Crime in Hackney
Recorded crime in Hackney is 1.6 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.
266,758 residents in 149 neighbourhoods. 2% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 9.5/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- −1%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes in Hackney, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.6× the England and Wales average. 116 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 38% of the harm here
- Robbery: 23% of the harm here
- Burglary: 18% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 36 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 | 5.8 |
| Burglary | 9.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 31.9 |
| Drugs | 5.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.9 |
| Other crime | 1.1 |
| Other theft | 13.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 12.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 10.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.4 |
| Public order | 7.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 5.8 |
| Shoplifting | 4.9 |
What crimes are recorded in Hackney
116.6 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Hackney in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 31,920. Home Office recorded crime: 31,095 (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 | 574 | 2.2 | Down 14% |
| Cars broken into | 1,066 | 4.0 | Down 29% |
| Vehicle tampering | 170 | 0.64 | Down 21% |
| Vandalism to homes | 342 | 1.3 | Down 3% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 104 | 0.39 | Down 36% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 408 | 1.5 | Up 4% |
| Arson | 54 | 0.20 | Up 2% |
| Burglary of homes | 872 | 3.3 | Up 2% |
| Burglary of businesses | 557 | 2.1 | Down 8% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 5 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 118 | 0.44 | Up 19% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 192 | 0.72 | Up 56% |
| Robbery of people | 1,229 | 4.6 | Down 17% |
| Robbery of businesses | 353 | 1.3 | Up 36% |
| Violence with injury | 2,128 | 8.0 | Down 2% |
| Violence without injury | 3,968 | 14.9 | Up 8% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,876 | 7.0 | Up 9% |
| Sexual offences | 902 | 3.4 | About the same |
| Shoplifting | 2,308 | 8.7 | Up 4% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,070 | 4.0 | Down 17% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 4,141 | 15.5 | Down 10% |
| Drug dealing | 882 | 3.3 | Up 31% |
| Drug possession | 1,305 | 4.9 | Up 14% |
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 Hackney.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Hackney, 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) | 8,672 | 8% | 3% | 52% | 26% | 10% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 4,535 | 1% | 0% | 6% | 89% | 4% |
| Other theft | 3,193 | 1% | 0% | 12% | 83% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 2,324 | 7% | 4% | 13% | 73% | 3% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2,148 | 1% | 0% | 5% | 90% | 3% |
| Drugs | 2,126 | 12% | 36% | 39% | 3% | 9% |
| Public order | 2,096 | 8% | 1% | 42% | 40% | 10% |
| Burglary | 2,052 | 6% | 0% | 10% | 77% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,633 | 4% | 2% | 24% | 65% | 4% |
| Robbery | 1,596 | 5% | 0% | 19% | 70% | 6% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,259 | 1% | 0% | 4% | 90% | 5% |
| Other crime | 349 | 18% | 4% | 38% | 24% | 15% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 226 | 45% | 2% | 22% | 15% | 16% |
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 Hackney
Questions about crime in Hackney
- Is Hackney a safe place to live?
- Hackney scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Hackney?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 31,425 recorded crimes a year then, 31,267 now.
- What is the most common crime in Hackney?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 32 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Hackney?
- In Hackney, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 57% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Hackney?
- Of 2,052 burglaries reported in Hackney between September 2024 and August 2025, 6% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 77% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Hackney?
- In Hackney, the police recorded 574 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.2 per 1,000 residents, down 14% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Hackney?
- 854 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Hackney in 2025/26, 3.2 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Hackney last year?
- 5 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Hackney in 2025/26, against 8 the year before.