Crime in London, United Kingdom

Crime rates in London, United Kingdom

Level of crime
64.45 High
Crime increasing in the past 5 years
70.92 High
Worries home broken and things stolen
47.65 Moderate
Worries being mugged or robbed
58.27 Moderate
Worries car stolen
44.41 Moderate
Worries things from car stolen
51.04 Moderate
Worries attacked
54.91 Moderate
Worries being insulted
55.23 Moderate
Worries being subject to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin, gender or religion
40.99 Moderate
Problem people using or dealing drugs
63.24 High
Problem property crimes such as vandalism and theft
59.08 Moderate
Problem violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery
57.91 Moderate
Problem corruption and bribery
39.06 Low

Safety in London, United Kingdom

Safety walking alone during daylight
63.62 High
Safety walking alone during night
37.68 Low

Contributors: 1312

Last update: November 2024

These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 5 years.

If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.

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73 Comments so far
Anonymous on Sep 05, 2024:
The Crime Index on here is a waste of time mainly because some white South Africans are pushing their genocide agenda.

They've ruined this part of the website and made it all about them (as usual), so don't put too much stock in it.
Anonymous on Jul 16, 2024:
to Jones: It's not about London, this can be said about almost any city in the world, this is a global trend, I hear similar exclamations from everywhere, from different countries in Europe and Asia.
Anonymous on Jun 19, 2024:
I do wish people would stop comparing statistics between cities that often have different capacities to record what is going on. There's a bunch of these on here.

Third world vs. developed world, advanced developing vs. underdeveloped and so on.
Anonymous on Jun 18, 2024:
Continents with the 10 most homicidal countries and cities, 2023-

By country) Africa 7; America 2; Asia 1

By city) Africa 6; Asia 4

Source: Various security providers

No real change.

You need to be careful of these lists and rankings that keep cropping up, there's a ton of evidence that Latin America in particular is being maliciously targeted.

There's something weird going on.
Jones on Jun 15, 2024:
do NOT walk home alone anywhere in london. not chelsea not kensington not hampstead. not the same city it was 30 years ago save yourself the trouble. get out of it and stay clear of any reasons to come back.
X on Jun 03, 2024:
Homicide is a particularly misunderstood phenomenon. Almost all of the most homicidal countries in the world are war zones and failed states. Try to be prudent comparing recorded statistics between both developing countries and developing countries with those that are developed.

Let's take lethal violence. If recorded statistics were reasonably accurate everywhere it would show that:

A. Africa has the highest homicide rate

B. Which together with the Middle East, has the highest violent death rate

C. South Africa's homicide rate isn't the highest in Africa, and-

D. Haiti has the highest homicide/violent death rate in the Americas
Sergei Goncharov on May 07, 2024:
A lot depends on the area. If you’re in Islington/Dagenham/Croydon/Newham, you should be very cautious, especially after it gets dark. Stay in busy areas and watch your bag/pockets, always look around.

