Locacity has analysed 12 months of official Police.uk crime data to rank all 32 London boroughs by crime rate, using ONS Census 2021 population data to calculate crimes per 1,000 residents. The City of London is discussed separately below due to its exceptionally small resident population relative to its daytime footfall.
Key Findings
Richmond upon Thames
Safest London borough
106.2
Average crimes per 1,000 residents across 32 boroughs
Westminster
Highest crime rate of the 32 boroughs
Rankings — Crimes per 1,000 Residents
| Rank | Borough | Crimes per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond upon Thames | 63 |
| 2 | Sutton | 66.1 |
| 3 | Bexley | 66.3 |
| 4 | Merton | 67.9 |
| 5 | Kingston upon Thames | 71.2 |
| 6 | Harrow | 72.8 |
| 7 | Bromley | 73.1 |
| 8 | Barnet | 77.9 |
| 9 | Havering | 79.5 |
| 10 | Redbridge | 84.6 |
| 11 | Wandsworth | 87.5 |
| 12 | Enfield | 90.5 |
| 13 | Waltham Forest | 91.4 |
| 14 | Croydon | 92.1 |
| 15 | Barking and Dagenham | 95.2 |
| 16 | Lewisham | 98.3 |
| 17 | Greenwich | 99 |
| 18 | Ealing | 99.5 |
| 19 | Hounslow | 100.6 |
| 20 | Hillingdon | 109.5 |
| 21 | Brent | 110.8 |
| 22 | Haringey | 114.9 |
| 23 | Newham | 119.9 |
| 24 | Hackney | 120.9 |
| 25 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 121.7 |
| 26 | Lambeth | 122.7 |
| 27 | Southwark | 129.1 |
| 28 | Tower Hamlets | 130.9 |
| 29 | Islington | 142 |
| 30 | Kensington and Chelsea | 147 |
| 31 | Camden | 149.2 |
| 32 | Westminster | 304.1 |
Source: Locacity analysis of Police.uk data (April 2025 – March 2026) and ONS Census 2021 population estimates. City of London excluded — see analysis below.
Analysis
Richmond upon Thames emerged as the safest London borough, recording 63.0 crimes per 1,000 residents — one of the lowest rates of any area analysed across all Locacity regional analyses. Sutton (66.1), Bexley (66.3) and Merton (67.9) also ranked among the safest, with all four outer south-west London boroughs recording crime rates comparable to the safer areas of other English regions.
Westminster recorded the highest crime rate of the 32 boroughs at 304.1 crimes per 1,000 residents — nearly five times that of Richmond upon Thames. This is largely attributable to Westminster's status as London's primary tourist, entertainment and commercial district, generating very high levels of crime relative to its resident population. Camden (149.2), Kensington and Chelsea (147.0) and Islington (142.0) also ranked among the least safe boroughs.
The variation across London is striking — the gap between the safest and least safe boroughs is greater than in any other region analysed by Locacity. The 32-borough average of 106.2 crimes per 1,000 residents places London broadly in the middle of English regions, above the South East (89.6) and South West (91.0) but below Yorkshire and the Humber (120.2) and the North East (128.6).
Several inner London boroughs that are associated with high property values record notably high crime rates. Kensington and Chelsea (147.0) and Hammersmith and Fulham (121.7) both rank in the bottom third of boroughs despite being among London's most expensive areas — a reminder that house prices and crime rates do not always correlate.
A note on the City of London
The City of London recorded 997.0 crimes per 1,000 residents over the 12-month period — far higher than any other London area. This figure is not comparable to other boroughs. The City of London has a resident population of only around 8,600, but functions as one of the world's largest financial centres with a daytime working population estimated at over 500,000. The high crime rate per resident reflects this extreme imbalance between residents and visitors rather than a meaningful safety indicator for property buyers or renters.
London's 32-borough average of 106.2 crimes per 1,000 residents is above the national average of 101.5 crimes per 1,000 residents across all major urban areas in England and Wales analysed by Locacity (excludes Greater Manchester, where data is not published through Police.uk), though this masks enormous variation between boroughs.
The findings carry real implications for the property market. According to a Churchill Home Insurance survey, around 29,000 property sales fall through every year across England and Wales due to buyers’ concerns about local crime — representing an estimated £6.6 billion in lost property transactions annually. Understanding crime levels before committing to a purchase has never been more important.
However, borough-level figures represent averages across large and varied areas. Crime levels can vary significantly from one street to the next within the same borough — making street-level analysis essential for anyone making a property decision in London.
What this means for homebuyers and renters
Borough rankings provide a useful starting point, but London's diversity means street-level analysis is particularly important here. A Locacity report gives you a detailed picture of crime around a specific property — including the area immediately surrounding your home, nearby schools, transport hubs, and 999 police and ambulance response times.
Methodology
- • Analysis covers all 32 London boroughs. The City of London is discussed separately and excluded from the main table due to its atypically small resident population.
- • Crime data sourced from Police.uk open data service (April 2025 – March 2026), covering Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police force areas.
- • Population data sourced from ONS Census 2021.
- • Borough boundaries derived from ONS Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) names embedded in Police.uk crime data.
- • Unlike other regional analyses, London boroughs are used rather than ONS Built-Up Areas, as the standard BUA framework does not apply to Greater London's borough structure.
- • Crime coordinates in Police.uk data are approximated to the nearest street in accordance with Police.uk anonymisation policy.