Crime in Guildford district: statistics, rates and trends
12,259 crimes were recorded in Guildford district in the 12 months to August 2026, 81.0 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 4% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Guildford district at a glance
- Crime trends in Guildford district
- Types of crime in Guildford district
- Home Office recorded crime in Guildford district
- Guildford district compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Guildford district
- Streets with the most crime in Guildford district
- What happened after crimes were reported in Guildford district
- Demographics of Guildford district
- Fly-tipping in Guildford
- Questions about crime in Guildford district
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,325), anti-social behaviour (1,916) and public order (1,191) made up 61% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 175th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.
| Measure | Guildford district | Surrey | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 12,259 | 87,794 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 81.0 | 70.3 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -4% | +1% | -1% |
| Population | 151,359 | 1,248,649 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Guildford district peaked in the year to August 2019 (13,112 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2023 (11,431). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 2%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 12,259 | 81.0 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 12,772 | 84.4 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 12,834 | 84.8 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 11,431 | 75.5 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 11,537 | 76.2 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 12,046 | 79.6 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 12,805 | 84.6 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 13,112 | 86.6 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 12,534 | 82.8 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,049 |
| July 2026 | 1,164 |
| June 2026 | 1,075 |
| May 2026 | 1,079 |
| April 2026 | 1,019 |
| March 2026 | 935 |
| February 2026 | 967 |
| January 2026 | 908 |
| December 2025 | 968 |
| November 2025 | 944 |
| October 2025 | 1,077 |
| September 2025 | 1,074 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (76% below) and robbery (51% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 69 to 101, while theft from the person fell from 90 to 62 and bicycle theft fell from 142 to 112.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,325 | 28.6 | 34.2 | -9% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,916 | 12.7 | 15.4 | +3% |
| Public order | 1,191 | 7.9 | 6.7 | -6% |
| Shoplifting | 1,154 | 7.6 | 8.5 | +4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 992 | 6.6 | 6.7 | -4% |
| Other theft | 854 | 5.6 | 6.4 | +2% |
| Vehicle crime | 478 | 3.2 | 5.0 | -7% |
| Drugs | 383 | 2.5 | 3.3 | +6% |
| Burglary | 319 | 2.1 | 3.6 | -10% |
| Other crime | 282 | 1.9 | 2.1 | -5% |
| Bicycle theft | 112 | 0.7 | 0.8 | -21% |
| Robbery | 101 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +46% |
| Possession of weapons | 90 | 0.6 | 1.0 | +2% |
| Theft from the person | 62 | 0.4 | 1.7 | -31% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
10,913 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Guildford district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 72.1 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 2% on the year ending March 2025 (10,666), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Guildford district had the 133rd lowest 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).
Offences recorded in Guildford district, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 2,154 offences (20% of the total). No category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate. Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.30 times), robbery of personal property (0.44 times) and trafficking of drugs (0.50 times).
The largest rises on the year were in arson (+100%) and bicycle theft (+45%). The largest falls were in residential burglary (−14%) and non-residential burglary (−12%). Robbery of business property and shoplifting are not compared with the year ending March 2025: from April 2025 the Home Office Counting Rules were clarified so that a theft from a shop in which violence is used or threatened against staff or anyone else is recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting (ONS).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 2,154 | 14.2 | 13.2 | 1.08 | +6% |
| Public order offences | 1,236 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 1.17 | +7% |
| Shoplifting | 1,139 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 0.93 | – |
| Violence with injury | 1,047 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 0.85 | −1% |
| Stalking and harassment | 999 | 6.6 | 10.1 | 0.65 | +1% |
| Criminal damage | 959 | 6.3 | 6.8 | 0.93 | +1% |
| Other theft offences | 849 | 5.6 | 6.5 | 0.86 | +6% |
| Vehicle offences | 514 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 0.68 | −12% |
| Other sexual offences | 343 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1.00 | −6% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 315 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.99 | +13% |
| Possession of drugs | 303 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 0.80 | +6% |
| Residential burglary | 224 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.59 | −14% |
| Bicycle theft | 152 | 1.0 | 0.85 | 1.18 | +45% |
| Rape | 143 | 0.94 | 1.2 | 0.78 | −6% |
| Non-residential burglary | 91 | 0.60 | 1.1 | 0.54 | −12% |
| Possession of weapons | 90 | 0.59 | 1.00 | 0.60 | +14% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 89 | 0.59 | 1.2 | 0.50 | −8% |
| Theft from the person | 80 | 0.53 | 1.8 | 0.30 | +21% |
| Arson | 64 | 0.42 | 0.38 | 1.11 | +100% |
| Robbery of personal property | 60 | 0.40 | 0.91 | 0.44 | +40% |
| Robbery of business property | 54 | 0.36 | 0.47 | 0.75 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 7 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 1.33 | −12% |
| Homicide | 1 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.82 | – |
Recorded crime in Guildford district since the year ending March 2013
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2013 to 2026. Guildford district's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 14 years. Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10,913 | 72.1 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 10,666 | 70.5 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 10,962 | 72.4 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 10,130 | 66.9 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 9,311 | 61.5 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 8,544 | 56.4 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 10,123 | 66.9 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 9,919 | 65.5 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 9,559 | 63.2 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 8,608 | 56.9 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 7,945 | 52.5 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 7,057 | 46.6 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 6,966 | 46.0 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 7,617 | 50.3 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Surrey Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 11 districts in the Surrey Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Guildford district had the 2nd highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spelthorne | 8,066 | 75.3 | 0.91 |
| Guildford | 10,913 | 72.1 | 0.87 |
| Runnymede | 6,600 | 71.6 | 0.86 |
| Epsom and Ewell | 5,584 | 67.0 | 0.81 |
| Woking | 6,585 | 62.3 | 0.75 |
| Reigate and Banstead | 9,511 | 59.8 | 0.72 |
| Mole Valley | 4,822 | 54.4 | 0.65 |
| Tandridge | 4,884 | 53.9 | 0.65 |
| Surrey Heath | 4,886 | 51.7 | 0.62 |
| Elmbridge | 7,310 | 51.5 | 0.62 |
| Waverley | 5,036 | 37.5 | 0.45 |
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.