Yet there are safe areas, where basic precautions will probably be sufficient. Those are Richmond, Hampstead and Kingston.
Sam on Apr 27, 2024:
Oh and just to add when I visited in January in one 20 minute Uber trip I personally witnessed 2 phone snatchings by kids on bikes with banaclavas on.
Sam on Apr 27, 2024:
I spent 20 years in London 2003-2023, let me just say there has been a steady and visible decline in safety. Police are doing all they can but they are massively underfunded and restrained by bizarre laws. Yes, London is obviously safer than any capital in South America. But a cursory glance at social media will show you 100s of new videos every week of phone snatchings, gang fights, and reported murders. If you use common sense as you should in any major Western city any visits will likely be trouble-free, but it's a roll of the dice every time you go out if you happen to run into a kid listening to drill whose worst case scenario is that he goes to prison where his a few of his mates already are. In the past year, my best mate was mugged at knife point for his phone, wallet and watch while doing the 5 minute walk home from the tube station in a prominent north London area. Another close friend of mine had her phone snatched in broad daylight by a kid on a bike who brandished a knife. If you speak to any Londoner they will either be able to tell you a first hand account of a similar story or know someone personally who this happened to recently. It's a very sorry state of affairs, especially to a city I grew up in and love, but it isn't the same place anymore and I'm very happy I left last year. I hope in our lifetime we can see it return to its former glory but I can't see a way that happens without a huge culture change... which isn't going to happen.
Mikel on Mar 28, 2024:
We were europe s safest country until 1990.....Then we wrongfully accepted Albanians(europe s arch criminals)and then Georgians,Pakistanis and Indians.Yes,over 60% of the Uk s crime rate(according to multiple sources)Is because of immigrants.DO YOU REALLY WANT A SAFE EUROPE??You know the answer...
Alex on Mar 25, 2024:
I meant for the safety walking alone during night 77 and safety walking alone during the night 62.
Alex on Mar 25, 2024:
Brit grown up in London here.While crime isn't uncommon,I think these statictics over react the level of crime in London.I have been never a victim of crime,and I have always felt very safe walking alone during night and daylight.Id give a crime index of 33.A Safety walking alone during daylight 77,and the safety walking alone during daylight 62.
Anonymous on Jan 22, 2024:
Bro u comparing Rio de Janeiro to london fam I'm saying london is more dangerous then most cities of the USA fam from 2022 to 2023 we got 885k crimes reported 50k crimes increased 250k violent crimes reported and gun crimes and knife crimes both of them increasing fam london is real dangerous I think u people really over exaggerate the usa and south america fam u know london is dangerous when violent crime total crime knife crimes and gun crimes all of them 4 increasing yearly u know london is getting bad bad
Alex on Jan 06, 2024:
I was in London recently and it generally isint that bad,just stay away from migrants and refugees and you will be fine.
Tony k on Dec 24, 2023:
Hi, having read some of the comments on here I disappointed but not surprised. The reason London is going/gone to the dogs is that it that the politicians are either deluded or in denial about the reality on the ground. Until they recognise this, it will continue to get worse. Sad but true.
--- on Dec 14, 2023:
i was in rio de janiero and trust me london is 1000times Safer then rio de janiero like 100murders is not even a lot the city got 8million population los angeles got like 350murdsers a year and population is only like 2-3million london got crime like every city it is not dangerous
Ano on Dec 11, 2023:
Lodon is Africa. Monkeys everywhere, the British race is going to be extinct in a few decades.That is the result of Marxism ideology and universal democracy.
Dr. Vincent Chokaa, Ph.D on Nov 23, 2023:
I guess London is safe but the areas are dangerous in greater London
Emma on Sep 25, 2023:
I live in New York, I visited London recently for the first time and i was robbed in broad day light in Hackney leaving the subway by 4 Middle Eastern looking teenagers.
Even comparing to NYC, London seems more ruthless and more gangs are on the streets..
Lewandowski on Sep 25, 2023:
London is a concrete jungle...The crime is higher than in many US cities and it's the highest in all Europe!! In some neighbourhoods you will hear more Arabic, Hindi or Polish than English language.
Anonymous on Jul 17, 2023:
young boss money london is not safe the amount of things it goes down here is not normal 835k crimes for a year thats really high from 2021 to 2022 it had 109 homicides from 2022 to 2023 is probably gonna have like 150+ homicides or even 200+ homicides with like 900k+ crimes for a year tell me if that looks safe to u is defenitly not fam like only lambweth having 3k+ crimes per month and its only a borough in london and plus not the most dangerous borough of london
Anonymous on Jul 17, 2023:
if u enter the wrong streets of lambeth especially at night 100% ur g checked robbed or mugged or even stabbed and it can go to being stabbed to death
Anonymous on Jul 17, 2023:
for everyone saying london is so safe its the safest city no its not brixton alone has 1k+ crimes per month if u wanna live in london go to richmond upon thames safest borough of london if u wanna visit lambeth fam go to north lambeth where its a bit more quiet and not as bad as central lambeth and south lambeth like everything getting out of hand the met police doing nothing and AGAIN for people saying london not dangerous here lambeth it can be a gta server if it wants to and not even the most dangerous borough of london
Anonymous on Jul 17, 2023:
i live in south london lambeth brixton no cap is the jungle here lambeth is done out here 3k+ crimes per month are u stupid blud definitly dont come here if u value ur life
Anonymous on Jul 06, 2023:
About 4-5% of London people make the place seem dangerous. These people come in gangs from the most deprived parts of London. Poverty and crime go hand in hand. They typically wear tracksuits and Canada goose/monclear/north face jackets so if you see people wearing this stay far away.
Brazil on Jun 22, 2023:
I from brazil i go london i got stabbed i died.
Santiago on May 23, 2023:
I came from Merida Mexico and was mugged twice, additionally, most people here seem way too aggressive, like they are always looking for trouble or something.
Anonymous on Mar 02, 2023:
I’ve lived and worked in London for nearly 20 years and have always felt very safe. The only time I’ve ever been a victim of violent crime was an altercation with some drunken football fans from another UK city after a match.

