Crime in the City of London Police area: statistics, rates and trends
9,663 crimes were recorded in the City of London Police area in the 12 months to August 2026, 639.5 per 1,000 residents. That is higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 4% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime in the City of London Police area at a glance
- Crime trends in the City of London Police area
- Types of crime in the City of London Police area
- Home Office recorded crime in the City of London Police area
- The City of London Police area compared with nearby police force areas
- Areas within the City of London Police area
- What happened after crimes were reported in the City of London Police area
- Demographics of the City of London Police area
- Questions about crime in the City of London Police area
- About this data
Other theft (2,368), shoplifting (1,608) and violence and sexual offences (1,476) made up 56% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 1st of the 41 police force areas covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.
| Measure | the City of London Police area | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 9,663 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 639.5 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -4% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 15,111 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in the City of London Police area peaked in the year to August 2024 (10,137 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2021 (5,396). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 22%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 9,663 | 639.5 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 10,078 | 666.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 10,137 | 670.8 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 9,246 | 611.9 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 9,068 | 600.1 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 5,396 | 357.1 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 7,360 | 487.1 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 9,379 | 620.7 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 7,906 | 523.2 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 772 |
| July 2026 | 738 |
| June 2026 | 764 |
| May 2026 | 717 |
| April 2026 | 795 |
| March 2026 | 816 |
| February 2026 | 821 |
| January 2026 | 830 |
| December 2025 | 919 |
| November 2025 | 805 |
| October 2025 | 907 |
| September 2025 | 779 |
Compared with England and Wales, the City of London Police area recorded notably more theft from the person (49.2 times the national rate), bicycle theft (28.5 times the national rate) and other theft (24.3 times the national rate). On the year before, bicycle theft rose from 264 to 355 and vehicle crime rose from 132 to 171, while other crime fell from 90 to 49 and possession of weapons fell from 67 to 45.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other theft | 2,368 | 156.7 | 6.4 | +8% |
| Shoplifting | 1,608 | 106.4 | 8.5 | -4% |
| Violence and sexual offences | 1,476 | 97.7 | 34.2 | -11% |
| Theft from the person | 1,252 | 82.9 | 1.7 | -28% |
| Public order | 631 | 41.8 | 6.7 | -5% |
| Burglary | 499 | 33.0 | 3.6 | +17% |
| Drugs | 441 | 29.2 | 3.3 | +10% |
| Bicycle theft | 355 | 23.5 | 0.8 | +34% |
| Robbery | 297 | 19.7 | 1.4 | +16% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 282 | 18.7 | 6.7 | -13% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 189 | 12.5 | 15.4 | -10% |
| Vehicle crime | 171 | 11.3 | 5.0 | +30% |
| Other crime | 49 | 3.2 | 2.1 | -46% |
| Possession of weapons | 45 | 3.0 | 1.0 | -33% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
8,731 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in the City of London Police area in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 577.8 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 5% on the year ending March 2025 (9,184), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 43 territorial police force areas of England and Wales, the City of London Police area had the highest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 41 force areas with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Offences recorded in the City of London Police area, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was other theft offences, with 1,890 offences (22% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for theft from the person (40.3 times the national rate), non-residential burglary (26.1 times the national rate) and bicycle theft (23.7 times the national rate). The largest rises on the year were in trafficking of drugs (+98%) and non-residential burglary (+48%).
