Crime in Richmond upon Thames district: statistics, rates and trends

Violence and sexual offences (3,553), anti-social behaviour (3,240) and vehicle crime (1,633) made up 59% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 207th 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 Richmond upon Thames district of any year here (14,363 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 9%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.

Month by month

Compared with England and Wales, Richmond upon Thames district recorded notably more bicycle theft (2.0 times the national rate) and vehicle crime (67% above the national rate), and notably less possession of weapons (77% below) and other crime (63% below). On the year before, drugs fell from 631 to 407 and criminal damage and arson fell from 969 to 684.

What each category covers: crime categories.

11,267 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Richmond upon Thames district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 57.3 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, Richmond upon Thames district had the 70th 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 Richmond upon Thames district is an undercount.

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

The largest category was vehicle offences, with 1,496 offences (13% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for bicycle theft (2.1 times the national rate), trafficking of drugs (1.5 times the national rate) and vehicle offences (1.5 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for possession of weapons (0.29 times), miscellaneous crimes against society (0.35 times) and possession of drugs (0.42 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, Richmond upon Thames district had the 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 Richmond upon Thames district; the highest is Hammersmith and Fulham district (138.8 per 1,000) and the lowest Elmbridge (61.2).

Of the 19 areas within Richmond upon Thames district, South Richmond had the highest crime rate (156.2 per 1,000) and West Twickenham the lowest (45.2), 3 times apart.

The 10 locations below account for 17% of the crime recorded in Richmond upon Thames district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (560).

Of the 11,123 crimes in Richmond upon Thames district with a recorded outcome, 51% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 3.3% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 3,240 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.

Richmond upon Thames district has an estimated population of 196,678 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (60%, against 34%), fewer residents with no qualifications (9.1%, against 18.2%) and less social housing (12%, against 17%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Richmond upon Thames district average decile 8.2 (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.