Crime in Croydon district: statistics, rates and trends
42,232 crimes were recorded in Croydon district in the 12 months to August 2026, 103.2 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 3% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Croydon district at a glance
- Crime trends in Croydon district
- Types of crime in Croydon district
- Home Office recorded crime in Croydon district
- Croydon district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Croydon district
- Streets with the most crime in Croydon district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Croydon district
- Demographics of Croydon district
- Fly-tipping in Croydon
- Questions about crime in Croydon district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (12,745), anti-social behaviour (8,717) and vehicle crime (3,705) made up 60% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 89th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | Croydon district | London | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 42,232 | 1,126,877 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 103.2 | 124.0 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -3% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 409,342 | 9,089,736 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Croydon district peaked in the year to August 2020 (45,451 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2018 (37,344). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 13%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 42,232 | 103.2 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 43,608 | 106.5 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 43,023 | 105.1 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 40,996 | 100.2 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 42,258 | 103.2 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 43,657 | 106.7 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 45,451 | 111.0 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 39,206 | 95.8 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 37,344 | 91.2 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 3,497 |
| July 2026 | 3,971 |
| June 2026 | 3,688 |
| May 2026 | 3,768 |
| April 2026 | 3,548 |
| March 2026 | 3,640 |
| February 2026 | 3,177 |
| January 2026 | 3,475 |
| December 2025 | 3,232 |
| November 2025 | 3,289 |
| October 2025 | 3,408 |
| September 2025 | 3,539 |
Compared with England and Wales, Croydon district recorded notably more vehicle crime (82% above the national rate), robbery (78% above the national rate) and drugs (59% above the national rate), and notably less other crime (42% below) and bicycle theft (41% below). On the year before, possession of weapons rose from 242 to 350, while criminal damage and arson fell from 2,634 to 1,704 and other crime fell from 617 to 500.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 12,745 | 31.1 | 34.2 | +2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 8,717 | 21.3 | 15.4 | -2% |
| Vehicle crime | 3,705 | 9.1 | 5.0 | +5% |
| Shoplifting | 3,625 | 8.9 | 8.5 | +4% |
| Other theft | 2,708 | 6.6 | 6.4 | -1% |
| Public order | 2,392 | 5.8 | 6.7 | +4% |
| Drugs | 2,128 | 5.2 | 3.3 | -17% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,704 | 4.2 | 6.7 | -35% |
| Burglary | 1,696 | 4.1 | 3.6 | -11% |
| Robbery | 990 | 2.4 | 1.4 | -12% |
| Theft from the person | 774 | 1.9 | 1.7 | -13% |
| Other crime | 500 | 1.2 | 2.1 | -19% |
| Possession of weapons | 350 | 0.9 | 1.0 | +45% |
| Bicycle theft | 198 | 0.5 | 0.8 | +2% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
32,900 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Croydon district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 80.4 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, Croydon district had the 110th 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 Metropolitan Police area in the year ending March 2026, 5.5% 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 Croydon district is an undercount.
No change on the year or longer series is given for Croydon district: comparable figures start in the year ending March 2026, because the share of crimes in the Metropolitan Police area not assigned to a district moved from 4.3% in the year ending March 2025 to 5.5% in the year ending March 2026, which changes district totals without any change in crime.
