London had the highest crime rate in England and Wales, with 106.6 criminal offences recorded per 1000 people, new crime data from ONS reveals
The ‘headline’ crime rate across 32 metropolitan police areas in London was 105.8 in the year ending June 2024. Headline crimes include violence against people, sexual offences, robbery, theft, criminal damage, drug offences, possession of weapons, public order offences and crimes against society.
Some areas of London have rates of headline crimes much lower than others. Here are the five Safest areas in London out of 32 metropolitan police areas, based on the headline crime rate.
- Richmond upon Thames
While Richmond upon Thames had one of the lowest populations in London, it also had the lowest rate of headline crimes in the capital. In a population of about 195,000, the area saw nearly 12,000 cases of headline crimes in 2023-24. The headline crime rate of the area was 61.1 cases per 1000 people.
Across London, it registered the lowest number of cases for violence against persons, sexual offences, criminal damage and arson, and possession of weapon offences.
- Harrow
Closely following Richmond upon Thames, Harrow’s rate of crime was 61.2 per 1000 people, 0.1 higher than Richmond. With a population of 261,000, Harrow witnessed close to 16,000 headline cases.
Although Harrow saw declines in most crimes, it experienced a notable 66% surge in shoplifting cases.
- Sutton
Sutton was the third safest area in London, according to the ONS data based on headline cases. It had a crime rate of 61.9 crimes per 1000 residents in the area. It registered nearly 13,000 cases for a population of 210,000.
Despite being third on the list, Sutton recorded the lowest number of cases of theft and drug offences throughout London.
- Merton
The crime rate of headline offences in Merton was 64.3 per 1000 people. It has a population of 214,000 and the area registered nearly 13,800 cases of headline crimes.
It was one of the only four areas in London to not register a single homicide case. Other three areas include Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames and Havering.
- Bexley
Apart from the four mentioned earlier, Bexley was the only other area in London with a headline crime rate of under 70. It had a crime rate of 67.9 per 1000 with a population of 247,000. Total cases registered here were nearly 16,800.
Out of this, violence against persons and theft offences accounted for nearly 72 per cent of these crimes.