Cambridge Crime Overview
Cambridge is the most dangerous major town in Cambridgeshire, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Cambridgeshire's 265 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Cambridge in 2020 was 90 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Cambridgeshire's overall crime rate, coming in 21% higher than the Cambridgeshire rate of 71 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Cambridge is the 45th most dangerous major town, and the 708th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Cambridge had the worst crime rate in Cambridgeshire for bicycle theft, with 80 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.54 per 1,000 inhabitants. June 2020 was also a bad month for Cambridge residents, when it was Cambridgeshire's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 58 crimes at a rate of 0.39 per 1,000 residents. Cambridge recorded 39 reports of drugs during December 2020, making its crime rate of 0.26 the worst for drugs in Cambridgeshire that month.
The most common crimes in Cambridge are violence and sexual offences, with 4,532 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 30. This is 8% higher than 2019's figure of 4,177 offences and a difference of 2.38 from 2019's crime rate of 28. Cambridge's least common crime is robbery, with 135 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 36% from 2019's figure of 183 crimes.
Compare Cambridge to other towns and cities
See how Cambridge shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Cambridge and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Cambridge Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Cambridge This Year
| Cambridge | Cambridgeshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 3,369 | 22.63 | 15,574 | 18.21 | 20% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 1,911 | 12.84 | 3,077 | 3.60 | 72% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 625 | 4.20 | 3,817 | 4.46 | 6% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,259 | 8.46 | 6,970 | 8.15 | 3.7% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 458 | 3.08 | 2,021 | 2.36 | 23% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 239 | 1.61 | 1,414 | 1.65 | 2.5% safer |
| Other Theft | 957 | 6.43 | 4,815 | 5.63 | 12% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 138 | 0.93 | 615 | 0.72 | 23% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 1,447 | 9.72 | 6,032 | 7.05 | 27% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 135 | 0.91 | 541 | 0.63 | 31% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 681 | 4.57 | 2,652 | 3.10 | 32% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 192 | 1.29 | 524 | 0.61 | 53% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 792 | 5.32 | 4,244 | 4.96 | 7% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 4,532 | 30.44 | 24,340 | 28.45 | 7% more dangerous |
Crime in Cambridge Compared To Cambridgeshire
Cambridge Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 31 | 25 | 25 | 23 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 18 | 18 | 17 | 13 | Safer |
| Burglary | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4.2 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.1 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 11 | 10 | 10 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.58 | 0.77 | 0.97 | 0.93 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.91 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 9 | 8 | 9 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 1.3 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 22 | 24 | 28 | 30 | Getting worse |
Changes In Cambridge's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Cambridge to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 33% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 16% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 8% safer |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 4.6% safer |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 4.2% safer |
| Cambridge | 89.79 | - |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 8% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 13% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 16% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 32% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 35% more dangerous |
Crime in Cambridge's Neighbourhoods
Central & West Cambridge is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Cambridge, followed by Petersfield in second place, and East Barnwell & Abbey as the third most dangerous area. Cambridge's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Addenbrooke's & Queen Edith's, Cherry Hinton, and Romsey.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addenbrooke's & Queen Edith's | 694 | 76 | 11th |
| Arbury | 667 | 78 | Eighth |
| Central & West Cambridge | 2,735 | 181 | First |
| Cherry Hinton | 528 | 66 | 12th |
| Coleridge | 687 | 77 | Ninth |
| East Barnwell & Abbey | 1,123 | 125 | Third |
| East Chesterton | 982 | 111 | Fifth |
| Kings Hedges | 993 | 120 | Fourth |
| Petersfield | 1,195 | 142 | Second |
| Romsey | 644 | 76 | Tenth |
| Trumpington | 1,541 | 108 | Sixth |
| West Chesterton | 722 | 91 | Seventh |
Cambridge Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Cambridge for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Cherry Hinton (89) | Central & West Cambridge (586) |
| Bicycle Theft | Cherry Hinton (19) | Central & West Cambridge (767) |
| Burglary | Coleridge (30) | Kings Hedges (51) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Coleridge (44) | Kings Hedges (136) |
| Drugs | Addenbrooke's & Queen Edith's (14) | Kings Hedges (45) |
| Other Crime | Addenbrooke's & Queen Edith's (5) | East Chesterton (24) |
| Other Theft | Cherry Hinton (28) | Central & West Cambridge (228) |
| Possession of Weapons | Cherry Hinton (5) | Petersfield (17) |
| Public Order | Cherry Hinton (53) | Central & West Cambridge (281) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Cherry Hinton (2) | Central & West Cambridge (36) |
| Shoplifting | Cherry Hinton (4) | Central & West Cambridge (257) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Coleridge (3) | Central & West Cambridge (105) |
| Vehicle Crime | Arbury (30) | East Chesterton (83) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Romsey (191) | East Barnwell & Abbey (482) |
Crime in Cambridge During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Cambridge change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in November, when Cambridge saw a 375% increase in robbery. Cambridge saw a large fall in theft from the person during April, when it fell by 86% compared to April in 2019. Rates of bicycle theft and burglary both fell year-on-year for every month during Cambridge's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -26% | -21% | -13% | +15% | -1% | +6% | -13% | -2% | -18% | -20% |
| Bicycle Theft | -47% | -69% | -49% | -49% | -26% | -9% | -2% | +16% | -17% | -18% |
| Burglary | -39% | -77% | -55% | -30% | -64% | -47% | -36% | -30% | -17% | +2% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -4% | -33% | -38% | -37% | -10% | -6% | -15% | +3% | +8% | -47% |
| Drugs | +63% | +32% | +83% | +3% | +48% | +20% | +7% | -26% | +74% | +44% |
| Other Crime | -22% | -47% | -38% | +25% | +186% | +100% | -12% | +53% | -19% | -5% |
| Other Theft | -33% | -65% | -55% | -43% | -49% | -28% | -25% | -38% | -51% | -38% |
| Possession of Weapons | +7% | -17% | -6% | -18% | +33% | -33% | - | +50% | -31% | -20% |
| Public Order | +23% | -10% | +23% | -11% | +52% | +25% | +4% | +3% | -12% | -21% |
| Robbery | -50% | -36% | -17% | -11% | -46% | -72% | -47% | -10% | +375% | +57% |
| Shoplifting | -53% | -59% | -66% | -39% | -34% | -68% | -79% | -58% | -52% | -65% |
| Theft From the Person | -65% | -86% | -75% | -82% | -64% | -44% | -48% | -75% | -71% | -14% |
| Vehicle Crime | +24% | -33% | -42% | -36% | -31% | -29% | -49% | -50% | +8% | -16% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +1% | -11% | +3% | +10% | +28% | +22% | -6% | +5% | -1% | -15% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Cambridge
What police force serves Cambridge?
Cambridge's local territorial police force is the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.How dangerous is Cambridge?
Cambridge is the most dangerous major town in Cambridgeshire.What is Cambridge's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Cambridge are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Cambridge?
Cambridge's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021