for policing data.

MSGs are groups of police force areas that have been found to be the most similar to each other based on an analysis of demographic, social and economic characteristics which relate to crime. With the exception of the City of London Police (for which it was not possible to identify any most similar forces), each force area has its own group of up to seven force areas to which it is ‘most similar’.

They are designed to help make a fairer comparison between police forces than the England and Wales average can sometimes offer. Although caution should still be used in making black and white comparisons between forces, even in the same MSG.

For more information about MSGs and how they are formed, please see the MSG technical note (PDF document).

MSGs by force

Force Most Similar Group
Avon and Somerset Staffordshire
Derbyshire
Essex
Hampshire
Hertfordshire
Kent
Sussex
Bedfordshire Leicestershire
Nottinghamshire
Hertfordshire
Kent
Hampshire
Essex
South Yorkshire
Cambridgeshire Warwickshire
Thames Valley
Gloucestershire
Wiltshire
Avon and Somerset
Staffordshire
Devon and Cornwall
Cheshire Northamptonshire
Derbyshire
Staffordshire
Wiltshire
Devon and Cornwall
Avon and Somerset
Suffolk
City of London City of London does not have an MSG due to the unique nature of the force
Cleveland Merseyside
Northumbria
Greater Manchester
West Yorkshire
Humberside
Cumbria Lincolnshire
Norfolk
North Wales
Derbyshire Staffordshire
Avon and Somerset
Cheshire
Northamptonshire
Essex
Kent
Wiltshire
Devon and Cornwall Wiltshire
Suffolk
Warwickshire
North Wales
West Mercia
Norfolk
North Yorkshire
Dorset Surrey
Cambridgeshire
Gloucestershire
Thames Valley
Warwickshire
Sussex
West Mercia
Durham Gwent
Humberside
South Wales
Northamptonshire
Dyfed-Powys Lincolnshire
Cumbria
Norfolk
Essex Hertfordshire
Avon and Somerset
Hampshire
Staffordshire
Leicestershire
Sussex
Derbyshire
Gloucestershire West Mercia
Warwickshire
North Yorkshire
Cambridgeshire
Wiltshire
Devon and Cornwall
Suffolk
Greater Manchester West Midlands
Merseyside
West Yorkshire
Cleveland
Northumbria
South Yorkshire
South Wales
Gwent Humberside
Durham
South Wales
Lancashire
Northumbria
Northamptonshire
South Yorkshire
Hampshire Hertfordshire
Sussex
Essex
Leicestershire
Thames Valley
Avon and Somerset
Staffordshire
Hertfordshire Hampshire
Essex
Leicestershire
Sussex
Avon and Somerset
Staffordshire
Thames Valley
Humberside Gwent
South Wales
Lancashire
Northumbria
Durham
South Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
Kent Nottinghamshire
Essex
Staffordshire
Avon and Somerset
Northamptonshire
Derbyshire
Hertfordshire
Lancashire South Wales
South Yorkshire
Northumbria
Nottinghamshire
Humberside
Kent
West Yorkshire
Leicestershire Hertfordshire
Hampshire
Sussex
Essex
Bedfordshire
Nottinghamshire
Kent
Lincolnshire Norfolk
North Yorkshire
North Wales
West Mercia
Suffolk
Devon and Cornwall
Cumbria
Merseyside Cleveland
Greater Manchester
West Midlands
Northumbria
West Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
Metropolitan Police Service West Midlands
Greater Manchester
West Yorkshire
Norfolk North Wales
Suffolk
North Yorkshire
West Mercia
Devon and Cornwall
Lincolnshire
Wiltshire
North Wales Suffolk
Norfolk
Devon and Cornwall
Wiltshire
West Mercia
Warwickshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire West Mercia
Norfolk
Gloucestershire
Lincolnshire
Suffolk
North Wales
Devon and Cornwall
Northamptonshire Cheshire
Derbyshire
Staffordshire
Kent
Avon and Somerset
Essex
Nottinghamshire
Northumbria South Wales
West Yorkshire
Lancashire
South Yorkshire
Humberside
Gwent
Cleveland
Nottinghamshire Kent
Bedfordshire
Lancashire
Essex
South Yorkshire
Leicestershire
Hertfordshire
South Wales Lancashire
Northumbria
Humberside
South Yorkshire
Gwent
West Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
South Yorkshire West Yorkshire
Lancashire
Northumbria
South Wales
Nottinghamshire
Bedfordshire
Kent
Staffordshire Avon and Somerset
Derbyshire
Essex
Hampshire
Hertfordshire
Northamptonshire
Cheshire
Suffolk Devon and Cornwall
North Wales
Wiltshire
Norfolk
Warwickshire
West Mercia
North Yorkshire
Surrey Dorset
Thames Valley
Cambridgeshire
Sussex Hampshire
Hertfordshire
Thames Valley
Leicestershire
Essex
Avon and Somerset
Staffordshire
Thames Valley Sussex
Hampshire
Cambridgeshire
Hertfordshire
Essex
Avon and Somerset
Leicestershire
Warwickshire Wiltshire
Devon and Cornwall
West Mercia
Suffolk
Gloucestershire
Cambridgeshire
North Wales
West Mercia North Yorkshire
Warwickshire
Gloucestershire
Suffolk
Devon and Cornwall
Wiltshire
Norfolk
West Midlands Greater Manchester
Merseyside
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire South Yorkshire
Northumbria
Lancashire
South Wales
Greater Manchester
Nottinghamshire
West Midlands
Wiltshire Devon and Cornwall
Warwickshire
Suffolk
North Wales
West Mercia
Norfolk
Cheshire