Crime in City of London
Recorded crime in City of London is 0.5 times the City of London council average and 2.9 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 8%. The biggest share of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 3 km of the centre of City of London: about 326,428 residents in 237 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Living
- 9.5/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- +8%more crimes
- vs the council
- 0.5×the City of London council average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 3 km of the centre of City of London.
Crime over 5 years
Up 8% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 3 km of City of London, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.5× the City of London council average (2.9× the England and Wales average). 246 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 31% of the harm here
- Robbery: 23% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 58 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in City of London (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole City of London council area, not only the city of City of London. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 24 | 1.6 | Down 14% |
| Cars broken into | 75 | 5.0 | Down 5% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 206 | 13.6 | Down 27% |
| Burglary of homes | 27 | 1.8 | Up 50% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in EC2V
In EC2V, the postcode district at the centre of City of London, 10% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other theft | 143 | 7% | 0% | 6% | 67% | 20% |
| Shoplifting | 118 | 23% | 3% | 15% | 43% | 15% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 113 | 0% | 1% | 2% | 76% | 21% |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 104 | 11% | 3% | 38% | 22% | 26% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 21% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
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 | 10.6 |
| Burglary | 13.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 47.3 |
| Drugs | 12.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.4 |
| Other crime | 1.8 |
| Other theft | 51.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 49.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 11.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 9.1 |
| Public order | 13.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 9.2 |
| Shoplifting | 14.7 |
Postcode districts in City of London
Nearby towns
Council: City of London
Questions about crime in City of London
- Is City of London a safe place to live?
- City of London scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.5 times the City of London council average.
- Is crime going up or down in City of London?
- Up 8% over 5 years, from 78,426 recorded crimes a year to 84,683.
- What is the most common crime in City of London?
- The most common recorded crime is other theft, about 52 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 City of London compare with City of London council?
- Crime severity in City of London is 0.5 times the City of London council average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in City of London?
- In EC2V, the postcode district at the centre of City of London, 10% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 50% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in City of London?
- In the City of London council area, the police recorded 24 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.6 per 1,000 residents, down 14% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in City of London?
- 206 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the City of London council area, 13.6 per 1,000 residents, 2.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in City of London last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the City of London council area, against 0 the year before.