Crime in North Hertfordshire: statistics, rates and trends
9,152 crimes were recorded in North Hertfordshire in the 12 months to August 2026, 66.7 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in North Hertfordshire at a glance
- Crime trends in North Hertfordshire
- Types of crime in North Hertfordshire
- Home Office recorded crime in North Hertfordshire
- North Hertfordshire compared with nearby districts
- Areas within North Hertfordshire
- Streets with the most crime in North Hertfordshire
- What happened after crimes were reported in North Hertfordshire
- Demographics of North Hertfordshire
- Fly-tipping in North Hertfordshire
- Questions about crime in North Hertfordshire
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (3,237), anti-social behaviour (2,131) and criminal damage and arson (684) made up 66% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 233rd of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | North Hertfordshire | Hertfordshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 9,152 | 106,430 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 66.7 | 86.1 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | 0% | +1% | -1% |
| Population | 137,201 | 1,236,191 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in North Hertfordshire peaked in the year to August 2019 (10,608 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2023 (8,603). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 10%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 9,152 | 66.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 9,183 | 66.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 9,066 | 66.1 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 8,603 | 62.7 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 8,990 | 65.5 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 8,707 | 63.5 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 9,413 | 68.6 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 10,608 | 77.3 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 10,157 | 74.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 896 |
| July 2026 | 934 |
| June 2026 | 818 |
| May 2026 | 822 |
| April 2026 | 777 |
| March 2026 | 761 |
| February 2026 | 642 |
| January 2026 | 632 |
| December 2025 | 604 |
| November 2025 | 710 |
| October 2025 | 797 |
| September 2025 | 759 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (77% below) and robbery (68% below) were well below it. On the year before, drugs rose from 177 to 267 and robbery rose from 47 to 59, while theft from the person fell from 66 to 53 and shoplifting fell from 647 to 523.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,237 | 23.6 | 34.2 | 0% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,131 | 15.5 | 15.4 | +4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 684 | 5.0 | 6.7 | +7% |
| Other theft | 613 | 4.5 | 6.4 | -16% |
| Shoplifting | 523 | 3.8 | 8.5 | -19% |
| Public order | 452 | 3.3 | 6.7 | -5% |
| Vehicle crime | 430 | 3.1 | 5.0 | +2% |
| Burglary | 369 | 2.7 | 3.6 | +5% |
| Drugs | 267 | 1.9 | 3.3 | +51% |
| Other crime | 182 | 1.3 | 2.1 | -8% |
| Possession of weapons | 93 | 0.7 | 1.0 | +24% |
| Bicycle theft | 59 | 0.4 | 0.8 | -2% |
| Robbery | 59 | 0.4 | 1.4 | +26% |
| Theft from the person | 53 | 0.4 | 1.7 | -20% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
6,796 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in North Hertfordshire in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 49.5 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 7% on the year ending March 2025 (7,288), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, North Hertfordshire had the 33rd 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 Hertfordshire Police area in the year ending March 2026, 1.4% 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 North Hertfordshire is a slight undercount.
Offences recorded in North Hertfordshire, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 1,143 offences (17% 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 (0.19 times), robbery of personal property (0.22 times) and trafficking of drugs (0.38 times).
