Crime in North Hertfordshire
Recorded crime in North Hertfordshire is 0.6 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 7%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
137,201 residents in 82 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 6/10Average crime
- Safety in the world
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.9/10Good
- 5-year change
- +7%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 7% in 5 years Recorded crimes in North Hertfordshire, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.6× the England and Wales average. 52 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 62% of the harm here
- Burglary: 16% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 62% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 18 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 | 0.4 |
| Burglary | 3.4 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 20.3 |
| Drugs | 1.6 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.8 |
| Other crime | 1.1 |
| Other theft | 5.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.6 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 3.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.1 |
| Public order | 3.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.9 |
| Shoplifting | 4.1 |
What crimes are recorded in North Hertfordshire
49.5 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in North Hertfordshire in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 6,924. Home Office recorded crime: 6,787 (2% 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 | 107 | 0.78 | Down 24% |
| Cars broken into | 183 | 1.3 | Up 8% |
| Vehicle tampering | 102 | 0.74 | Down 17% |
| Vandalism to homes | 141 | 1.0 | Up 3% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 63 | 0.46 | Down 9% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 215 | 1.6 | Up 7% |
| Arson | 22 | 0.16 | About the same |
| Burglary of homes | 173 | 1.3 | About the same |
| Burglary of businesses | 99 | 0.72 | Down 16% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 26 | 0.19 | About the same |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 45 | 0.33 | Up 67% |
| Robbery of people | 28 | 0.20 | Down 39% |
| Robbery of businesses | 24 | 0.17 | Up 33% |
| Violence with injury | 730 | 5.3 | Down 5% |
| Violence without injury | 1,143 | 8.3 | Down 8% |
| Stalking and harassment | 954 | 7.0 | Down 7% |
| Sexual offences | 322 | 2.3 | Up 16% |
| Shoplifting | 518 | 3.8 | Down 33% |
| Bicycle theft | 52 | 0.38 | Down 10% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 46 | 0.34 | Down 29% |
| Drug dealing | 60 | 0.44 | Up 88% |
| Drug possession | 162 | 1.2 | 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.
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 North Hertfordshire.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In North Hertfordshire, 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) | 3,259 | 5% | 4% | 75% | 12% | 4% |
| Other theft | 744 | 3% | 1% | 23% | 67% | 7% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 648 | 3% | 3% | 31% | 59% | 3% |
| Shoplifting | 648 | 15% | 3% | 12% | 69% | 1% |
| Public order | 482 | 10% | 6% | 56% | 23% | 5% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 429 | 3% | 0% | 14% | 78% | 6% |
| Burglary | 351 | 3% | 0% | 10% | 85% | 2% |
| Other crime | 199 | 10% | 7% | 53% | 20% | 11% |
| Drugs | 177 | 28% | 35% | 25% | 3% | 8% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 75 | 29% | 15% | 39% | 4% | 13% |
| Bicycle theft | 72 | 1% | 0% | 10% | 58% | 31% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 67 | 1% | 0% | 34% | 54% | 10% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 5% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in North Hertfordshire
Postcode districts in North Hertfordshire
Questions about crime in North Hertfordshire
- Is North Hertfordshire a safe place to live?
- North Hertfordshire scores 6 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in North Hertfordshire?
- Up 7% over 5 years, from 6,554 recorded crimes a year to 7,040.
- What is the most common crime in North Hertfordshire?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 20 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in North Hertfordshire?
- In North Hertfordshire, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 36% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in North Hertfordshire?
- Of 351 burglaries reported in North Hertfordshire between September 2024 and August 2025, 3% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 85% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in North Hertfordshire?
- In North Hertfordshire, the police recorded 107 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.8 per 1,000 residents, down 24% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in North Hertfordshire?
- 419 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in North Hertfordshire in 2025/26, 3.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in North Hertfordshire last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in North Hertfordshire in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.