Crime in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is among the top 20 safest counties in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The overall crime rate in Hertfordshire in 2020 was 60 crimes per 1,000 people, and the most common crimes were violence and sexual offences, which happened to roughly every 23 out of 1,000 residents.
Out of all of Hertfordshire's larger towns and cities, Waltham Cross is the most dangerous. The next most dangerous is Elstree and Borehamwood, and Stevenage comes in as third most dangerous. There are safer parts of Hertfordshire, starting with Croxley Green which ranks as the safest area in Hertfordshire, followed up by Sandridge in second place, and Watford Rural in third place.
Crime Map of Hertfordshire
Click to use map
Hertfordshire Crime Summary
| Crime | Count | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 26,059 | 21.91 |
| Bicycle Theft | 1,506 | 1.27 |
| Burglary | 4,023 | 3.38 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7,241 | 6.09 |
| Drugs | 2,624 | 2.21 |
| Other Crime | 1,472 | 1.24 |
| Other Theft | 6,806 | 5.72 |
| Possession of Weapons | 568 | 0.48 |
| Public Order | 5,557 | 4.67 |
| Robbery | 712 | 0.60 |
| Shoplifting | 6,358 | 5.35 |
| Theft From the Person | 818 | 0.69 |
| Vehicle Crime | 6,730 | 5.66 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 26,803 | 22.53 |
Hertfordshire's Population Centres
| Name | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference from Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbots Langley | 772 | 35 | 69% safer |
| Aldenham | 513 | 53 | 12% safer |
| Baldock | 543 | 51 | 17% safer |
| Berkhamsted | 734 | 39 | 55% safer |
| Bishop's Stortford | 2,094 | 52 | 15% safer |
| Bushey | 1,198 | 44 | 36% safer |
| Cheshunt | 3,286 | 70 | 14% more dangerous |
| Chorleywood | 409 | 35 | 70% safer |
| Croxley Green | 217 | 16 | 275% safer |
| Elstree and Borehamwood | 3,568 | 90 | 34% more dangerous |
| Harpenden | 1,241 | 40 | 49% safer |
| Hatfield | 3,838 | 81 | 26% more dangerous |
| Hemel Hempstead | 6,785 | 66 | 9% more dangerous |
| Hertford | 1,836 | 62 | 4.0% more dangerous |
| Hitchin | 1,835 | 50 | 19% safer |
| Letchworth Garden City | 2,125 | 62 | 2.8% more dangerous |
| London Colney | 328 | 34 | 78% safer |
| North Mymms | 384 | 41 | 45% safer |
| Potters Bar | 1,511 | 65 | 9% more dangerous |
| Rickmansworth | 995 | 39 | 52% safer |
| Royston | 689 | 40 | 48% safer |
| Sandridge | 240 | 20 | 193% safer |
| Sawbridgeworth | 364 | 40 | 49% safer |
| St Albans | 4,560 | 52 | 15% safer |
| St Stephen | 881 | 62 | 2.7% more dangerous |
| Stevenage | 7,671 | 82 | 27% more dangerous |
| Tring | 485 | 39 | 54% safer |
| Waltham Cross | 1,260 | 115 | 48% more dangerous |
| Ware | 1,014 | 50 | 19% safer |
| Watford | 8,938 | 63 | 5% more dangerous |
| Watford Rural | 703 | 32 | 89% safer |
| Welwyn | 376 | 41 | 44% safer |
| Welwyn Garden City | 3,568 | 71 | 16% more dangerous |
Crime Trends in Hertfordshire
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 28 | 20 | 20 | 22 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 | Safer |
| Burglary | 6 | 5 | 4.6 | 3.4 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.64 | 0.48 | Safer |
| Public Order | 5.0 | 5 | 5 | 4.7 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.71 | 0.69 | 0.81 | 0.60 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.94 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.69 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 18 | 21 | 23 | 23 | Getting worse |
Last updated: 09 Apr 2021