Crime in Waltham Forest
Recorded crime in Waltham Forest 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.
279,737 residents in 146 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 9.0/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- +1%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes in Waltham Forest, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the England and Wales average. 82 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 44% of the harm here
- Robbery: 17% of the harm here
- Burglary: 16% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 28 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 | 5.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 24.6 |
| Drugs | 4.9 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.7 |
| Other crime | 1.0 |
| Other theft | 9.4 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 3.8 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 12.2 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.7 |
| Public order | 5.1 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.7 |
| Shoplifting | 4.5 |
What crimes are recorded in Waltham Forest
80.3 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Waltham Forest in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 23,210. Home Office recorded crime: 22,454 (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 | 1,020 | 3.6 | Down 26% |
| Cars broken into | 1,132 | 4.0 | Down 32% |
| Vehicle tampering | 225 | 0.80 | Down 56% |
| Vandalism to homes | 316 | 1.1 | Down 18% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 90 | 0.32 | Down 34% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 414 | 1.5 | Down 23% |
| Arson | 51 | 0.18 | Up 11% |
| Burglary of homes | 585 | 2.1 | Down 12% |
| Burglary of businesses | 463 | 1.7 | Down 23% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 72 | 0.26 | Up 44% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 98 | 0.35 | Down 22% |
| Robbery of people | 559 | 2.0 | Down 24% |
| Robbery of businesses | 237 | 0.85 | Up 12% |
| Violence with injury | 1,538 | 5.5 | Down 3% |
| Violence without injury | 3,003 | 10.7 | Up 4% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,821 | 6.5 | Up 15% |
| Sexual offences | 684 | 2.4 | Up 14% |
| Shoplifting | 2,047 | 7.3 | Up 2% |
| Bicycle theft | 348 | 1.2 | Down 22% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1,410 | 5.0 | Down 26% |
| Drug dealing | 690 | 2.5 | Down 3% |
| Drug possession | 1,039 | 3.7 | 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.
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 Waltham Forest.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
Policing under the elected mayor: Sadiq Khan (Metropolitan Police) →
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Waltham Forest, 5% 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) | 6,736 | 7% | 6% | 55% | 20% | 11% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 3,191 | 1% | 0% | 5% | 90% | 4% |
| Other theft | 2,310 | 1% | 0% | 14% | 80% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 2,147 | 7% | 4% | 11% | 75% | 3% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1,764 | 1% | 0% | 7% | 86% | 6% |
| Drugs | 1,709 | 10% | 36% | 43% | 4% | 7% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,631 | 4% | 3% | 23% | 66% | 4% |
| Public order | 1,457 | 7% | 1% | 44% | 36% | 12% |
| Burglary | 1,249 | 7% | 0% | 9% | 79% | 5% |
| Robbery | 940 | 6% | 0% | 20% | 65% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 431 | 1% | 0% | 4% | 91% | 4% |
| Other crime | 320 | 16% | 4% | 39% | 23% | 18% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 140 | 49% | 3% | 26% | 6% | 15% |
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.
Road collisions
Waltham Forest, 2023 to 2025: 501 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 72 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 13 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.8 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 14% 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.
Postcode districts in Waltham Forest
Monthly report: Crime in London falls over the year to August 2026
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Waltham Forest.
Questions about crime in Waltham Forest
- Is Waltham Forest a safe place to live?
- Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 22,282 recorded crimes a year then, 22,578 now.
- What is the most common crime in Waltham Forest?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 25 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Waltham Forest?
- In Waltham Forest, 5% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 54% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Waltham Forest?
- Of 1,249 burglaries reported in Waltham Forest between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 79% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Waltham Forest?
- In Waltham Forest, the police recorded 1,020 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 3.6 per 1,000 residents, down 26% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Waltham Forest?
- 820 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Waltham Forest in 2025/26, 2.9 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Waltham Forest last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Waltham Forest in 2025/26, against 5 the year before.