Offences recorded in Croydon district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 5,512 offences (17% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for robbery of personal property (2.1 times the national rate), robbery of business property (1.7 times the national rate) and vehicle offences (1.6 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for bicycle theft (0.49 times), miscellaneous crimes against society (0.61 times) and arson (0.62 times).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 5,512 | 13.5 | 13.2 | 1.02 |
| Vehicle offences | 3,311 | 8.1 | 5.0 | 1.61 |
| Shoplifting | 2,998 | 7.3 | 8.1 | 0.90 |
| Violence with injury | 2,948 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 0.88 |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,766 | 6.8 | 10.1 | 0.67 |
| Other theft offences | 2,497 | 6.1 | 6.5 | 0.93 |
| Criminal damage | 2,412 | 5.9 | 6.8 | 0.86 |
| Public order offences | 2,243 | 5.5 | 7.0 | 0.79 |
| Possession of drugs | 1,532 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.50 |
| Residential burglary | 1,256 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.23 |
| Other sexual offences | 815 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.87 |
| Robbery of personal property | 770 | 1.9 | 0.91 | 2.07 |
| Trafficking of drugs | 740 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.53 |
| Theft from the person | 738 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.02 |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 525 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.61 |
| Non-residential burglary | 491 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.07 |
| Rape | 423 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.86 |
| Robbery of business property | 332 | 0.81 | 0.47 | 1.71 |
| Possession of weapons | 313 | 0.76 | 1.00 | 0.77 |
| Bicycle theft | 172 | 0.42 | 0.85 | 0.49 |
| Arson | 97 | 0.24 | 0.38 | 0.62 |
| Homicide | 5 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1.52 |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 4 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.28 |
Districts in the Metropolitan Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 32 districts in the Metropolitan Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Croydon district had the 13th lowest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 74,649 | 355.5 | 4.27 |
| Camden | 37,587 | 173.3 | 2.08 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 21,071 | 145.8 | 1.75 |
| Islington | 29,264 | 131.2 | 1.58 |
| Southwark | 38,013 | 120.8 | 1.45 |
| Hackney | 31,080 | 116.5 | 1.40 |
| Lambeth | 36,243 | 114.4 | 1.37 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 20,196 | 107.0 | 1.29 |
| Tower Hamlets | 35,377 | 106.6 | 1.28 |
| Haringey | 27,592 | 104.6 | 1.26 |
| Newham | 38,957 | 104.0 | 1.25 |
| Lewisham | 28,390 | 94.2 | 1.13 |
| Hillingdon | 30,158 | 91.6 | 1.10 |
| Greenwich | 27,035 | 90.3 | 1.08 |
| Brent | 31,528 | 89.3 | 1.07 |
| Hounslow | 26,167 | 87.4 | 1.05 |
| Enfield | 27,907 | 85.2 | 1.02 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 19,592 | 84.2 | 1.01 |
| Ealing | 31,075 | 80.5 | 0.97 |
| Croydon | 32,900 | 80.4 | 0.97 |
| Waltham Forest | 22,436 | 80.2 | 0.96 |
| Wandsworth | 25,804 | 76.4 | 0.92 |
| Redbridge | 23,856 | 74.3 | 0.89 |
| Bromley | 23,157 | 69.1 | 0.83 |
| Havering | 18,875 | 68.3 | 0.82 |
| Barnet | 27,467 | 67.8 | 0.81 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 11,533 | 66.8 | 0.80 |
| Sutton | 12,926 | 60.3 | 0.72 |
| Bexley | 15,432 | 60.2 | 0.72 |
| Harrow | 16,108 | 59.5 | 0.71 |
| Merton | 12,952 | 59.3 | 0.71 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 11,267 | 57.3 | 0.69 |
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.
