Is SE1 a safe place to live?

SE1 scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every postcode district in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.7 times the Southwark average.

Is crime going up or down in SE1?

Up 22% over 5 years, from 14,999 recorded crimes a year to 18,328.

What is the most common crime in SE1?

The most common recorded crime is other theft, about 47 per 1,000 residents a year. The most harm, weighted by how serious each crime is, comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences).

How does crime in SE1 compare with Southwark?

Crime severity in SE1 is 1.7 times the Southwark average.

How many burglaries are solved in SE1?

Of 1,026 burglaries reported in SE1 between September 2024 and August 2025, 4% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 82% were closed with no suspect identified.

SE1Postcode district

SE1 crime rate and crime map

Recorded crime in SE1 is 1.7 times the Southwark average and 2.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 22%. The biggest share of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.

Southwark. 75,959 residents in 51 neighbourhoods.

Safety in the UK: 1/10High crime
Safety in the world: 4/10Above average crime
Living: 9.7/10Excellent
5-year change: +22%more crimes
vs the council: 1.7×the Southwark average

Open on the map

Safety and Living

Safety

What it measures. How serious the crime recorded here is, not how much of it there is. Each recorded crime is weighted by the typical sentence for that kind of offence (the Office for National Statistics Crime Severity Score), so a robbery counts about 76 times a shoplifting offence. The total per resident is ranked against every neighbourhood. 10 means among the safest tenth.

Data. Street-level crime from data.police.uk, September 2016 to August 2026. Weights: ONS Crime Severity Score, year ending March 2025.

Anti-social behaviour is not a crime and has no weight, so it is left out of the score. It is shown on its own line.
The weights come from sentences in 2015-2019 and one weight covers a whole police.uk category: violence includes both minor assaults and rape, and the data does not say which. A town with more serious cases than the national mix is under-scored.
Some forces have missing months (Greater Manchester published nothing after June 2019). We use the months that exist and say so on the page.
A neighbourhood's score is blended with the neighbourhoods around it, because police.uk records each crime at an approximate location, often the middle of a street that sits on a boundary. Three quarters is its own rate, one quarter the average of the neighbourhoods it touches, weighted by residents. Crimes recorded on a map point within 30 m of a neighbourhood boundary are shared equally between the neighbourhoods on each side, because the point usually sits on the boundary road itself. Where the map shows a neighbourhood's score, its own score is shown as well when it differs.
Busy city and town centres are not scored: few people live there and many visit, so crime per resident would mislead.
It counts crimes that were reported and recorded, not every crime. In Scotland there is no Safety score yet; Living covers it.
On the map you can filter by crime type. The filter changes the crime figures, the Safety score and the map colours, and compares with the national figure for the same types.
Crime Rates Map is a guide, not advice. Visit the area before you decide.

Read the full method

Crime severity: 1.7× the Southwark average (2.7× the England and Wales average)

Crime only, by how serious it is. Compared with every postcode district. Higher is safer.

Living

Based on schools, transport, health, supermarkets, weighted by importance. Crime is not part of it. Higher is better.

Shops, transport, schools and health

Distances are straight-line, not walking routes. Scores use fixed distance bands, so they do not depend on other districts. Higher is better.

Supermarkets

Good accessScore 8 out of 10

Typical distance to a large supermarket: 1.4 km.
Tesco Southwark Superstore (Tesco), 1.9 km from the district centre
M&S Finsbury Pavement (Marks and Spencer), 2.4 km from the district centre
Asda Old Kent Road Superstore (Asda), 2.7 km from the district centre

Transport

Excellent accessScore 10 out of 10

Typical number of bus stops within 400 m: 9.
Nearest railway station: London Bridge Rail Station, 910 m from the district centre
Nearest tram or metro stop: Borough Station, 320 m from the district centre

Schools

Excellent schools nearbyScore 10 out of 10

Primary schools within 2 km

The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie: Outstanding (graded inspection, 2022), 130 m away
Ark Globe Academy: Strong standard (report card, 2026), 220 m away
Boutcher Church of England Primary School: Outstanding (graded inspection, 2022), 250 m away
Crampton Primary: Outstanding (graded inspection, 2024), 270 m away
Charles Dickens Primary School: Outstanding (graded inspection of the predecessor school, 2019), 270 m away