The largest falls were in other sexual offences (−31%) and theft from the person (−26%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other theft offences | 1,890 | 125.1 | 6.5 | 19.10 | +2% |
| Shoplifting | 1,429 | 94.6 | 8.1 | 11.64 | – |
| Theft from the person | 1,077 | 71.3 | 1.8 | 40.28 | −26% |
| Violence without injury | 802 | 53.1 | 13.2 | 4.02 | −4% |
| Public order offences | 644 | 42.6 | 7.0 | 6.12 | −8% |
| Non-residential burglary | 442 | 29.3 | 1.1 | 26.14 | +48% |
| Violence with injury | 405 | 26.8 | 8.1 | 3.29 | −8% |
| Possession of drugs | 343 | 22.7 | 2.5 | 9.09 | −26% |
| Bicycle theft | 305 | 20.2 | 0.85 | 23.66 | +45% |
| Criminal damage | 297 | 19.7 | 6.8 | 2.88 | −19% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 222 | 14.7 | 1.2 | 12.40 | +98% |
| Robbery of business property | 149 | 9.9 | 0.47 | 20.76 | – |
| Stalking and harassment | 144 | 9.5 | 10.1 | 0.95 | −6% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 122 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 3.85 | −24% |
| Other sexual offences | 107 | 7.1 | 2.3 | 3.11 | −31% |
| Vehicle offences | 103 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 1.36 | −4% |
| Robbery of personal property | 101 | 6.7 | 0.91 | 7.34 | −19% |
| Possession of weapons | 58 | 3.8 | 1.00 | 3.85 | −24% |
| Rape | 42 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.30 | −12% |
| Residential burglary | 34 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 0.90 | +36% |
| Arson | 11 | 0.73 | 0.38 | 1.92 | +83% |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 4 | 0.26 | 0.03 | 7.60 | −20% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | – |
Recorded crime in the City of London Police area 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. The City of London Police area's rate was above 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 | 8,731 | 577.8 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 9,184 | 607.8 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 8,783 | 581.2 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 7,664 | 507.2 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 6,312 | 417.7 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 3,858 | 255.3 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 8,734 | 578.0 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 7,195 | 476.1 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 5,870 | 388.5 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 5,493 | 363.5 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 5,227 | 345.9 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 5,318 | 351.9 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 5,441 | 360.1 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 5,491 | 363.4 | 56.7 |
Districts in the City of London Police area, the year ending March 2026
City of London is the only district in the City of London Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of London | 8,731 | 577.8 | 6.94 |
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.
The City of London Police area has a higher crime rate than all 8 of its nearest police force areas.
| Police force area | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs the City of London Police area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Police | 1,117,214 | 123.1 | -81% |
| Hertfordshire | 106,430 | 86.1 | -87% |
| Surrey | 87,794 | 70.3 | -89% |
| Essex | 165,544 | 85.8 | -87% |
| Bedfordshire | 60,036 | 80.1 | -87% |
| Kent | 175,741 | 91.0 | -86% |
| Thames Valley | 193,726 | 73.4 | -89% |
| Sussex | 163,298 | 92.8 | -85% |
City of London is the one area listed within the City of London Police area, with 639.5 crimes per 1,000 residents.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of London | District | 15,111 | 9,663 | 639.5 |
Of the 9,474 crimes in the City of London Police area with a recorded outcome, 53% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 6.1% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 189 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 4,982 | 52.6% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 1,701 | 18.0% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 892 | 9.4% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 801 | 8.5% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 576 | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 246 | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 175 | 1.8% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 38 | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 25 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 18 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 7 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 7 | 0.1% | 0.6% |
The City of London Police area has an estimated population of 15,111 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more households without a car (77%, against 23%), more private renting (48%, against 20%) and more residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (74%, against 34%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up the City of London Police area average decile 7.8 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | the City of London Police area | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 4.7% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 9.3% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 66.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 4.1% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 12.4% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 10.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 74.2% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 6.6% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 77.2% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 36.7% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 14.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 48.4% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.8 | 5.5 (England) |
Is the City of London Police area a safe place to live?
The City of London Police area recorded 639.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, higher than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 1st of the 41 police force areas on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were theft from the person and bicycle theft.
What is the most common crime in the City of London Police area?
Other theft was the most common category, with 2,368 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by shoplifting (1,608).
Is crime in the City of London Police area going up or down?
Recorded crime in the City of London Police area was down 4% on the year before: 9,663 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 10,078 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of the City of London Police area?
About 15,111 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 9.3% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
How many crimes did the police record in the City of London Police area in the year ending March 2026?
8,731 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 577.8 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 9,184.
Which offences are more common in the City of London Police area than across England and Wales?
Relative to the national rate, the most over-represented categories in the year ending March 2026 were theft from the person (1,077 offences, 40.3 times the England and Wales rate), non-residential burglary (442 offences, 26.1 times the England and Wales rate) and bicycle theft (305 offences, 23.7 times the England and Wales rate).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.