Crime in Luton
Recorded crime in Luton is 1.6 times the Luton council average and 1.6 times the England and Wales average. It is about the same as 5 years ago. 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 Luton: about 63,754 residents in 42 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Living
- 8.2/10Good
- 5-year change
- 0%about the same
- vs the council
- 1.6×the Luton council average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Luton.
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Luton, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.6× the Luton council average (1.6× the England and Wales average). 126 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 55% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
- Robbery: 11% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 32 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Luton (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Luton council area, not only the town of Luton. 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 | 464 | 1.9 | Down 37% |
| Cars broken into | 1,032 | 4.3 | Down 10% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,105 | 4.6 | Down 4% |
| Burglary of homes | 379 | 1.6 | Up 3% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in LU1
In LU1, the postcode district at the centre of Luton, 11% 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) | 2,667 | 9% | 4% | 68% | 16% | 3% |
| Shoplifting | 1,048 | 13% | 2% | 12% | 72% | 0% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 758 | 3% | 0% | 12% | 84% | 1% |
| Public order | 676 | 12% | 2% | 54% | 30% | 2% |
| Other theft | 614 | 1% | 1% | 21% | 74% | 3% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 522 | 7% | 2% | 31% | 59% | 1% |
| Drugs | 511 | 37% | 34% | 20% | 3% | 6% |
| Burglary | 277 | 12% | 0% | 18% | 68% | 2% |
| Other crime | 165 | 19% | 4% | 55% | 16% | 6% |
| Robbery | 163 | 12% | 1% | 52% | 34% | 1% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 151 | 1% | 0% | 23% | 74% | 3% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 122 | 37% | 6% | 41% | 10% | 7% |
| Bicycle theft | 77 | 3% | 0% | 10% | 84% | 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
Luton, 2023 to 2025: 371 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 64 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 9 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.6 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 17% 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 | 2.6 |
| Burglary | 7.7 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 44.2 |
| Drugs | 5.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.7 |
| Other crime | 2.0 |
| Other theft | 11.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2.9 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 13.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 10.0 |
| Public order | 11.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.7 |
| Shoplifting | 11.4 |
Postcode districts in Luton
Nearby towns
Council: Luton
Questions about crime in Luton
- Is Luton a safe place to live?
- Luton scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.6 times the Luton council average.
- Is crime going up or down in Luton?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 8,021 recorded crimes a year then, 8,050 now.
- What is the most common crime in Luton?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 44 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Luton compare with Luton council?
- Crime severity in Luton is 1.6 times the Luton council average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Luton?
- In LU1, the postcode district at the centre of Luton, 11% 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 Luton?
- Of 277 burglaries reported in LU1, the postcode district at the centre of Luton between September 2024 and August 2025, 12% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 68% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Luton?
- In the Luton council area, the police recorded 464 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.9 per 1,000 residents, down 37% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Luton?
- 1,105 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Luton council area, 4.6 per 1,000 residents, about the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Luton last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Luton council area, against 7 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.