The largest rises on the year were in trafficking of drugs (from 29 to 61) and possession of weapons (+36%). The largest falls were in robbery of personal property (−39%) and theft from the person (−28%). 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 | 1,143 | 8.3 | 13.2 | 0.63 | −8% |
| Stalking and harassment | 958 | 7.0 | 10.1 | 0.69 | −6% |
| Violence with injury | 730 | 5.3 | 8.1 | 0.65 | −5% |
| Criminal damage | 650 | 4.7 | 6.8 | 0.69 | +3% |
| Other theft offences | 639 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 0.71 | −12% |
| Shoplifting | 517 | 3.8 | 8.1 | 0.46 | – |
| Public order offences | 445 | 3.2 | 7.0 | 0.47 | −6% |
| Vehicle offences | 392 | 2.9 | 5.0 | 0.57 | −10% |
| Residential burglary | 245 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 0.72 | +7% |
| Other sexual offences | 239 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0.77 | +34% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 178 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.62 | +17% |
| Possession of drugs | 160 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.47 | +11% |
| Non-residential burglary | 99 | 0.72 | 1.1 | 0.64 | −16% |
| Rape | 84 | 0.61 | 1.2 | 0.51 | −15% |
| Possession of weapons | 72 | 0.52 | 1.00 | 0.53 | +36% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 61 | 0.44 | 1.2 | 0.38 | +110% |
| Bicycle theft | 52 | 0.38 | 0.85 | 0.44 | −10% |
| Theft from the person | 47 | 0.34 | 1.8 | 0.19 | −28% |
| Robbery of personal property | 28 | 0.20 | 0.91 | 0.22 | −39% |
| Robbery of business property | 25 | 0.18 | 0.47 | 0.38 | – |
| Arson | 22 | 0.16 | 0.38 | 0.42 | 0% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 10 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 2.09 | +233% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | −100% |
Recorded crime in North Hertfordshire 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. North Hertfordshire'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 | 6,796 | 49.5 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 7,288 | 53.1 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 6,132 | 44.7 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 6,475 | 47.2 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 6,150 | 44.8 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 6,120 | 44.6 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 7,549 | 55.0 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 7,857 | 57.3 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 7,489 | 54.6 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 6,493 | 47.3 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 5,556 | 40.5 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 5,282 | 38.5 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 5,127 | 37.4 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 5,031 | 36.7 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Hertfordshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 10 districts in the Hertfordshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, North Hertfordshire had the lowest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenage | 8,607 | 93.8 | 1.13 |
| Watford | 9,296 | 86.7 | 1.04 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 9,546 | 77.7 | 0.93 |
| Broxbourne | 7,410 | 72.7 | 0.87 |
| Hertsmere | 7,919 | 71.9 | 0.86 |
| Dacorum | 10,641 | 65.9 | 0.79 |
| St Albans | 9,700 | 64.2 | 0.77 |
| Three Rivers | 5,019 | 52.4 | 0.63 |
| East Hertfordshire | 8,104 | 51.7 | 0.62 |
| North Hertfordshire | 6,796 | 49.5 | 0.60 |
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 North Hertfordshire; the highest is Stevenage district (118.8 per 1,000) and the lowest Central Bedfordshire (61.4).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs North Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenage | 10,907 | 118.8 | +78% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 19,387 | 61.4 | -8% |
| Luton | 22,028 | 92.1 | +38% |
| East Hertfordshire | 10,712 | 68.3 | +2% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 12,131 | 98.8 | +48% |
| St Albans | 11,943 | 79.1 | +19% |
| Bedford | 18,621 | 95.5 | +43% |
| Broxbourne | 9,638 | 94.6 | +42% |
Of the 39 areas within North Hertfordshire, Hitchin Priory had the highest crime rate (119.9 per 1,000) and Baldock East the lowest (27.2), 4 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitchin Priory | Neighbourhood | 6,640 | 796 | 119.9 |
| Letchworth South West | Neighbourhood | 8,568 | 829 | 96.8 |
| Letchworth Norton | Neighbourhood | 4,586 | 437 | 95.3 |
| Baldock West | Neighbourhood | 8,299 | 740 | 89.2 |
| Letchworth | Town | 33,624 | 2,848 | 84.7 |
| Letchworth South East | Neighbourhood | 9,146 | 758 | 82.9 |
| Hitchin Bearton | Neighbourhood | 8,428 | 679 | 80.6 |
| Royston Palace | Neighbourhood | 5,918 | 456 | 77.1 |
| Baldock | Town | 10,722 | 806 | 75.2 |
| Royston Heath | Neighbourhood | 4,870 | 357 | 73.3 |
| Letchworth Wilbury | Neighbourhood | 5,587 | 407 | 72.8 |
| Hitchin | Town | 36,223 | 2,533 | 69.9 |
| Hitchin Oughton | Neighbourhood | 5,178 | 351 | 67.8 |
| Letchworth Grange | Neighbourhood | 7,064 | 475 | 67.2 |
| Little Wymondley | Town | 1,577 | 103 | 65.3 |
