Chichester one of England’s least bad-tempered cities, according to police figures

A new study by Manhattan Mental Health Counseling analysed police-recorded crime figures for 47 English cities to find where tempers are most likely to boil over.

Each city was scored out of 100 across nine metrics, including violence against the person, public order offences, criminal damage and arson, and stalking and harassment.

All figures were measured per 100,000 residents over the 12 months to June 2026.

Chichester was the fourth least bad-tempered city in England with a score of 11.8 out of 100 and had the lowest rates of stalking and harassment (544 per 100,000 residents) and drug offences (130).

St Albans was named England's least bad-tempered city with a score of just 7.1. It recorded the lowest rates of violence at 2,105 per 100,000 residents and weapons possession at 50.

Winchester was the second least bad-tempered city with a score of 10.1 and had the lowest robbery rate of all 47 cities, at 37 offences per 100,000 residents.

York came third from the bottom with 11.6, recording the lowest rate of miscellaneous crimes against society in the study at 113 per 100,000 residents.

Lichfield rounded off the bottom five with a score of 12.3, helped by the lowest rate of criminal damage and arson in the study at 382 offences per 100,000 residents.

At the other end of the ranking, Blackpool came out on top with a score of 75.4. It recorded 6,975 violent offences and 1,273 criminal damage and arson offences per 100,000 residents, the highest rates of any city in the study. It also had the second-highest rate of stalking and harassment, at 1,944 offences per 100,000 people.

Bristol ranked second with a score of 63.6, driven by the highest rate of public order offences in England at 1,411 per 100,000 residents, plus the third-highest theft rate at 4,222.

Liverpool came third with 62.7, recording the highest rate of drug offences in the study at 1,517 per 100,000 residents and the third-highest rate of public order offences at 1,271.

Kingston upon Hull placed fourth with a score of 61.6, with the third-highest violence rate in the country at 4,877 offences per 100,000 residents.

Nottingham completed the top five, also with 61.6, after recording the second-highest rates of robbery at 341 per 100,000 residents, theft at 4,428 and criminal damage and arson at 1,234.

London, which had the highest robbery and theft rates of any city in the study, finished 30th overall thanks to below-average rates of violence and public order offences.

Natalie Buchwald, a therapist, said: “Anger rarely comes out of nowhere. Constant pressure from money worries, poor sleep, long commutes, or crowded streets can lower our tolerance for small frustrations and make disagreements escalate quickly.

“If you notice signs such as a tight jaw, racing heart, or clenched fists, step away, slow your breathing, and give yourself ten minutes before responding. If anger feels constant or difficult to control, speaking to a therapist can help uncover the stress, anxiety, or low mood driving it.”