Crime in Westminster
Recorded crime in Westminster is 3.9 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 3%. The biggest share of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
209,996 residents in 123 neighbourhoods. 14% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 3/10Above average crime
- Living
- 9.7/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- +3%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 3% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Westminster, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 3.9× the England and Wales average. 338 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 28% of the harm here
- Robbery: 25% of the harm here
- Other theft: 14% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 70 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 | 14.7 |
| Burglary | 15.3 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 55.4 |
| Drugs | 12.6 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.8 |
| Other crime | 1.9 |
| Other theft | 79.6 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 80.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 18.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 10.6 |
| Public order | 17.5 |
| Bicycle theft | 5.9 |
| Shoplifting | 24.1 |
What crimes are recorded in Westminster
355.5 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Westminster in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 78,541. Home Office recorded crime: 74,651 (5% 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 | 586 | 2.8 | About the same |
| Cars broken into | 2,233 | 10.6 | Down 30% |
| Vehicle tampering | 218 | 1.0 | Down 7% |
| Vandalism to homes | 314 | 1.5 | Down 13% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 358 | 1.7 | Down 5% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 599 | 2.9 | Down 12% |
| Arson | 55 | 0.26 | Down 21% |
| Burglary of homes | 855 | 4.1 | Down 6% |
| Burglary of businesses | 1,491 | 7.1 | Down 16% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 162 | 0.77 | Up 19% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 228 | 1.1 | Up 20% |
| Robbery of people | 2,423 | 11.5 | Down 24% |
| Robbery of businesses | 629 | 3.0 | Up 39% |
| Violence with injury | 3,106 | 14.8 | Up 3% |
| Violence without injury | 5,820 | 27.7 | About the same |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,163 | 10.3 | Up 12% |
| Sexual offences | 1,602 | 7.6 | Up 8% |
| Shoplifting | 7,741 | 36.9 | Up 15% |
| Bicycle theft | 906 | 4.3 | Down 5% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 19,430 | 92.5 | Down 38% |
| Drug dealing | 621 | 3.0 | Up 34% |
| Drug possession | 2,337 | 11.1 | Up 30% |
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 Westminster.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Westminster, 4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 29,723 | 1% | 0% | 3% | 92% | 4% |
| Other theft | 17,482 | 1% | 0% | 7% | 88% | 4% |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 12,888 | 9% | 2% | 44% | 35% | 11% |
| Shoplifting | 7,205 | 9% | 3% | 10% | 75% | 3% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4,022 | 1% | 0% | 4% | 91% | 3% |
| Robbery | 3,639 | 4% | 0% | 15% | 75% | 6% |
| Public order | 3,517 | 9% | 0% | 36% | 41% | 14% |
| Burglary | 2,895 | 7% | 0% | 13% | 76% | 4% |
| Drugs | 2,513 | 18% | 47% | 22% | 2% | 11% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 2,495 | 8% | 1% | 18% | 65% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,009 | 1% | 0% | 3% | 90% | 6% |
| Other crime | 537 | 16% | 2% | 31% | 30% | 22% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 266 | 40% | 6% | 18% | 16% | 20% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 6% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Westminster
Postcode districts in Westminster
Questions about crime in Westminster
- Is Westminster a safe place to live?
- Westminster scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Westminster?
- Up 3% over 5 years, from 70,093 recorded crimes a year to 72,490.
- What is the most common crime in Westminster?
- The most common recorded crime is theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching), about 80 per 1,000 residents a year. The most harm, weighted by how serious each crime is, comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences).
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Westminster?
- In Westminster, 4% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 74% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Westminster?
- Of 2,895 burglaries reported in Westminster between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 76% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Westminster?
- In Westminster, the police recorded 586 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.8 per 1,000 residents, about the same as the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Westminster?
- 1,271 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Westminster in 2025/26, 6.1 per 1,000 residents, 1.3 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Westminster last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Westminster in 2025/26, against 6 the year before.