Crime in Bedford district: statistics, rates and trends
18,621 crimes were recorded in Bedford district in the 12 months to August 2026, 95.5 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 5% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Bedford district at a glance
- Crime trends in Bedford district
- Types of crime in Bedford district
- Home Office recorded crime in Bedford district
- Bedford district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Bedford district
- Streets with the most crime in Bedford district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Bedford district
- Demographics of Bedford district
- Fly-tipping in Bedford
- Questions about crime in Bedford district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (6,556), anti-social behaviour (2,909) and shoplifting (1,962) made up 61% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 110th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | Bedford district | East of England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 18,621 | 530,364 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 95.5 | 80.6 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +5% | +2% | -1% |
| Population | 194,976 | 6,576,306 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Bedford district peaked in the year to August 2018 (19,458 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2023 (16,111). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 4%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 18,621 | 95.5 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 17,762 | 91.1 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 17,987 | 92.3 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 16,111 | 82.6 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 17,354 | 89.0 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 17,821 | 91.4 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 18,538 | 95.1 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 19,238 | 98.7 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 19,458 | 99.8 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,867 |
| July 2026 | 2,028 |
| June 2026 | 1,699 |
| May 2026 | 1,670 |
| April 2026 | 1,564 |
| March 2026 | 1,564 |
| February 2026 | 1,219 |
| January 2026 | 1,306 |
| December 2025 | 1,286 |
| November 2025 | 1,451 |
| October 2025 | 1,494 |
| September 2025 | 1,473 |
Compared with England and Wales, Bedford district recorded notably more bicycle theft (34% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (66% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 158 to 247 and possession of weapons rose from 175 to 216, while bicycle theft fell from 267 to 215.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 6,556 | 33.6 | 34.2 | +8% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,909 | 14.9 | 15.4 | +8% |
| Shoplifting | 1,962 | 10.1 | 8.5 | +6% |
| Public order | 1,268 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 0% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,186 | 6.1 | 6.7 | -4% |
| Other theft | 1,155 | 5.9 | 6.4 | +11% |
| Vehicle crime | 1,075 | 5.5 | 5.0 | -8% |
| Drugs | 693 | 3.6 | 3.3 | +15% |
| Burglary | 582 | 3.0 | 3.6 | -12% |
| Other crime | 444 | 2.3 | 2.1 | -8% |
| Robbery | 247 | 1.3 | 1.4 | +56% |
| Possession of weapons | 216 | 1.1 | 1.0 | +23% |
| Bicycle theft | 215 | 1.1 | 0.8 | -19% |
| Theft from the person | 113 | 0.6 | 1.7 | +14% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
14,950 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Bedford district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 76.7 per 1,000 residents, close to the England and Wales rate of 83.2. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Bedford district had the 120th highest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Of the crimes recorded in the Bedfordshire Police area in the year ending March 2026, 3.7% were not assigned to a district. Those crimes are counted in the force and England and Wales totals but in no district, so the figure for Bedford district is an undercount.
No change on the year or longer series is given for Bedford district: comparable figures start in the year ending March 2026, because the share of crimes in the Bedfordshire Police area not assigned to a district moved from 2.5% in the year ending March 2025 to 3.7% in the year ending March 2026, which changes district totals without any change in crime.
Offences recorded in Bedford district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 2,742 offences (18% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for bicycle theft (1.6 times the national rate) and trafficking of drugs (1.4 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.30 times), residential burglary (0.63 times) and robbery of business property (0.69 times).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 2,742 | 14.1 | 13.2 | 1.06 |
| Shoplifting | 1,579 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 1.00 |
| Violence with injury | 1,462 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 0.92 |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,457 | 7.5 | 10.1 | 0.74 |
| Public order offences | 1,249 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 0.92 |
| Criminal damage | 1,159 | 5.9 | 6.8 | 0.87 |
| Vehicle offences | 1,105 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 1.13 |
| Other theft offences | 1,072 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 0.84 |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 414 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.01 |
| Other sexual offences | 414 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.93 |
| Possession of drugs | 374 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.77 |
| Trafficking of drugs | 323 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.40 |
| Residential burglary | 307 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 0.63 |
| Non-residential burglary | 263 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.21 |
| Bicycle theft | 258 | 1.3 | 0.85 | 1.55 |
| Rape | 220 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.93 |
| Possession of weapons | 181 | 0.93 | 1.00 | 0.93 |
| Robbery of personal property | 140 | 0.72 | 0.91 | 0.79 |
| Theft from the person | 104 | 0.53 | 1.8 | 0.30 |
| Robbery of business property | 64 | 0.33 | 0.47 | 0.69 |
| Arson | 54 | 0.28 | 0.38 | 0.73 |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 9 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 1.32 |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
Districts in the Bedfordshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 3 districts in the Bedfordshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Bedford district had the 2nd highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luton | 19,654 | 82.2 | 0.99 |
| Bedford | 14,950 | 76.7 | 0.92 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 14,940 | 47.3 | 0.57 |
Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.