1 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Guildford district; the highest is Runnymede (85.9 per 1,000) and the lowest Waverley (44.1).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Guildford district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woking | 7,636 | 72.3 | -11% |
| Waverley | 5,917 | 44.1 | -46% |
| Surrey Heath | 5,835 | 61.8 | -24% |
| Rushmoor | 8,273 | 78.2 | -3% |
| Runnymede | 7,909 | 85.9 | +6% |
| Mole Valley | 5,798 | 65.4 | -19% |
| Hart | 4,563 | 44.2 | -45% |
| Elmbridge | 8,690 | 61.2 | -24% |
Of the 34 areas within Guildford district, Stoke had the highest crime rate (226.5 per 1,000) and Pirbright the lowest (25.3), 9 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke | Neighbourhood | 6,864 | 1,555 | 226.5 |
| Onslow | Neighbourhood | 9,694 | 1,981 | 204.4 |
| Ripley (Guildford) | Town | 2,850 | 546 | 191.6 |
| Castle | Neighbourhood | 11,089 | 1,433 | 129.2 |
| Send & Lovelace | Neighbourhood | 7,369 | 792 | 107.5 |
| Guildford | Town | 80,155 | 8,387 | 104.6 |
| Bellfields & Slyfield | Neighbourhood | 6,583 | 655 | 99.5 |
| Wood Street Village | Town | 1,434 | 142 | 99.0 |
| Westborough | Neighbourhood | 12,856 | 1,035 | 80.5 |
| Stoughton South | Neighbourhood | 6,069 | 480 | 79.1 |
| St Nicolas | Neighbourhood | 2,969 | 230 | 77.5 |
| Shalford | Neighbourhood | 5,528 | 392 | 70.9 |
| Ash Wharf | Neighbourhood | 6,515 | 398 | 61.1 |
| Ash Vale | Neighbourhood | 7,283 | 420 | 57.7 |
| Send | Town | 4,519 | 246 | 54.4 |
| Pilgrims | Neighbourhood | 4,841 | 259 | 53.5 |
| Tillingbourne | Neighbourhood | 5,664 | 288 | 50.8 |
| Stoughton North | Neighbourhood | 6,753 | 337 | 49.9 |
| Ash and Ash Vale | Town | 28,267 | 1,397 | 49.4 |
| Worplesdon | Neighbourhood | 9,069 | 434 | 47.9 |
| Chilworth (Guildford) | Town | 1,862 | 86 | 46.2 |
| Fairlands | Town | 1,508 | 64 | 42.4 |
| Merrow | Neighbourhood | 7,989 | 330 | 41.3 |
| Burpham | Neighbourhood | 7,683 | 307 | 40.0 |
| Clandon & Horsley | Neighbourhood | 9,029 | 332 | 36.8 |
| West Horsley | Town | 1,421 | 52 | 36.6 |
| Ash South | Neighbourhood | 6,843 | 248 | 36.2 |
| Shalford (Guildford) | Town | 1,864 | 65 | 34.9 |
| Effingham | Neighbourhood | 2,695 | 92 | 34.1 |
| East Horsley | Town | 5,886 | 198 | 33.6 |
| Normandy | Town | 1,666 | 55 | 33.0 |
| Normandy & Pirbright | Neighbourhood | 7,974 | 261 | 32.7 |
| Jacobs Well | Town | 1,152 | 35 | 30.4 |
| Pirbright | Town | 4,854 | 123 | 25.3 |
The 10 locations below account for 29% of the crime recorded in Guildford district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (598).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 598 |
| On or near Genyn Road | 532 |
| On or near Supermarket | 531 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 375 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 348 |
| On or near Police Station | 334 |
| On or near Hospital | 274 |
| On or near Theatre/Concert Hall | 200 |
| On or near The Shambles | 183 |
| On or near The Spinney | 167 |
Of the 10,343 crimes in Guildford district with a recorded outcome, 34% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.8% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,916 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 3,799 | 36.7% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,517 | 34.0% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,308 | 12.6% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 499 | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 445 | 4.3% | 4.7% |
| Local resolution | 290 | 2.8% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 238 | 2.3% | 2.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 72 | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 63 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 52 | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 28 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 20 | 0.2% | 0.6% |
Guildford district has an estimated population of 151,359 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more students (14.2%, against 7.9%), fewer households without a car (14%, against 23%) and fewer residents with no qualifications (11%, against 18%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Guildford district average decile 8.0 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Guildford district | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.0% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17.2% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 58.5% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.1% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 14.2% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 44.1% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 11.3% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 13.8% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 67.6% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 12.7% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.6% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 8.0 | 5.5 (England) |
1,302 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Guildford in 2024/25 (8.6 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 Guildford has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Guildford district a safe place to live?
Guildford district recorded 81.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 175th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in Guildford district?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,325 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (1,916).
Is crime in Guildford district going up or down?
Recorded crime in Guildford district was down 4% on the year before: 12,259 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 12,772 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Guildford district?
About 151,359 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 17% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Guildford district?
Guildford district is policed by Surrey.
How many crimes did the police record in Guildford district in the year ending March 2026?
10,913 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 72.1 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 10,666.
Which offences are more common in Guildford district than across England and Wales?
None: no category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate in the year ending March 2026. The largest category was violence without injury (2,154).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.