Crime and Safety in Reading
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Reading is the most dangerous city in Berkshire, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of Berkshire's 107 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Reading in 2026 is 78 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Berkshire's overall crime rate, coming in 40% higher than the Berkshire rate of 56 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Reading is the 21st safest city, and the 1,144th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In October 2022, Reading had the worst crime rate in Berkshire for robbery, with 32 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.14 per 1,000 daytime population. January 2017 was also a bad month for Reading residents, when it was Berkshire's most dangerous area for shoplifting, recording 176 crimes at a rate of 0.81 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Reading are violence and sexual offences, with 7,156 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 31. This is 4.8% higher than 2025's figure of 6,827 offences and a difference of 1.54 from 2025's crime rate of 29. Reading's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 126 offences recorded in 2026, a decrease of 6% from 2025's figure of 134 crimes.
Reading 2026 Crime Scorecard
Most Dangerous
Cities, Berkshire
28% higher, regional crime rate
South East
9% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Reading is 28% higher than the South East and 9% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Reading Crime Rate Over Time
| Reading | |
| South East | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Reading Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Reading represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.
See How Reading Compares
You can compare Reading's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Reading's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Reading up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Reading's 3,791 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Reading? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Reading • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Reading has a crime risk score of 533. This is based on analysis of 3,791 nearby areas within Reading, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Reading's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Reading, crime risk scores are typically around 533, while in Berkshire they are average 410.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 567 (419 for Berkshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 565 (Berkshire 431).
Trends in Crime Risk
Reading
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
The 10-year trend indicates an increase of 16% in Reading's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Reading's crime risk score is down by 0.11%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.
Over the last year, Reading's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 12%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Reading
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Reading • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Shoplifting offences have a crime rate of 13 reports per 1,000 people in Reading, which is 1.76 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 2,903 crime reports logged by Thames Valley Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Thames Valley Police recorded 321 reports of Robbery in Reading, resulting in a crime rate of 1.38 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.17.
The crime rate for Public Order is 1.15 times the national average at 6.69 reports per 1,000. This is from 1,543 crime reports reported to Thames Valley Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Reading
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Shoplifting offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 2.24 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 0.82 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 173% over this timeframe.
Robbery offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.40 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 1.11 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 26% over this timeframe.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.17 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.34 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 13% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Reading
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Theft From the Person offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.83 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 1.08 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 23% over this timeframe.
Vehicle Crime offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.66 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Vehicle Crime CrimeRate Index was 1.43 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 54% over this timeframe.
Possession of Weapons offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.86 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Possession of Weapons CrimeRate Index was 0.86 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 0% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Reading • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Reading | Berkshire | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 2,008 | 8.70 | 0.62 | 8,568 | 7.25 | 0.51 | 115,500 | 10.87 | 0.77 |
| Bicycle Theft | 436 | 1.89 | 2.59 | 1,218 | 1.03 | 1.41 | 7,315 | 0.68 | 0.93 |
| Burglary | 688 | 2.98 | 0.95 | 2,554 | 2.14 | 0.68 | 23,535 | 2.23 | 0.71 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,200 | 5.21 | 0.83 | 5,316 | 4.50 | 0.72 | 58,501 | 5.50 | 0.88 |
| Drugs | 506 | 2.20 | 0.71 | 2,350 | 1.98 | 0.64 | 25,203 | 2.37 | 0.77 |
| Other Crime | 348 | 1.51 | 0.82 | 1,501 | 1.27 | 0.69 | 17,151 | 1.61 | 0.87 |
| Other Theft | 1,644 | 7.12 | 1.25 | 5,664 | 4.79 | 0.84 | 51,336 | 4.84 | 0.85 |
| Possession of Weapons | 126 | 0.54 | 0.64 | 458 | 0.39 | 0.46 | 8,736 | 0.81 | 0.95 |
| Public Order | 1,543 | 6.69 | 1.15 | 5,783 | 4.88 | 0.84 | 54,745 | 5.15 | 0.89 |
| Robbery | 321 | 1.38 | 1.17 | 943 | 0.79 | 0.67 | 7,588 | 0.72 | 0.61 |
| Shoplifting | 2,903 | 12.58 | 1.76 | 7,173 | 6.06 | 0.85 | 72,983 | 6.88 | 0.96 |
| Theft From the Person | 272 | 1.19 | 0.77 | 688 | 0.58 | 0.37 | 4,668 | 0.45 | 0.29 |
| Vehicle Crime | 943 | 4.08 | 0.95 | 4,749 | 4.01 | 0.93 | 34,099 | 3.22 | 0.75 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 7,156 | 31.02 | 1.02 | 28,098 | 23.72 | 0.78 | 286,815 | 26.98 | 0.89 |
Download | |||||||||
Total Crime by Year
Reading | Berkshire | South East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 18,086 | 78.39 | 1.09 | 66,495 | 56.14 | 0.78 | 652,675 | 61.44 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 17,344 | 75.19 | 1.02 | 66,383 | 56.09 | 0.76 | 670,274 | 63.35 | 0.86 |