3 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Croydon district; the highest is Southwark district (156.6 per 1,000) and the lowest Merton district (74.2).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Croydon district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | 16,530 | 77.1 | -25% |
| Merton | 16,220 | 74.2 | -28% |
| Bromley | 29,136 | 86.9 | -16% |
| Lambeth | 48,809 | 154.0 | +49% |
| Lewisham | 36,926 | 122.6 | +19% |
| Wandsworth | 33,210 | 98.4 | -5% |
| Southwark | 49,295 | 156.6 | +52% |
| Epsom and Ewell | 7,079 | 85.0 | -18% |
Of the 29 areas within Croydon district, Fairfield had the highest crime rate (314.2 per 1,000) and Sanderstead the lowest (36.4), 9 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | Neighbourhood | 17,628 | 5,539 | 314.2 |
| Broad Green | Neighbourhood | 21,942 | 3,900 | 177.7 |
| Selhurst | Neighbourhood | 11,992 | 1,676 | 139.8 |
| West Thornton | Neighbourhood | 20,109 | 2,809 | 139.7 |
| Park Hill & Whitgift | Neighbourhood | 8,818 | 1,222 | 138.6 |
| Waddon | Neighbourhood | 19,235 | 2,392 | 124.4 |
| Thornton Heath | Neighbourhood | 18,143 | 1,954 | 107.7 |
| South Norwood | Neighbourhood | 18,794 | 1,985 | 105.6 |
| Croydon | Town | 405,659 | 41,898 | 103.3 |
| Norbury & Pollards Hill | Neighbourhood | 14,078 | 1,439 | 102.2 |
| New Addington South | Neighbourhood | 10,925 | 1,087 | 99.5 |
| Addiscombe West | Neighbourhood | 17,221 | 1,600 | 92.9 |
| Addiscombe East | Neighbourhood | 11,993 | 1,109 | 92.5 |
| Woodside | Neighbourhood | 17,330 | 1,559 | 90.0 |
| South Croydon | Neighbourhood | 18,884 | 1,689 | 89.4 |
| Purley & Woodcote | Neighbourhood | 18,607 | 1,657 | 89.1 |
| Bensham Manor | Neighbourhood | 17,908 | 1,492 | 83.3 |
| Shirley North | Neighbourhood | 14,805 | 1,187 | 80.2 |
| Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood | Neighbourhood | 17,089 | 1,360 | 79.6 |
| Selsdon & Addington Village | Neighbourhood | 10,989 | 781 | 71.1 |
| New Addington North | Neighbourhood | 11,686 | 817 | 69.9 |
| Coulsdon Town | Neighbourhood | 13,915 | 913 | 65.6 |
| Norbury Park | Neighbourhood | 9,411 | 608 | 64.6 |
| Shirley South | Neighbourhood | 9,589 | 603 | 62.9 |
| Purley Oaks & Riddlesdown | Neighbourhood | 10,177 | 613 | 60.2 |
| Old Coulsdon | Neighbourhood | 11,126 | 625 | 56.2 |
| Selsdon Vale & Forestdale | Neighbourhood | 10,039 | 524 | 52.2 |
| Kenley | Neighbourhood | 12,190 | 556 | 45.6 |
| Sanderstead | Neighbourhood | 14,719 | 536 | 36.4 |
The 10 locations below account for 19% of the crime recorded in Croydon district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (2,434).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 2,434 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 1,713 |
| On or near Parking Area | 832 |
| On or near North End | 691 |
| On or near Further/Higher Educational Building | 649 |
| On or near Hospital | 429 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 411 |
| On or near Dingwall Road | 340 |
| On or near High Street | 285 |
| On or near Police Station | 278 |
Of the 33,515 crimes in Croydon district with a recorded outcome, 41% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 3.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 8,717 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 13,586 | 40.5% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 9,537 | 28.5% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 4,684 | 14.0% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 2,292 | 6.8% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 1,274 | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 815 | 2.4% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 510 | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| Court result unavailable | 462 | 1.4% | 2.5% |
| Offender given penalty notice | 156 | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Offender given a caution | 89 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 71 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 30 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
Croydon district has an estimated population of 409,342 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more households without a car (34%, against 23%), fewer retired residents (15%, against 22%) and more private renting (26%, against 20%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Croydon district average decile 5.0 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Croydon district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 20.3% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 13.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 61.0% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.7% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 15.5% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 8.2% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 41.0% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 16.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 33.6% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 56.1% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 17.9% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 25.8% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.0 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 3.8% | 10.1% (England) |
53,268 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Croydon in 2024/25 (130.1 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 Croydon has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Croydon district a safe place to live?
Croydon district recorded 103.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 89th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were vehicle crime and robbery.
What is the most common crime in Croydon district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 12,745 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (8,717).
Is crime in Croydon district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Croydon district was down 3% on the year before: 42,232 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 43,608 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Croydon district?
About 409,342 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 14% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Croydon district?
Croydon district is policed by Metropolitan Police.
How many crimes did the police record in Croydon district in the year ending March 2026?
32,900 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 80.4 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales.
Which offences are more common in Croydon district than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were robbery of personal property (770 offences, 2.1 times the England and Wales rate), robbery of business property (332 offences, 1.7 times the England and Wales rate) and vehicle offences (3,311 offences, 1.6 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.