Crime in Bromley: statistics, rates and trends
28,547 crimes were recorded in Bromley in the 12 months to August 2026, 87.7 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 1% on the year before.
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Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (7,604), anti-social behaviour (5,625) and vehicle crime (3,360) made up 58% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 499th of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | Bromley | Bromley | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 28,547 | 29,136 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 87.7 | 86.9 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -1% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 325,335 | 335,319 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Bromley peaked in the year to August 2020 (30,894 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2018 (26,981). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 6%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 28,547 | 87.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 28,922 | 88.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 28,381 | 87.2 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 27,436 | 84.3 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 28,412 | 87.3 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 29,147 | 89.6 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 30,894 | 95.0 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 28,588 | 87.9 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 26,981 | 82.9 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 2,466 |
| July 2026 | 2,670 |
| June 2026 | 2,392 |
| May 2026 | 2,528 |
| April 2026 | 2,384 |
| March 2026 | 2,408 |
| February 2026 | 2,175 |
| January 2026 | 2,100 |
| December 2025 | 2,304 |
| November 2025 | 2,382 |
| October 2025 | 2,361 |
| September 2025 | 2,377 |
Compared with England and Wales, Bromley recorded notably more vehicle crime (2.1 times the national rate) and robbery (41% above the national rate), and notably less bicycle theft (51% below) and other crime (47% below). On the year before, possession of weapons rose from 132 to 168, while criminal damage and arson fell from 2,115 to 1,285 and theft from the person fell from 665 to 551.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 7,604 | 23.4 | 34.2 | +4% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 5,625 | 17.3 | 15.4 | +5% |
| Vehicle crime | 3,360 | 10.3 | 5.0 | +5% |
| Shoplifting | 2,772 | 8.5 | 8.5 | -10% |
| Other theft | 1,847 | 5.7 | 6.4 | -1% |
| Public order | 1,799 | 5.5 | 6.7 | +8% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,285 | 3.9 | 6.7 | -39% |
| Burglary | 1,216 | 3.7 | 3.6 | -8% |
| Drugs | 1,197 | 3.7 | 3.3 | +8% |
| Robbery | 626 | 1.9 | 1.4 | +5% |
| Theft from the person | 551 | 1.7 | 1.7 | -17% |
| Other crime | 366 | 1.1 | 2.1 | +8% |
| Possession of weapons | 168 | 0.5 | 1.0 | +27% |
| Bicycle theft | 131 | 0.4 | 0.8 | +1% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
6 of the 8 nearest towns have a higher crime rate than Bromley; the highest is Southwark (156.6 per 1,000) and the lowest Warlingham (60.8).
Of the 22 areas within Bromley, Bromley Town had the highest crime rate (194.8 per 1,000) and Chelsfield the lowest (43.5), 4 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley Town | Neighbourhood | 16,578 | 3,229 | 194.8 |
| St Paul's Cray | Neighbourhood | 19,097 | 2,664 | 139.5 |
| Crystal Palace & Anerley | Neighbourhood | 12,150 | 1,642 | 135.1 |
| Penge & Cator | Neighbourhood | 20,223 | 2,624 | 129.8 |
| Mottingham | Neighbourhood | 11,211 | 1,282 | 114.4 |
| Orpington | Neighbourhood | 13,653 | 1,531 | 112.1 |
| Beckenham Town & Copers Cope | Neighbourhood | 16,018 | 1,717 | 107.2 |
| Kelsey & Eden Park | Neighbourhood | 16,880 | 1,508 | 89.3 |
| St Mary Cray | Neighbourhood | 17,549 | 1,500 | 85.5 |
| Plaistow | Neighbourhood | 13,064 | 1,104 | 84.5 |
| Bromley Common & Holwood | Neighbourhood | 17,378 | 1,281 | 73.7 |
| Farnborough & Crofton | Neighbourhood | 18,854 | 1,296 | 68.7 |
| Darwin | Neighbourhood | 5,297 | 364 | 68.7 |
| Biggin Hill | Neighbourhood | 10,225 | 682 | 66.7 |
| Chislehurst | Neighbourhood | 16,175 | 1,072 | 66.3 |
| Shortlands & Park Langley | Neighbourhood | 15,730 | 937 | 59.6 |
| Hayes & Coney Hall | Neighbourhood | 17,036 | 886 | 52.0 |
| Clock House | Neighbourhood | 16,640 | 864 | 51.9 |
| Bickley & Sundridge | Neighbourhood | 19,306 | 987 | 51.1 |
| West Wickham | Neighbourhood | 15,102 | 771 | 51.1 |
| Petts Wood & Knoll | Neighbourhood | 14,140 | 629 | 44.5 |
| Chelsfield | Neighbourhood | 13,013 | 566 | 43.5 |
The 10 locations below account for 21% of the crime recorded in Bromley over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (1,665).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 1,665 |
| On or near Supermarket | 1,484 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 836 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 491 |
| On or near Eresby Drive | 370 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 321 |
| On or near High Street | 314 |
| On or near Hospital | 278 |
| On or near St Mark'S Road | 198 |
| On or near Market Square | 177 |
Of the 22,922 crimes in Bromley 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 5,625 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 10,104 | 44.1% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 6,018 | 26.3% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 3,133 | 13.7% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 1,528 | 6.7% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 906 | 4.0% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 568 | 2.5% | 3.1% |
| Court result unavailable | 307 | 1.3% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 176 | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 80 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 45 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Offender given penalty notice | 37 | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 14 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
Bromley has an estimated population of 325,335 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (43%, against 34%), fewer residents with no qualifications (14%, against 18%) and less social housing (13%, against 17%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Bromley average decile 7.3 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Bromley | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 19.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17.6% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 61.3% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 20.6% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.1% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 43.0% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 13.8% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 23.3% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 68.9% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.5% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 17.6% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.3 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 0.6% | 10.1% (England) |
Is Bromley a safe place to live?
Bromley recorded 87.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 499th of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were vehicle crime and robbery.
What is the most common crime in Bromley?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 7,604 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (5,625).
Is crime in Bromley going up or down?
Recorded crime in Bromley was down 1% on the year before: 28,547 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 28,922 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Bromley?
About 325,335 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 18% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Bromley?
Bromley 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.