| 2024 | 18,213 | 79.80 | 1.06 | 70,430 | 59.89 | 0.79 | 690,903 | 65.86 | 0.87 |
| 2023 | 19,817 | 88.60 | 1.12 | 74,653 | 63.99 | 0.81 | 713,547 | 68.83 | 0.87 |
| 2022 | 18,796 | 84.96 | 1.11 | 70,822 | 61.18 | 0.80 | 704,444 | 68.58 | 0.89 |
| 2021 | 15,698 | 71.04 | 1.04 | 61,942 | 53.72 | 0.78 | 625,484 | 61.36 | 0.89 |
| 2020 | 14,942 | 67.69 | 0.91 | 60,013 | 52.24 | 0.70 | 669,219 | 65.97 | 0.89 |
| 2019 | 14,817 | 67.45 | 0.88 | 59,407 | 51.80 | 0.68 | 666,505 | 65.82 | 0.86 |
| 2018 | 14,632 | 67.32 | 0.95 | 53,471 | 46.85 | 0.66 | 644,142 | 63.85 | 0.90 |
| 2017 | 13,769 | 63.94 | 1.00 | 52,406 | 46.17 | 0.72 | 552,696 | 55.04 | 0.86 |
| 2016 | 3,959 | 18.46 | 0.97 | 15,657 | 13.84 | 0.73 | 160,273 | 15.99 | 0.84 |
Download | |||||||||
Comparing Reading to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 78.39 | - |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 1.5% more dangerous |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 5% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 7% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 25% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 33% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 34% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 36% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 37% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 37% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 59% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
To download charts and tables, you must subscribed to CrimeRate Pro
You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Reading's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Reading that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Park | 24 | 3 | 18 | 5 | 76 | 67 |
| University of Reading Sportspark | - | 1 | 3 | - | 11 | 24 |
| Hill's Meadow | 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 17 |
| Waterloo Meadows | 2 | 1 | - | - | 6 | 5 |
| Meadway Recreation Ground | 4 | - | 7 | 1 | 13 | 9 |
| Holy Brook Nook | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 22 |
| Long Barn Lane | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 7 |
| Arthur Newbery Park | 8 | 1 | - | - | 13 | 17 |
| Caversham Court Gardens | 1 | 2 | - | - | 2 | 1 |
| Forbury Gardens | 7 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 11 |
| Prospect Park | 37 | 6 | 40 | 5 | 289 | 106 |
| King George V Memorial Garden | 8 | 3 | - | - | 8 | 4 |
| Long Barn Lane Children's Playground | 3 | - | 3 | 1 | 25 | 4 |
| Mapledurham Playing Fields | 4 | 1 | 2 | - | 4 | 1 |
| Balmore Walk Allotments | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Clayfield Copse Recreation Ground | 2 | - | 1 | - | 2 | 0 |
| Mayfield Drive Allotments | - | - | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Emmer Green Allotments | 4 | - | 1 | - | 5 | 3 |
| Victoria Road Allotments | - | - | 1 | - | 3 | 3 |
| Caversham Park | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| Oak Tree Road Allotments | 1 | 2 | - | - | 2 | 8 |
| Tilehurst Bowling Club | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| Armour Hill Allotments | 11 | 2 | - | - | 2 | 7 |
| Victoria Recreation Ground | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Blagrave Recreation Ground | 2 | - | - | 7 | 5 | 186 |
| McIlroy Park | 16 | 4 | 5 | - | 29 | 23 |
| Oxford Road Recreation Ground | 4 | - | 1 | - | 8 | 8 |
| Meadway Allotments | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Meadway Sports Centre | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | 25 | 8 |
| Linear Park | 15 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 52 | 31 |
| Southcote Linear Park | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 7 | 7 |
| Lower Southcote Allotments | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | 1 |
| Rivermead Leisure Complex | 4 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 59 | 45 |
| University Boat Club | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Christchurch Meadows | 30 | 3 | 7 | - | 26 | 19 |
| George Street Allotments | 8 | - | 8 | 1 | 15 | 9 |
| Reading Amateur Boxing and Fitness Club | 10 | 1 | 8 | - | 32 | 31 |
| Circuit Lane Allotments | 3 | - | 4 | 1 | 69 | 12 |
| Robert Hewett Recreation Ground | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | 7 |
| Coley Recreation Ground | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | 10 | 2 |
| Coley Park Allotments | 1 | - | 1 | - | 15 | 9 |
| Ardler Road Allotments | 5 | - | 3 | - | 21 | 12 |
| King's Meadow | 10 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 23 |
| Spring Gardens Recreation Ground | 9 | 1 | 3 | - | 23 | 15 |
| Cintra Park | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 17 |
| Mockbegger Allotments | - | - | - | - | 17 | 2 |
| Sol Joel Park | 18 | - | 8 | 2 | 17 | 95 |
| Ashampstead Road Allotments | - | 2 | 2 | - | 3 | 2 |
| Goddards Farm Allotment Gardens | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | 51 | 24 |
| Newcastle Road Allotments | 4 | - | - | - | 5 | 9 |
| Courage Park | 10 | - | 5 | 2 | 35 | 19 |
Recent Crimes in Reading
The 20 most recent crime reports in Reading.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Knowle Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Kentwood Hill | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Thornton Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Knowle Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Albert Illsley Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Knighton Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Alfred Street | |
| April 2026 | Burglary | On or near Christchurch Gardens | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Blackwater Close | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Blackwater Close | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Lower Mount | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Unity Close | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Harley Road | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Test Close | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Elmstone Drive | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Body Road | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Kinloch Road | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Blenheim Gardens | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Benyon Court | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Waller Court |
Methodology & Data Sources
Reading Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Reading during August 2026 will typically become available in October 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Reading Data Points
For Reading, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E43000031.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Reading's daytime - or "workday" - population of 164,950 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Reading