2 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Bedford district; the highest is Stevenage district (118.8 per 1,000) and the lowest Central Bedfordshire (61.4).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Bedford district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Bedfordshire | 19,387 | 61.4 | -36% |
| Milton Keynes | 30,686 | 100.3 | +5% |
| North Hertfordshire | 9,152 | 66.7 | -30% |
| Luton | 22,028 | 92.1 | -4% |
| Huntingdonshire | 12,946 | 67.9 | -29% |
| North Northamptonshire | 32,796 | 87.7 | -8% |
| Stevenage | 10,907 | 118.8 | +24% |
| West Northamptonshire | 40,926 | 93.1 | -3% |
Of the 46 areas within Bedford district, Greyfriars had the highest crime rate (433.6 per 1,000) and Turvey the lowest (16.0), 27 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greyfriars | Neighbourhood | 4,527 | 1,963 | 433.6 |
| Castle & Newnham | Neighbourhood | 8,635 | 1,499 | 173.6 |
| Kingsbrook | Neighbourhood | 11,087 | 1,889 | 170.4 |
| Harpur | Neighbourhood | 9,293 | 1,561 | 168.0 |
| Cauldwell | Neighbourhood | 12,414 | 1,806 | 145.5 |
| Wymington | Town | 1,282 | 171 | 133.4 |
| Bedford | Town | 102,530 | 12,865 | 125.5 |
| Kempston Central & East | Neighbourhood | 9,970 | 1,238 | 124.2 |
| Goldington | Neighbourhood | 9,210 | 935 | 101.5 |
| Kempston | Town | 21,309 | 2,008 | 94.2 |
| Kempston South | Neighbourhood | 4,119 | 364 | 88.4 |
| Queens Park | Neighbourhood | 10,191 | 877 | 86.1 |
| Kempston North | Neighbourhood | 3,876 | 303 | 78.2 |
| De Parys | Neighbourhood | 7,290 | 539 | 73.9 |
| Cotton End | Town | 1,523 | 112 | 73.5 |
| Riverfield | Neighbourhood | 3,994 | 285 | 71.4 |
| Harrold | Neighbourhood | 4,722 | 336 | 71.2 |
| Shortstown | Neighbourhood | 7,417 | 525 | 70.8 |
| Shortstown | Town | 5,894 | 413 | 70.1 |
| Wixams | Town | 8,417 | 588 | 69.9 |
| Wixams & Wilstead | Neighbourhood | 15,442 | 1,055 | 68.3 |
| Harrold | Town | 1,940 | 117 | 60.3 |
| Riseley | Neighbourhood | 3,128 | 186 | 59.5 |
| Great Denham | Town | 4,506 | 263 | 58.4 |
| Brickhill | Neighbourhood | 8,914 | 520 | 58.3 |
| Kempston West | Neighbourhood | 4,833 | 277 | 57.3 |
| Wyboston | Neighbourhood | 4,481 | 246 | 54.9 |
| Clapham (Bedford) | Town | 4,455 | 243 | 54.5 |
| Biddenham | Neighbourhood | 4,553 | 244 | 53.6 |
| Great Barford | Neighbourhood | 3,957 | 207 | 52.3 |
| Stewartby | Town | 3,307 | 157 | 47.5 |
| Putnoe | Neighbourhood | 8,140 | 385 | 47.3 |
| Sharnbrook | Neighbourhood | 4,393 | 204 | 46.4 |
| Clapham & Oakley | Neighbourhood | 6,834 | 307 | 44.9 |
| Great Barford | Town | 2,351 | 105 | 44.7 |
| Sharnbrook | Town | 1,372 | 60 | 43.7 |
| Salph End | Town | 2,118 | 92 | 43.4 |
| Renhold & Ravensden | Neighbourhood | 3,178 | 133 | 41.9 |
| Wootton (Bedford) | Town | 8,350 | 305 | 36.5 |
| Wootton & Kempston Rural | Neighbourhood | 9,980 | 342 | 34.3 |
| Wilstead | Town | 2,690 | 88 | 32.7 |
| Riseley (Bedford) | Town | 1,345 | 41 | 30.5 |
| Oakley (Bedford) | Town | 2,379 | 64 | 26.9 |
| Bromham (Bedford) | Town | 4,708 | 113 | 24.0 |
| Bromham | Neighbourhood | 5,892 | 132 | 22.4 |
| Turvey | Town | 1,184 | 19 | 16.0 |
The 10 locations below account for 18% of the crime recorded in Bedford district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (561).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 561 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 512 |
| On or near Parking Area | 487 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 445 |
| On or near Abbott Crescent | 297 |
| On or near Adelaide Square | 278 |
| On or near Kingsbrook Road | 266 |
| On or near High Street | 222 |
| On or near Gwyn Street | 175 |
| On or near Dane Street | 144 |
Of the 15,712 crimes in Bedford district with a recorded outcome, 34% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.9% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,909 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 5,679 | 36.1% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 5,375 | 34.2% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,952 | 12.4% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 925 | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 453 | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 394 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 356 | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Local resolution | 312 | 2.0% | 3.1% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 105 | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 96 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 32 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 21 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Bedford district has an estimated population of 194,976 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (18%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Bedford district average decile 5.6 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Bedford district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 20.3% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17.1% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 61.3% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.3% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 34.7% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 16.8% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 18.2% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 64.5% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 16.3% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.1% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.6 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 5.1% | 10.1% (England) |
1,988 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Bedford in 2024/25 (10.2 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Bedford has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Bedford district a safe place to live?
Bedford district recorded 95.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 110th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were bicycle theft.
What is the most common crime in Bedford district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 6,556 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,909).
Is crime in Bedford district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Bedford district was up 5% on the year before: 18,621 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 17,762 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Bedford district?
About 194,976 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 17% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Bedford district?
Bedford district is policed by Bedfordshire.
How many crimes did the police record in Bedford district in the year ending March 2026?
14,950 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 76.7 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales.
Which offences are more common in Bedford district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were bicycle theft (258 offences, 1.6 times the England and Wales rate) and trafficking of drugs (323 offences, 1.4 times the England and Wales rate).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.