Clearly there are gangs in London, as in any city, but I’ve never come across any of them despite spending most of my time in Southwark and Tower Hamlets.
Anonymous on Nov 14, 2022:
Hi,

Looks like the website admins removed my last comment inspite of me liking the site so much that I put it on my social media with 20k+ followers as it’s an honest website.

But l’ll keep continuing to share my experience.
I was being mugged in the heart of central London early morning when there were people around.
It’s very common these days that the gangs of Black Guys comes in group of 4-10 and try scare you even threaten and hit if you don’t comply. They loot you completely including fancy clothes you’re wearing.
I think police need to do something about it as it’s happening in the heart of London continuously with many tourists and locals.
Anonymous on Aug 30, 2022:
The other day my cousin got stabbed in the shoulder so this gang of youths could steal his wristwatch which was worth about 4 grand, it didn’t even reach headlines and the police have been useless with this situation, do not recommend but this mainly applies to south and east London areas where it is REALLY bad.
Anonymous on Jul 06, 2022:
London's crime rate is skyrocketing assault, pickpockets, rapes etc. People might look at the crime rate and perceive it as very safe but the knife crime is shockingly high, just stay out of north and east london and you'd be just a little safer
Anonymous on Jul 04, 2022:
London has shocking levels of violence and crime, not far behind are birmingham then Manchester Liverpool and Glasgow. They don't have high homicide rates but general violence is shocking. London has just gone to the dogs in the last 30 years and in the last 5 murder has risen steady and this is with the mets dodgy numbers ie the police stopped reporting crime under the Khan because..... Yeah don't like the numbers don't keep count Khan is a corrupt little sht
Pop on May 29, 2022:
London and Warsaw are constantly getting more dangerous. more drugs more violence.
Ray Carvajal on Apr 29, 2022:
Honestly I think some of the negative comments about London may be Racist British, Rough British Blokes that want to make London a tough city, or Americans that want to make London look bad and dangerous so they can Brag America is safer.
Anonymous on Apr 17, 2022:
People holding on to homicide rate: now do the math with the violent crimes, robberies and burglaries.
Anonymous on Mar 24, 2022:
London, Paris and Malmo, three European cities that were once good which are now dangerous.
AAM on Mar 21, 2022:
The people over here thinks that london and US cities are dangerous because they have never went to underdeveloped counties which accumlates to the majority of the total countries in the world. You people have no idea that how safe london is and also many US cities as well. Just get out from your homes and see the real world then you will realise in how safe places you all are living in.
Anonymous on Feb 28, 2022:
Homicide is higher than stats say but the main issue is assault and stealing, it’s very common, so not recommend London as a place to live due to it’s unsafety.
Robert Maier on Feb 18, 2022:
Just for your information:London actually has a homicide rate of about 1.5 per 100000, weich is loser than that of Hungary of about 2.5. Of course a City with about 9 Million inhabitantants usually has more total crimes than one with 100k but in generell London is quite safe.
Anonymous on Jan 18, 2022:
Tourist attracted London is very safe.. The reason they have a high crime rate is generally because it being a big city but also that every other place in london (north, south, east, west) are gang and drug hubs
Anonymous on Dec 24, 2021:
Many people get stabbed and survive but unfortunately some don’t
Person on Nov 05, 2021:
