Crime in St Albans: statistics, rates and trends
6,245 crimes were recorded in St Albans in the 12 months to August 2026, 85.2 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 4% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in St Albans at a glance
- Crime trends in St Albans
- Types of crime in St Albans
- St Albans compared with nearby towns
- Areas within St Albans
- Streets with the most crime in St Albans
- What happened after crimes were reported in St Albans
- Demographics of St Albans
- Questions about crime in St Albans
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (1,741), anti-social behaviour (1,270) and shoplifting (779) made up 61% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 531st of the 1,390 towns covered by this site (1 = highest), in the upper half.
| Measure | St Albans | St Albans | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 6,245 | 11,943 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 85.2 | 79.1 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -4% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 73,283 | 151,012 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in St Albans peaked in the year to August 2018 (6,644 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2022 (5,436). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 6%, in line with England and Wales.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 6,245 | 85.2 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 6,482 | 88.5 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 5,744 | 78.4 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 5,793 | 79.0 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 5,436 | 74.2 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 5,779 | 78.9 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 5,730 | 78.2 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 6,338 | 86.5 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 6,644 | 90.7 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 559 |
| July 2026 | 547 |
| June 2026 | 521 |
| May 2026 | 550 |
| April 2026 | 498 |
| March 2026 | 459 |
| February 2026 | 494 |
| January 2026 | 544 |
| December 2025 | 509 |
| November 2025 | 502 |
| October 2025 | 552 |
| September 2025 | 510 |
Compared with England and Wales, St Albans recorded notably more vehicle crime (32% above the national rate), bicycle theft (29% above the national rate) and shoplifting (26% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (58% below) and robbery (55% below). On the year before, drugs rose from 144 to 220, while robbery fell from 75 to 45 and shoplifting fell from 989 to 779.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 1,741 | 23.8 | 34.2 | -5% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,270 | 17.3 | 15.4 | -1% |
| Shoplifting | 779 | 10.6 | 8.5 | -21% |
| Other theft | 538 | 7.3 | 6.4 | +7% |
| Vehicle crime | 480 | 6.5 | 5.0 | +10% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 416 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 0% |
| Public order | 262 | 3.6 | 6.7 | -14% |
| Drugs | 220 | 3.0 | 3.3 | +53% |
| Burglary | 210 | 2.9 | 3.6 | -16% |
| Other crime | 108 | 1.5 | 2.1 | +14% |
| Bicycle theft | 78 | 1.1 | 0.8 | +4% |
| Theft from the person | 52 | 0.7 | 1.7 | +6% |
| Possession of weapons | 46 | 0.6 | 1.0 | +12% |
| Robbery | 45 | 0.6 | 1.4 | -40% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
3 of the 8 nearest towns have a higher crime rate than St Albans; the highest is London Colney (151.6 per 1,000) and the lowest Harpenden (37.6).
| Town | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs St Albans |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Colney | 1,274 | 151.6 | +78% |
| Chiswell Green | 260 | 43.4 | -49% |
| Bricket Wood | 295 | 55.3 | -35% |
| Hatfield | 5,492 | 127.3 | +49% |
| Harpenden | 1,086 | 37.6 | -56% |
| Radlett | 490 | 60.0 | -30% |
| Abbots Langley and Kings Langley | 1,115 | 67.3 | -21% |
| Hemel Hempstead | 10,306 | 102.6 | +20% |
Of the 10 areas within St Albans, St Peters had the highest crime rate (179.4 per 1,000) and Marshalswick East & Jersey Farm the lowest (48.1), 4 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peters | Neighbourhood | 9,338 | 1,675 | 179.4 |
| Sopwell | Neighbourhood | 7,838 | 907 | 115.7 |
| Cunningham | Neighbourhood | 8,670 | 867 | 100.0 |
| Bernards Heath | Neighbourhood | 8,399 | 615 | 73.2 |
| Verulam | Neighbourhood | 7,224 | 507 | 70.2 |
| Hill End | Neighbourhood | 6,565 | 435 | 66.3 |
| Batchwood | Neighbourhood | 7,732 | 511 | 66.1 |
| Clarence | Neighbourhood | 8,082 | 456 | 56.4 |
| Marshalswick West | Neighbourhood | 3,528 | 189 | 53.6 |
| Marshalswick East & Jersey Farm | Neighbourhood | 9,362 | 450 | 48.1 |
The 10 locations below account for 29% of the crime recorded in St Albans over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (379).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 379 |
| On or near Supermarket | 361 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 341 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 234 |
| On or near Spencer Street | 103 |
| On or near Theatre/Concert Hall | 98 |
| On or near Drovers Way | 85 |
| On or near Twyford Road | 84 |
| On or near Nightclub | 81 |
| On or near Stonecross Close | 74 |
Of the 4,975 crimes in St Albans with a recorded outcome, 44% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.6% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,270 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 2,202 | 44.3% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 1,379 | 27.7% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 408 | 8.2% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 277 | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 255 | 5.1% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 157 | 3.2% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 129 | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 64 | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 63 | 1.3% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 31 | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 5 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 5 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
St Albans has an estimated population of 73,283 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (56%, against 34%), fewer residents with no qualifications (9.7%, against 18.2%) and fewer households without a car (15%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up St Albans average decile 8.3 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | St Albans | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 21.4% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 15.1% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 65.3% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.7% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 17.8% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 56.5% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 9.7% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 15.4% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 67.2% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 18.9% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 8.3 | 5.5 (England) |
Is St Albans a safe place to live?
St Albans recorded 85.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 531st of the 1,390 towns on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were vehicle crime and bicycle theft.
What is the most common crime in St Albans?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 1,741 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (1,270).
Is crime in St Albans going up or down?
Recorded crime in St Albans was down 4% on the year before: 6,245 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 6,482 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of St Albans?
About 73,283 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 15% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers St Albans?
St Albans is policed by Hertfordshire.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.