Crime in Houghton Regis
Recorded crime in Houghton Regis is 1.4 times the Central Bedfordshire average and 0.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 16%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Houghton Regis: about 21,938 residents in 18 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Living
- 5.7/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +16%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.4×the Central Bedfordshire average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Houghton Regis.
Crime over 5 years
Up 16% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Houghton Regis, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.4× the Central Bedfordshire average (0.8× the England and Wales average). 66 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 58% of the harm here
- Burglary: 19% of the harm here
- Robbery: 7% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 25 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Central Bedfordshire (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Central Bedfordshire council area, not only Houghton Regis. 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 | 448 | 1.4 | Down 18% |
| Cars broken into | 655 | 2.1 | Down 10% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 895 | 2.8 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of homes | 283 | 0.90 | Down 11% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in LU5
In LU5, the postcode district at the centre of Houghton Regis, 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) | 1,385 | 6% | 8% | 69% | 13% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 442 | 10% | 1% | 8% | 81% | 0% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 292 | 2% | 0% | 7% | 91% | 1% |
| Public order | 275 | 6% | 4% | 54% | 35% | 2% |
| Other theft | 273 | 0% | 1% | 26% | 71% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 262 | 3% | 2% | 34% | 59% | 1% |
| Burglary | 147 | 2% | 0% | 18% | 78% | 2% |
| Drugs | 95 | 27% | 48% | 16% | 4% | 4% |
| Other crime | 92 | 16% | 10% | 62% | 9% | 3% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 3% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
Central Bedfordshire, 2023 to 2025: 521 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 122 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 25 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.7 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 23% 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.
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 | 0.9 |
| Burglary | 5.2 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 25.4 |
| Drugs | 1.8 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 1.6 |
| Other theft | 5.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 7.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.9 |
| Public order | 5.5 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.9 |
| Shoplifting | 3.5 |
Postcode districts in Houghton Regis
Nearby towns
Council: Central Bedfordshire
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Houghton Regis.
Questions about crime in Houghton Regis
- Is Houghton Regis a safe place to live?
- Houghton Regis scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.4 times the Central Bedfordshire average.
- Is crime going up or down in Houghton Regis?
- Up 16% over 5 years, from 1,324 recorded crimes a year to 1,535.
- What is the most common crime in Houghton Regis?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 25 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Houghton Regis compare with Central Bedfordshire?
- Crime severity in Houghton Regis is 1.4 times the Central Bedfordshire average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Houghton Regis?
- In LU5, the postcode district at the centre of Houghton Regis, 6% 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 Houghton Regis?
- Of 147 burglaries reported in LU5, the postcode district at the centre of Houghton Regis between September 2024 and August 2025, 2% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 78% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Houghton Regis?
- In Central Bedfordshire, the council area Houghton Regis is in, the police recorded 448 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.4 per 1,000 residents, down 18% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Houghton Regis?
- 895 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Central Bedfordshire, the council area Houghton Regis is in, 2.8 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Houghton Regis last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Central Bedfordshire, the council area Houghton Regis is in, against 3 the year before.