The statistics are split into police recorded crime and a crime survey of people’s experiences of crime.
The broader trends in violent crime in the survey, which is of adults aged over 16, were more flat. The ONS estimates there were around 1.1m incidents of violent crime, ranging from threats and jostling to assault and murder, which was little changed on the previous year.
The number of robbery offences remained broadly similar at 82,678 but shoplifting increased by 5%, from 492,660 offences the previous year to 519,381.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government was “having real success” tackling crime.
But she added: “The crimes that tear at the fabric of communities, like shop theft and shop robbery, continue to rise and we must do more.”
She said 13,000 more neighbourhood officers were being put on the beat and reforms set out earlier this week would mean “local forces will be focused on policing their area and protecting their communities”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp welcomed the reduction in homicides but added: “What concerns me in these figures is that shoplifting is up another 5% to record levels.”
The number of police recorded sexual offences also increased by 8% on the previous year, with 214,816 recorded in the year to the end of September 2025 compared with 198,373 the previous year.
Philp said that “women are less safe under Labour” but Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said an increased reporting of sexual offences was to be welcomed.
“The vast majority of sexual crimes go unreported,” she said.
“Increased reporting means increased confidence of women and girls in coming forward.”