Crime in Dacorum
Recorded crime in Dacorum is 0.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 11%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
161,420 residents in 96 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.7/10Good
- 5-year change
- +11%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 11% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Dacorum, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.8× the England and Wales average. 64 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 58% of the harm here
- Burglary: 16% of the harm here
- Robbery: 6% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 22 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 | 0.7 |
| Burglary | 3.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 22.6 |
| Drugs | 2.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.9 |
| Other crime | 1.6 |
| Other theft | 6.5 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.7 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.5 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.6 |
| Public order | 4.1 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.7 |
| Shoplifting | 6.9 |
What crimes are recorded in Dacorum
65.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Dacorum in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 10,774. Home Office recorded crime: 10,632 (1% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. 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 | 217 | 1.3 | Down 37% |
| Cars broken into | 409 | 2.5 | Down 15% |
| Vehicle tampering | 142 | 0.88 | Down 38% |
| Vandalism to homes | 169 | 1.0 | Down 18% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 85 | 0.53 | Down 15% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 311 | 1.9 | Down 12% |
| Arson | 37 | 0.23 | About the same |
| Burglary of homes | 254 | 1.6 | Down 5% |
| Burglary of businesses | 102 | 0.63 | Down 27% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 40 | 0.25 | Up 48% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 55 | 0.34 | Up 15% |
| Robbery of people | 62 | 0.38 | Down 41% |
| Robbery of businesses | 65 | 0.40 | Up 8% |
| Violence with injury | 975 | 6.0 | Down 7% |
| Violence without injury | 1,564 | 9.7 | Down 4% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,594 | 9.9 | Up 11% |
| Sexual offences | 432 | 2.7 | Up 15% |
| Shoplifting | 1,157 | 7.2 | Down 11% |
| Bicycle theft | 64 | 0.40 | Up 56% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 96 | 0.59 | Down 4% |
| Drug dealing | 136 | 0.84 | Up 209% |
| Drug possession | 243 | 1.5 | Up 28% |
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.
Hertfordshire Police area: 598 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (762 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Dacorum.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Dacorum, 7% 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) | 4,867 | 4% | 3% | 70% | 18% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 1,262 | 18% | 2% | 10% | 69% | 1% |
| Other theft | 1,036 | 1% | 0% | 20% | 75% | 4% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 941 | 4% | 4% | 28% | 62% | 3% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 938 | 5% | 0% | 9% | 84% | 2% |
| Public order | 681 | 7% | 4% | 48% | 37% | 4% |
| Burglary | 665 | 5% | 0% | 12% | 81% | 3% |
| Other crime | 328 | 9% | 5% | 54% | 20% | 13% |
| Drugs | 252 | 26% | 40% | 24% | 4% | 6% |
| Robbery | 178 | 14% | 1% | 38% | 46% | 2% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 106 | 3% | 1% | 23% | 66% | 8% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 78 | 31% | 5% | 47% | 5% | 12% |
| Bicycle theft | 59 | 2% | 2% | 10% | 78% | 8% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
Dacorum, 2023 to 2025: 171 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 42 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 12 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.1 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 24% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Towns and cities in Dacorum
Postcode districts in Dacorum
Questions about crime in Dacorum
- Is Dacorum a safe place to live?
- Dacorum scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Dacorum?
- Up 11% over 5 years, from 9,482 recorded crimes a year to 10,484.
- What is the most common crime in Dacorum?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 23 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Dacorum?
- In Dacorum, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 43% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Dacorum?
- Of 665 burglaries reported in Dacorum between September 2024 and August 2025, 5% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 81% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Dacorum?
- In Dacorum, the police recorded 217 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.3 per 1,000 residents, down 37% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Dacorum?
- 565 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Dacorum in 2025/26, 3.5 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Dacorum last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in Dacorum in 2025/26, against 2 the year before.