People who say it’s safe live in the posh parts like Kensington. They don’t go anywhere near south and east London, crime rate is very high, murder rate is lower than some other parts of the country but it’s a lot higher than it says. But, London is a good place to visit, wouldn’t recommend living there though, look at living in Hertfordshire if you want to live around this area. Traffic can also be a NIGHTMARE.
Anonymous on Oct 23, 2021:
London is'nt safer than every US and Canadian city. Its one of the worst in Europe and statistically England as a whole has a higher crime rate than some American states. Anyone saying London is safe is a lunatic because it simply ain't true. (Yes it does also depend what parts of London).
Jay on Oct 19, 2021:
London people wanna be so tough, saying its a stabbing every 14sec lmaooooo do people know How much That’s in a year? Way way over 1million with less then 1.50 homicide rate. Its sad How people want London to be bad When its not its a paradise compare to were Am frm smh the lies and bs London its very very safe
Dan on Oct 10, 2021:
Honestly, I think UK citizens (and US too, as there seems to be a lot of people arguing over which country is safer) have no idea how developed and safe their countries are, because they never visited something else, like an underdeveloped country. London is very safe, UK is very safe and the whole Europe in general.
Paul on Sep 28, 2021:
@yung boss money, such stupid comment. London among the most dangerous cities in Europe. People getting stabbed, mugged on daily basis
yung boss money on Sep 14, 2021:
London not only has a lower homicide rate than EVERY single US city, but it also has a lower homicide rate than EVERY single CANADIAN city. Canada is known as the safest country on earth, so when london is better than that it simply means it's very safe. Every person commenting how bad london is in the comments have an agenda, either they're fake accounts made by weirdos who wanna make London seem hard, or they have an anti immigration agenda. London is simply so unbelievably safe and is NOWHERE CLOSE to the level of crime in either the US or Canada. For example, st louis in 2020 reached 262 homicides, which is more than double the amount of homicides in London, meanwhile it only has a population of 300k, while London has one of 8.9 million. This means the st louis homicide rate is over 60x higher than London, yeah london doesn't even compare. For those of you who say london reached new yorks homicide rate, it did, but literally for only ONE month, where new york did not have many homicides and London did, for the whole year new york was still a lot higher, and London has never surpassed it since. Not to mention that new york is one of the safest big cities in the entire USA. In conclusion, british people are weird.
Ben on Aug 30, 2021:
London sucks, American tourist here, centre is fine but the suburbs are bad. London has a lower murder rate than LA but a higher crime rate. I still enjoyed my visit though because I stayed within the main areas.
Anonymous on Aug 28, 2021:
This place is such a dumb, especially with these lockdowns
Anonymous on Jun 16, 2021:
“According to a recent United Nations report, Britain has become one of the most violent industrial nation, the chances of being mugged and assaulted here are almost higher than in the US.”
That was back in 2008, and since then it’s gotten a fair bit worse (in London anyways)
Source for proof https://youtu.be/4YH0LUt8R2k
Will on Jun 06, 2021:
Place is an absolute dump, we’ve had over 20 stabbings in the past week alone and those are the ones that get reported, if you come to visit I advise looking into where and where not to go.
Anonymous on Apr 22, 2021:
As far as capital cities go, it's very safe if you practice common sense. Don't go to rough neighbourhoods, don't look for drugs, try and avoid walking alone through unlit areas at night... you know, generic advice they give about everywhere.

I've lived here for a decade and the worst that's personally happened to me is someone going through my bag at a hostel I was staying at. And that guy was a tourist.

