Crime in Croydon
Recorded crime in Croydon is 1.1 times the England and Wales average. It is about the same as 5 years ago. The biggest share of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
409,342 residents in 229 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 8.5/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- 0%about the same
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes in Croydon, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the England and Wales average. 79 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 49% of the harm here
- Robbery: 17% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 24 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
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 | 2.8 |
| Burglary | 5.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 27.5 |
| Drugs | 4.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.7 |
| Other crime | 1.1 |
| Other theft | 7.8 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.6 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 9.9 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.3 |
| Public order | 5.5 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 |
| Shoplifting | 5.2 |
What crimes are recorded in Croydon
80.4 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Croydon in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 33,849. Home Office recorded crime: 32,911 (3% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
Metropolitan Police did not assign 5.4% of the crimes it recorded in 2025/26 to a council area, so these figures are lower than the true count.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 1,768 | 4.3 | Up 16% |
| Cars broken into | 1,187 | 2.9 | Down 31% |
| Vehicle tampering | 357 | 0.87 | Down 13% |
| Vandalism to homes | 504 | 1.2 | Down 13% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 168 | 0.41 | Down 21% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 726 | 1.8 | Up 8% |
| Arson | 97 | 0.24 | Down 17% |
| Burglary of homes | 1,013 | 2.5 | Down 5% |
| Burglary of businesses | 491 | 1.2 | Down 17% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 5 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 127 | 0.31 | Up 17% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 195 | 0.48 | Up 15% |
| Robbery of people | 771 | 1.9 | Down 16% |
| Robbery of businesses | 331 | 0.81 | Up 24% |
| Violence with injury | 2,950 | 7.2 | Down 7% |
| Violence without injury | 5,514 | 13.5 | Up 6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,760 | 6.7 | Up 6% |
| Sexual offences | 1,230 | 3.0 | Up 2% |
| Shoplifting | 2,993 | 7.3 | Down 26% |
| Bicycle theft | 172 | 0.42 | Down 13% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 738 | 1.8 | Down 11% |
| Drug dealing | 746 | 1.8 | Down 39% |
| Drug possession | 1,542 | 3.8 | Up 43% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Metropolitan Police area: 13,775 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (16,285 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Croydon.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Croydon, 6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 12,582 | 6% | 5% | 62% | 18% | 10% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 3,530 | 1% | 0% | 7% | 89% | 3% |
| Shoplifting | 3,485 | 7% | 2% | 16% | 71% | 4% |
| Other theft | 2,779 | 1% | 0% | 16% | 78% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 2,650 | 4% | 1% | 29% | 62% | 4% |
| Drugs | 2,567 | 13% | 26% | 51% | 4% | 6% |
| Public order | 2,345 | 8% | 1% | 47% | 33% | 10% |
| Burglary | 1,905 | 6% | 0% | 12% | 79% | 4% |
| Robbery | 1,130 | 7% | 0% | 24% | 61% | 8% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 931 | 0% | 0% | 15% | 76% | 8% |
| Other crime | 621 | 11% | 7% | 43% | 22% | 17% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 250 | 43% | 3% | 29% | 11% | 14% |
| Bicycle theft | 198 | 1% | 0% | 12% | 82% | 5% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 7% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Postcode districts in Croydon
Questions about crime in Croydon
- Is Croydon a safe place to live?
- Croydon scores 3 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Croydon?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 33,587 recorded crimes a year then, 33,523 now.
- What is the most common crime in Croydon?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 28 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Croydon?
- In Croydon, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 45% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Croydon?
- Of 1,905 burglaries reported in Croydon between September 2024 and August 2025, 6% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 79% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Croydon?
- In Croydon, the police recorded 1,768 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 4.3 per 1,000 residents, up 16% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Croydon?
- 1,398 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Croydon in 2025/26, 3.4 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Croydon last year?
- 5 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Croydon in 2025/26, against 3 the year before.