Crime in Merton district: statistics, rates and trends

Violence and sexual offences (4,939), anti-social behaviour (3,377) and vehicle crime (1,376) made up 60% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 201st of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.

The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Merton district of any year here (16,220 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 5%, in line with England and Wales.

Month by month

Compared with England and Wales, Merton district recorded notably more bicycle theft (27% above the national rate) and vehicle crime (27% above the national rate), and notably less criminal damage and arson (58% below) and possession of weapons (53% below). On the year before, bicycle theft rose from 195 to 229, while criminal damage and arson fell from 1,028 to 616 and shoplifting fell from 1,849 to 1,260.

What each category covers: crime categories.

12,952 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Merton district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 59.3 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Merton district had the 78th 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).

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 Merton district is an undercount.

No change on the year or longer series is given for Merton 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 Merton district, the year ending March 2026

The largest category was violence without injury, with 2,041 offences (16% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for robbery of business property (1.5 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for arson (0.35 times), miscellaneous crimes against society (0.46 times) and stalking and harassment (0.50 times).

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, Merton district had the 2nd lowest rate.

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.

7 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Merton district; the highest is Lambeth district (154.0 per 1,000) and the lowest Richmond upon Thames district (73.0).

Of the 21 areas within Merton district, Cricket Green had the highest crime rate (116.7 per 1,000) and Cannon Hill the lowest (32.1), 4 times apart.

The 10 locations below account for 19% of the crime recorded in Merton district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (1,184).

Of the 12,843 crimes in Merton district with a recorded outcome, 44% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.0% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 3,377 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.

Merton district has an estimated population of 218,539 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (50%, against 34%), more private renting (29%, against 20%) and more households without a car (33%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Merton district average decile 6.8 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.

Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.