Crime in St James's: statistics, rates and trends
20,108 crimes were recorded in St James's in the 12 months to August 2026, 1,755.9 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 17% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in St James's at a glance
- Crime trends in St James's
- Types of crime in St James's
- St James's compared with nearby neighbourhoods
- Streets with the most crime in St James's
- What happened after crimes were reported in St James's
- Demographics of St James's
- Questions about crime in St James's
- About this data
Crime map
Theft from the person (4,860), other theft (4,260) and violence and sexual offences (3,251) made up 62% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 2nd of the 3,911 neighbourhoods covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | St James's | Westminster | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 20,108 | 86,028 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 1,755.9 | 409.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -17% | -15% | -1% |
| Population | 11,452 | 209,996 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in St James's peaked in the year to August 2024 (25,650 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2021 (10,789). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 25%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 20,108 | 1,755.9 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 24,349 | 2,126.2 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 25,650 | 2,239.8 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 24,952 | 2,178.8 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 19,342 | 1,689.0 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 10,789 | 942.1 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 16,101 | 1,406.0 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 23,357 | 2,039.6 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 16,025 | 1,399.3 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,416 |
| July 2026 | 1,569 |
| June 2026 | 1,533 |
| May 2026 | 1,582 |
| April 2026 | 1,472 |
| March 2026 | 1,459 |
| February 2026 | 1,489 |
| January 2026 | 1,734 |
| December 2025 | 2,081 |
| November 2025 | 2,044 |
| October 2025 | 1,955 |
| September 2025 | 1,774 |
Compared with England and Wales, St James's recorded notably more theft from the person (252.3 times the national rate), other theft (57.7 times the national rate) and robbery (40.8 times the national rate). On the year before, possession of weapons rose from 74 to 130 and public order rose from 916 to 1,170, while vehicle crime fell from 550 to 272 and theft from the person fell from 8,469 to 4,860.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theft from the person | 4,860 | 424.4 | 1.7 | -43% |
| Other theft | 4,260 | 372.0 | 6.4 | -10% |
| Violence and sexual offences | 3,251 | 283.9 | 34.2 | +2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,526 | 220.6 | 15.4 | -5% |
| Shoplifting | 1,350 | 117.9 | 8.5 | +16% |
| Public order | 1,170 | 102.2 | 6.7 | +28% |
| Drugs | 716 | 62.5 | 3.3 | +25% |
| Robbery | 636 | 55.5 | 1.4 | -25% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 331 | 28.9 | 6.7 | -36% |
| Burglary | 297 | 25.9 | 3.6 | -17% |
| Vehicle crime | 272 | 23.8 | 5.0 | -51% |
| Bicycle theft | 225 | 19.6 | 0.8 | 0% |
| Possession of weapons | 130 | 11.4 | 1.0 | +76% |
| Other crime | 84 | 7.3 | 2.1 | -7% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
1 of the 8 nearest neighbourhoods have a higher crime rate than St James's; the highest is West End, Westminster (2,201.9 per 1,000) and the lowest Pimlico South (104.5).
| Neighbourhood | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs St James's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Square | 2,514 | 242.3 | -86% |
| West End | 25,082 | 2,201.9 | +25% |
| Pimlico North | 2,814 | 256.9 | -85% |
| Pimlico South | 992 | 104.5 | -94% |
| Knightsbridge & Belgravia | 4,109 | 345.1 | -80% |
| Marylebone | 9,393 | 643.6 | -63% |
| Hyde Park | 2,455 | 265.8 | -85% |
| Church Street | 2,160 | 176.8 | -90% |
The 10 locations below account for 41% of the crime recorded in St James's over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Theatre/Concert Hall” (1,996).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Theatre/Concert Hall | 1,996 |
| On or near Nightclub | 1,823 |
| On or near Bridge Street | 820 |
| On or near Leicester Square | 726 |
| On or near Police Station | 671 |
| On or near Parking Area | 663 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 419 |
| On or near Little Newport Street | 409 |
| On or near William Iv Street | 398 |
| On or near Conference/Exhibition Centre | 387 |
Of the 17,582 crimes in St James's with a recorded outcome, 64% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.2% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,526 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 11,204 | 63.7% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,031 | 11.6% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 1,890 | 10.7% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,001 | 5.7% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 737 | 4.2% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 322 | 1.8% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 223 | 1.3% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 49 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Offender given penalty notice | 49 | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 43 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 18 | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 13 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
St James's has an estimated population of 11,452 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more households without a car (75%, against 23%), more private renting (48%, against 20%) and more students (16.0%, against 7.9%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up St James's average decile 5.6 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | St James's | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 8.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 11.9% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 58.7% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.3% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 10.0% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 16.0% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 59.6% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 10.2% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 75.3% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 23.2% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 28.3% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 48.4% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.6 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 11.5% | 10.1% (England) |
Is St James's a safe place to live?
St James's recorded 1,755.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 2nd of the 3,911 neighbourhoods on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were theft from the person and other theft.
What is the most common crime in St James's?
Theft from the person was the most common category, with 4,860 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by other theft (4,260).
Is crime in St James's going up or down?
Recorded crime in St James's was down 17% on the year before: 20,108 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 24,349 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of St James's?
About 11,452 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 12% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers St James's?
St James's is policed by Metropolitan Police.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.