This guide maps London crime rates across all 33 boroughs using Metropolitan Police data from police.uk, updated monthly. Crime rates are expressed as incidents per 1,000 residents — the only fair way to compare boroughs of very different population sizes. Borough averages are a useful starting point, but they hide enormous postcode-level variation: within a single borough, the safest postcodes can have crime rates three times lower than the borough's worst streets. Always use postcode-level data for any specific address. The London average is 118.1 incidents per 1,000 residents.
5 highest crime boroughs*
*See note on Westminster/City of London below
All 33 London boroughs — full crime ranking
Safest first — crime rate per 1,000 residents (Metropolitan Police, police.uk)
*Why Westminster and the City of London appear at the top of crime rankings:Westminster has a resident population of ~265,000 — but a daytime population exceeding 1 million commuters, tourists and workers. The City of London has just 9,000 residents but handles 500,000 daily workers. Crime is counted against the resident population, making per-resident rates appear very high. In practice, most crimes in these areas are opportunistic theft targeting visitors. They are not dangerous places to live; the metric simply doesn't suit areas with extreme daytime population ratios.
How to use postcode-level crime data
Borough averages can hide a 3x variation between the safest and most crime-affected postcodes within the same borough. LondonIQ shows you crime rate, crime band (very low → very high), 12-month trend (improving/stable/worsening), and a breakdown by category (antisocial behaviour, burglary, vehicle crime, violence and sexual offences) for every postcode. Use this to compare specific streets — not just the borough — before making any housing decision.
Frequently asked questions
Which London borough has the highest crime rate?
Westminster and the City of London consistently appear at the top of crime rate rankings, but this is misleading. Both have tiny resident populations but enormous daytime footfall from commuters and tourists. Crime is counted against the resident population, making the per-1,000 rate appear extreme. For residential safety, inner south-west boroughs like Wandsworth, Merton and Richmond are more representative high-crime entries.
Which London borough is safest to live in?
Richmond upon Thames has the lowest crime rate per 1,000 residents of any London borough — around 32 incidents per 1,000. Croydon, Merton, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth also consistently score in the bottom (safest) quartile. These outer and south-west London boroughs combine low crime with strong residential communities.
How accurate is postcode-level crime data in London?
LondonIQ uses data from police.uk, the official Metropolitan Police open data feed. Data is updated monthly and covers 12 months of rolling incidents by crime category. The data is accurate but has two limitations: some sensitive crimes are location-masked to protect victims, and the postcode assigned is the nearest postcode centroid rather than the exact address.
Does London have a crime problem compared to other UK cities?
London's overall crime rate is higher than the UK average, reflecting its density, tourism, and the concentration of high-crime categories (bike theft, pickpocketing) that come with any major city. However, violent crime per capita is lower in many London boroughs than in cities like Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds. The key metric for residents is neighbourhood-level crime, not city-wide statistics.
Check crime by borough area
Postcode-level crime data for the boroughs most frequently searched on LondonIQ.
Check crime for any London postcode
Street-level crime rate, trend direction and crime category breakdown — updated monthly from police.uk.
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