| Codicote | Town | 2,763 | 180 | 65.1 |
| Whitwell (North Hertfordshire) | Town | 1,571 | 97 | 61.7 |
| Knebworth | Town | 3,734 | 224 | 60.0 |
| Graveley, St Ippolyts & Wymondley | Neighbourhood | 2,808 | 168 | 59.8 |
| Offa | Neighbourhood | 4,028 | 236 | 58.6 |
| Arbury | Neighbourhood | 2,880 | 168 | 58.3 |
| Royston (North Hertfordshire) | Town | 16,086 | 854 | 53.1 |
| Knebworth | Neighbourhood | 5,621 | 297 | 52.8 |
| Gosmore | Town | 1,231 | 65 | 52.8 |
| Ickleford | Town | 2,665 | 132 | 49.5 |
| Cadwell | Neighbourhood | 2,665 | 132 | 49.5 |
| Codicote & Kimpton | Neighbourhood | 5,056 | 247 | 48.9 |
| Hitchwood | Neighbourhood | 2,730 | 131 | 48.0 |
| Hitchin Walsworth | Neighbourhood | 7,866 | 356 | 45.3 |
| Great Ashby | Neighbourhood | 6,049 | 273 | 45.1 |
| Reed | Town | 1,628 | 71 | 43.6 |
| Hitchin Highbury | Neighbourhood | 8,111 | 351 | 43.3 |
| Weston & Sandon | Neighbourhood | 2,039 | 87 | 42.7 |
| Pirton | Town | 2,636 | 108 | 41.0 |
| Ermine | Neighbourhood | 2,895 | 113 | 39.0 |
| Ashwell | Town | 1,669 | 58 | 34.8 |
| Royston Meridian | Neighbourhood | 7,746 | 242 | 31.2 |
| Kimpton | Town | 2,293 | 67 | 29.2 |
| Baldock East | Neighbourhood | 2,423 | 66 | 27.2 |
The 10 locations below account for 19% of the crime recorded in North Hertfordshire over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (496).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 496 |
| On or near Supermarket | 319 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 210 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 173 |
| On or near High Street | 166 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 111 |
| On or near Sun Street | 76 |
| On or near Hillcrest | 75 |
| On or near Exchange Yard | 67 |
| On or near Rosecomb | 67 |
Of the 7,021 crimes in North Hertfordshire with a recorded outcome, 35% 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 2,131 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,502 | 35.6% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 2,429 | 34.6% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 870 | 12.4% | 11.5% |
| Local resolution | 313 | 4.5% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 277 | 3.9% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 270 | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 137 | 2.0% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 104 | 1.5% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 38 | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 32 | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 31 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 18 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
North Hertfordshire has an estimated population of 137,201 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer students (5.1%, against 7.9%), fewer households without a car (16%, against 23%) and fewer residents with no qualifications (14%, against 18%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up North Hertfordshire average decile 7.6 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | North Hertfordshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.8% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 20.0% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 62.3% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.7% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.1% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 41.5% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 13.6% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 15.5% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 65.9% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 18.7% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 15.4% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.6 | 5.5 (England) |
1,387 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in North Hertfordshire in 2024/25 (10.1 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 North Hertfordshire has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is North Hertfordshire a safe place to live?
North Hertfordshire recorded 66.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 233rd of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in North Hertfordshire?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 3,237 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,131).
Is crime in North Hertfordshire going up or down?
Recorded crime in North Hertfordshire was almost unchanged on the year before: 9,152 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 9,183 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of North Hertfordshire?
About 137,201 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 20% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers North Hertfordshire?
North Hertfordshire is policed by Hertfordshire.
How many crimes did the police record in North Hertfordshire in the year ending March 2026?
6,796 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 49.5 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 7,288.
Which offences are more common in North Hertfordshire 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 (1,143).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.