Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges
Summary
Police forces across Britain recorded a 10% rise in crimes mentioning cocaine between 2019 and 2025, while estimates show cocaine use has increased in England. The figures include drug offences, violence, sexual offences and driving offences, but a cocaine mention in a crime report does not establish that the drug caused the offence.Key Facts
- Police recorded at least 29,922 crimes mentioning cocaine in 2025, or 63.4 per 100,000 people, compared with 57.7 per 100,000 in 2019.
- Home Office estimates indicate cocaine use at sites across England rose 26% between 2021 and 2025.
- Wastewater analysis estimates that people in England consumed 123,000kg of cocaine in 2024–25.
- Of crimes mentioning cocaine in 2025, 18% were violent offences and just under 4% were sexual offences; the reports included 344 rapes.
- Nearly six in 10 people arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse who received a police drug test between July 2025 and June 2026 tested positive for cocaine.
- In 2025, 30,707 drug-driving offences were added to driving licences, up 28% from 2022; 29,769 drink-driving offences were added, down 17%.
- The article notes that drug tests in domestic-abuse cases are not representative and that a cocaine mention in a crime record does not prove the drug caused the offence.
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