Secondary schools within 2 km

Oasis Academy South Bank: Outstanding (graded inspection, 2024), 180 m away
City of London Academy (Southwark): Strong standard (report card, 2026), 200 m away
Ark Globe Academy: Strong standard (report card, 2026), 220 m away
Lilian Baylis Technology School: Outstanding (graded inspection, 2023), 580 m away
The Grey Coat Hospital: Outstanding (graded inspection, 2022), 1.6 km away

Health

Excellent accessScore 10 out of 10

Nearest GP surgery: FALMOUTH ROAD GROUP PRACTICE, 350 m from the district centre, CQC rating: Good, rated 2018
Nearest hospital with A&E: St Thomas' Hospital, 3.1 km from the district centre

Crime by type

Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.

Type	Per 1,000 a year
Robbery	10.8
Burglary	12.1
Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences)	42.8
Drugs	10.2
Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons)	1.4
Other crime	1.5
Other theft	46.8
Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching)	40.6
Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into)	8.7
Criminal damage and arson (vandalism)	8.6
Public order	11.7
Bicycle theft	9.5
Shoplifting	9.3

How often crimes lead to a charge

In SE1, 4% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).

Charged or summonsed
Caution or other action
Suspect found, not prosecuted
No suspect identified
Still open

Show as a table

Type	Crimes	Charged or summonsed	Caution or other action	Suspect found, not prosecuted	No suspect identified	Still open
Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching)	5,636	0%	0%	4%	91%	4%
Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences)	3,518	8%	2%	48%	32%	10%
Other theft	3,323	1%	0%	7%	87%	6%
Shoplifting	1,079	14%	3%	17%	58%	7%
Burglary	1,026	4%	0%	11%	82%	3%
Robbery	961	4%	0%	17%	75%	5%
Public order	818	9%	0%	38%	38%	15%
Criminal damage and arson (vandalism)	717	4%	1%	23%	67%	5%
Drugs	707	15%	35%	39%	4%	7%
Bicycle theft	507	2%	1%	3%	92%	3%
Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into)	401	0%	0%	8%	89%	2%
Other crime	131	15%	5%	40%	23%	18%
Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons)	77	36%	5%	27%	13%	18%

Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 6% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.

Trend over the years

Crime severity per resident (sentence-days of the crimes recorded each year). Hatched bars are years with fewer than twelve months of data for most residents.

Last 12 months: 45.5 against a 10-year average of 41.3, 10% higher.

Questions about crime in SE1

Is SE1 a safe place to live?: SE1 scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every postcode district in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.7 times the Southwark average.
Is crime going up or down in SE1?: Up 22% over 5 years, from 14,999 recorded crimes a year to 18,328.
What is the most common crime in SE1?: The most common recorded crime is other theft, about 47 per 1,000 residents a year. The most harm, weighted by how serious each crime is, comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences).
How does crime in SE1 compare with Southwark?: Crime severity in SE1 is 1.7 times the Southwark average.
How often does crime lead to a charge in SE1?: In SE1, 4% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 69% were closed without a suspect being identified.
How many burglaries are solved in SE1?: Of 1,026 burglaries reported in SE1 between September 2024 and August 2025, 4% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 82% were closed with no suspect identified.

Nearest town

City of London

Council: Southwark

Town-centre neighbourhoods

Few people live in these areas but many shop, work and go out there, so crime per resident looks far higher than the risk to someone living there. They have no Safety score, because compared with residential areas the number would mislead; their crime figures are still shown.

Lambeth 036A: 544 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, mostly shop and street theft.
Lambeth 036C: 401 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, mostly shop and street theft.
Southwark 002B: 641 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, mostly shop and street theft.
Southwark 002E: 418 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, mostly shop and street theft.
Southwark 006F: 495 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, mostly shop and street theft.
Lambeth 036E: 611 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, mostly shop and street theft.
Southwark 035A: 1,029 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, mostly shop and street theft.