Crime in Reading
Recorded crime in Reading is 1.1 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 6%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
182,907 residents in 100 neighbourhoods. 3% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 8.2/10Good
- 5-year change
- −6%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 6% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Reading, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the England and Wales average. 93 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 60% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Robbery: 8% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 60% 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: 13 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 | 1.3 |
| Burglary | 4.8 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 34.4 |
| Drugs | 3.0 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.9 |
| Other crime | 1.5 |
| Other theft | 9.2 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 8.4 |
| Public order | 7.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 3.7 |
| Shoplifting | 9.5 |
What crimes are recorded in Reading
98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Reading in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 18,026. Home Office recorded crime: 17,931 (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 | 309 | 1.7 | About the same |
| Cars broken into | 535 | 2.9 | Down 4% |
| Vehicle tampering | 142 | 0.78 | Down 33% |
| Vandalism to homes | 232 | 1.3 | Down 11% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 236 | 1.3 | Down 3% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 370 | 2.0 | Down 7% |
| Arson | 50 | 0.27 | Down 17% |
| Burglary of homes | 265 | 1.4 | Up 16% |
| Burglary of businesses | 279 | 1.5 | Down 4% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 83 | 0.45 | Down 8% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 62 | 0.34 | Down 30% |
| Robbery of people | 152 | 0.83 | Up 4% |
| Robbery of businesses | 164 | 0.90 | Up 12% |
| Violence with injury | 1,659 | 9.1 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 2,843 | 15.5 | Up 4% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,642 | 9.0 | Up 8% |
| Sexual offences | 736 | 4.0 | Up 8% |
| Shoplifting | 2,843 | 15.5 | Up 9% |
| Bicycle theft | 459 | 2.5 | Up 6% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 270 | 1.5 | Down 38% |
| Drug dealing | 333 | 1.8 | Up 39% |
| Drug possession | 349 | 1.9 | Down 4% |
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.
Thames Valley Police area: 920 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,005 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Reading.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Reading, 9% 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) | 6,741 | 6% | 8% | 62% | 17% | 8% |
| Shoplifting | 2,821 | 25% | 2% | 12% | 59% | 2% |
| Other theft | 1,466 | 1% | 2% | 20% | 73% | 4% |
| Public order | 1,443 | 6% | 4% | 46% | 41% | 3% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,254 | 4% | 5% | 33% | 55% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 1,037 | 4% | 0% | 13% | 80% | 3% |
| Burglary | 639 | 10% | 1% | 20% | 60% | 8% |
| Drugs | 461 | 11% | 45% | 14% | 26% | 4% |
| Bicycle theft | 460 | 2% | 1% | 6% | 91% | 0% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 404 | 1% | 1% | 16% | 79% | 3% |
| Robbery | 298 | 19% | 0% | 34% | 44% | 3% |
| Other crime | 281 | 28% | 9% | 36% | 14% | 13% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 140 | 38% | 14% | 31% | 9% | 7% |
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 Reading
Postcode districts in Reading
Questions about crime in Reading
- Is Reading a safe place to live?
- Reading 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 Reading?
- Down 6% over 5 years, from 19,740 recorded crimes a year to 18,610.
- What is the most common crime in Reading?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 34 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Reading?
- In Reading, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 42% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Reading?
- Of 639 burglaries reported in Reading between September 2024 and August 2025, 10% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 60% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Reading?
- In Reading, the police recorded 309 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.7 per 1,000 residents, about the same as the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Reading?
- 838 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Reading in 2025/26, 4.6 per 1,000 residents, about the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Reading last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in Reading in 2025/26, against 3 the year before.