As with every city in the world, you can find scary stories about crime there that reach the newspapers. But in reality you would have to be desperately unlucky for any of it to happen to you.
Anonymous on Apr 08, 2021:
I used to live in London for 6 years in a row. I was planning for it to be my final destination, but then I just run away once I became a father. I didn't want to leave my child fatherless or something to happen to him. It could be safe if you earn over 6 figures and can afford a different, better life, but it is better to keep it an experience for the average Joe. Definitely not a place to raise a child and have a family.Tourist, English learner, students and once in a lifetime experience all welcome.
Anonymous on Feb 23, 2021:
Can FEEL safe but actually there are a lot of bad people about. If you ever see two guys on a moped, get offside quickly. Similarly with groups of badly dressed youths.
Olivia on Feb 23, 2021:
Crime has been increasing rapidly here for the past decade, but it gets really bad when it’s dark. A lot of dodgy stuff happens. Stick to main tourist areas though and I’m sure you will be fine
Anonymous on Feb 02, 2021:
Thank you Sir for your comment. But I'm keen to complete the summary by the fact, that the UK is much more closer to the US in many things, than compared to continental europe. In terms of crime too. The types of crime and problems with crime are similar. Knife crime for example is often linked with gangs. Gangs are often coupled with drugs, where there is a high demand among the population. But there are some seriously mental ill, low life young teenagers, who treat this as a fun and game to take someones life. And so the other young majority, out of fear, carry weapons to protect themselfs. A simple argument or the lost of temper or even looking for someone in a bad way, can lead to the lost of a live. If you look at it from objective point of view, this is totally mad. The fact that the police is seen as a enemy, by thugs and some parts of the community is frightening. All this is more like in the US. The Government fails to tackle crime and the violence, just like poverty. Instead the understaffed police force which are treathened by further cuts, takes the fight against crime, sometimes with youths who commit crime because they are bored. A Crime & Punishment system is meant to lock the criminals away for a long time, not to let them go by the judges or treat them with a soft approach. So crime has established and it is treated as a part of live, a circumstance. It happens, because there is no fear of the law for some lawless and ruthless gangsters. The longer this status will last, the more impossible it will be to combat this disease effectively. But the Government seems to have other problems, only the News like on the Telly try to understand whats going on,if it gets bad. Crime will always be a part of a city. There is no big city without crime. But teenager which are so brutal,ruthless, coming from poor broken families, disrespectful, with no regard of human live or someones property, clearly living in a parallel world in one society is deeply worrying. If future Tourists read this(when traveling will be possible again):It is unlikely that you will be caught up with this problem in the City Center. If you dont have to, then dont go to the poorer Areas of the City, especially not in the night time. But if you need to, then better take the public transport or a cab. London is not only full of people drinking tea at afternoon or Mr Beans riding their Sofas on a Mini looking grim at you or hiding for fun in Postboxes. Unfortunately this City has some serious crime problem. Dont think that the police will come fast to you, when your handbag get snatched or by minor crimes.They struggle already with the amount of major crimes. Keep always an eye on your belongings. London is still very enjoyable big city and one of its kind on earth. I hope a new mayor will change things and bring the city to the former glory.
Anonymous on Jan 23, 2021:
An excellent summary by the person who commented yesterday, very accurate.
Anonymous on Jan 22, 2021:
As I see, a lot of people like to compare London to the much loved and adored US. But do you really want to compare to cities which doing worse to feel better? The crimes committed in London are similiar, if not even worse. London reached the homicide rate of NYC in march 2019. Of course London is a safe city compared to South American Cities or Tijuana or Chicago. But in Europe, not European Union, the UK is a high crime country,whats seems normal today. Gun crime is getting worse significantly. The knife crime epidemic goes on over years now and continoue to reach new high levels. It feels like nearly everyday someone loses a life in London to knife crime, not only gang members. Most of it is gang related between black young men. But the crime is getting out of control over the past 6 years. And the worst part is, it can happen to everybody, because crime is also committed on random people of the public. Acid attacks, moped crimes in broad daylight in front of dozens of people, postcode wars (mistaken identity), you have to keep your car always locked when driving, brutal home invasions. Burglaries. Drive by shootings and gun shoots fired on random people or houses. Cars stolen for joyriding and crashed and torched, and more. If this happens to random people, by just being in the wrong place, wrong time, thats not safe at all. You just need to read the News. Police isnt catching all the criminals, because there is too much crime for those police officers. Prisons are the next, even more severe and completly overcrowded problem. But most importantly, this comes from a broken society, full of selfish people, dont looking at others. Poverty which getting worse too (what a suprise). No perspectives for young men. Everywhere they building new posh high rise buildings in London, ruining the skyline, just to allocate the money from the rich, ending up the poorer people earning enough, but not enough for London prices. Dont get me wrong, i love London as a city, but it really lost the charme. Its not the end of the world, you can get out on the street, but just be careful, vigilant and better dont go out after dark. Its just not a safe city. Other UK Cities have much more problems with crime by less inhabitans. And if anyone comes here with racism, if you go up north the country, you will find native young british lads, doing the same crimes. Its a social,poverty problem, created by the attitude of the poorly educated minds, not only imported by migrants.
Andy on Jan 12, 2021:
As an American, I can safely say this place is trash, there are a few nice places so stay their but don’t go anywhere near the places that have a bad reputation.
Argent on Jan 07, 2021:
After many years spent here in London I can say this place really pissed me. It has become a trashold, glad they close borders now cause it got outhand. Worst of all are the groups of young lads mainly afro brit who seriously go around to look for problems so keep away from this crap
Anonymous on Jan 04, 2021:
extremely dangerous especially in south and east london where there are gunshots through out the night
Brandon on Dec 31, 2020:
I was mugged yesterday, a group of young lads came up to me with switchblades and took my money. Wouldn’t recommend unless you live in a area that’s nice.
Anonymous on Dec 12, 2020:
Becoming rather lawless. You might get lucky, have nothing happen and think it's all fine. But the reality is you were just lucky.
Theresa on Dec 03, 2020:
A lot of London crime isn’t even noted down so saying Amsterdam is safer is very misleading
Biden on Nov 16, 2020:
There are too many crimes in London, the young roadmen on London bikes are the most dangerous; they'll ride up to you, ask you for something like the time, then try to mug you.
Rins on Nov 16, 2020:
Murder rate in London is only 1.3. Much better than Berlin = 2.6 , Amsterdam= 2.3 and many other european cities.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_London#Gun_and_knife_crime

https://www.foxnews.com/world/top-10-deadliest-european-cities
Jade on Nov 08, 2020:
Terrible place, glad I moved away from here, used to be a great city but now has crime in a lot of areas (moved from Hackney)
Anonymous on Nov 01, 2020:
I don’t live in either places but I felt safer in New York City than London. I was harassed a lot in London and even threatened. Maybe it’s just my experience but I feel like New York City is a bit safer.
CM on Oct 26, 2020:
I used to live in Paris and NYC so take my comment with that in mind.

I've been living in London for over 6 years now and I feel SUPER safe honestly. I'm not saying there aren't dodgy areas, but I've never felt like I had a chance of being a target. I feel like crime here **tends** to be more gang related. Common sense applies obviously BUT I feel a LOT safer than in any areas in Central Paris honestly.
MR.E on Oct 16, 2020:
It’s honestly getting out of hand, I’m starting to scary scary crime on a regular basis now. Even as simply walking to the shop I see fights and people threatening to use knifes.
Ok on Oct 09, 2020:
For real, London's crime rate has lowered down but I see like bullets everywhere in these streets,
Dillion on Sep 25, 2020:
I went to Hackney area for a job and saw a stabbing between 5 young men. Not very nice. London has been going downhill fast unfortunately.
Anonymous on Sep 13, 2020:
If you like stabbings, drugs and gang violence. London is the pace for you. I’m sure it’s fine to visit with all the tourist spots but somewhere to live it is not.