Bishop's Stortford Crime Overview
Bishop's Stortford is among the top 5 safest medium-sized towns in Hertfordshire, and is the 46th most dangerous overall out of Hertfordshire's 141 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Bishop's Stortford in 2020 was 52 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Hertfordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 15% lower than the Hertfordshire rate of 60 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Bishop's Stortford is the 47th safest medium-sized town, and the 2,811st most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In February 2020, Bishop's Stortford was the worst medium-sized town in Hertfordshire for criminal damage and arson, with 38 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.94 per 1,000 inhabitants. October 2020 was also a bad month for Bishop's Stortford residents, when it was Hertfordshire's most dangerous medium-sized town for robbery, recording 7 crimes at a rate of 0.17 per 1,000 residents. Bishop's Stortford recorded 4 reports of theft from the person during October 2020, making its crime rate of 0.10 the worst medium-sized town for theft from the person in Hertfordshire that month.
The most common crimes in Bishop's Stortford are violence and sexual offences, with 749 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 19. This is 1.5% higher than 2019's figure of 738 offences and a difference of 0.28 from 2019's crime rate of 18. Bishop's Stortford's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 7 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 143% from 2019's figure of 17 crimes.
Compare Bishop's Stortford to other towns and cities
See how Bishop's Stortford shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Bishop's Stortford and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Bishop's Stortford Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Bishop's Stortford This Year
| Bishop's Stortford | Hertfordshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 673 | 16.71 | 26,059 | 21.91 | 31% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 58 | 1.44 | 1,506 | 1.27 | 12% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 103 | 2.56 | 4,023 | 3.38 | 32% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 255 | 6.33 | 7,241 | 6.09 | 3.8% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 59 | 1.46 | 2,624 | 2.21 | 51% safer |
| Other Crime | 41 | 1.02 | 1,472 | 1.24 | 22% safer |
| Other Theft | 226 | 5.61 | 6,806 | 5.72 | 2.0% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 7 | 0.17 | 568 | 0.48 | 182% safer |
| Public Order | 167 | 4.15 | 5,557 | 4.67 | 13% safer |
| Robbery | 29 | 0.72 | 712 | 0.60 | 17% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 191 | 4.74 | 6,358 | 5.35 | 13% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 35 | 0.87 | 818 | 0.69 | 21% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 174 | 4.32 | 6,730 | 5.66 | 31% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 749 | 18.60 | 26,803 | 22.53 | 21% safer |
Crime in Bishop's Stortford Compared To Hertfordshire
Bishop's Stortford Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rickmansworth | 995 | 39.32 | 32% safer |
| Harpenden | 1,241 | 40.30 | 29% safer |
| Bushey | 1,198 | 43.92 | 18% safer |
| Hitchin | 1,835 | 50.20 | 3.6% safer |
| Bishop's Stortford | 2,094 | 51.99 | - |
| Letchworth Garden City | 2,125 | 61.59 | 16% more dangerous |
| Hertford | 1,836 | 62.37 | 17% more dangerous |
| Cheshunt | 3,286 | 69.73 | 25% more dangerous |
| Welwyn Garden City | 3,568 | 70.96 | 27% more dangerous |
| Hatfield | 3,838 | 80.99 | 36% more dangerous |
Bishop's Stortford Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 21 | 18 | 16 | 17 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.70 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.4 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 4.2 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 2.6 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.5 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 0.84 | 0.67 | 1.2 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.42 | 0.17 | Safer |
| Public Order | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.2 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.50 | 0.72 | 0.94 | 0.72 | No change |
| Shoplifting | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4.7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.87 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.8 | 4.8 | 6 | 4.3 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | Getting worse |
Changes In Bishop's Stortford's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Bishop's Stortford to the UK's Major Cities
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Stortford | 51.99 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 23% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 33% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 38% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 39% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 40% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 47% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 49% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 52% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 61% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 62% more dangerous |
Crime in Bishop's Stortford's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Stortford Central | 698 | 64 | Second |
| Bishop's Stortford East | 360 | 40 | Third |
| Bishop's Stortford North | 594 | 89 | First |
| Bishop's Stortford South | 175 | 21 | Fourth |
Bishop's Stortford Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Bishop's Stortford for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Bishop's Stortford South (67) | Bishop's Stortford North (189) |
| Bicycle Theft | Bishop's Stortford South (3) | Bishop's Stortford Central (34) |
| Burglary | Bishop's Stortford South (8) | Bishop's Stortford North (27) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Bishop's Stortford South (25) | Bishop's Stortford North (61) |
| Drugs | Bishop's Stortford South (9) | Bishop's Stortford North (13) |
| Other Crime | Bishop's Stortford South (5) | Bishop's Stortford North (9) |
| Other Theft | Bishop's Stortford South (11) | Bishop's Stortford North (54) |
| Possession of Weapons | Bishop's Stortford North (1) | Bishop's Stortford East (4) |
| Public Order | Bishop's Stortford South (13) | Bishop's Stortford North (53) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Bishop's Stortford South (1) | Bishop's Stortford North (14) |
| Shoplifting | Bishop's Stortford East (19) | Bishop's Stortford North (87) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Bishop's Stortford East (1) | Bishop's Stortford North (21) |
| Vehicle Crime | Bishop's Stortford South (15) | Bishop's Stortford North (39) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Bishop's Stortford South (84) | Bishop's Stortford North (206) |
Crime in Bishop's Stortford During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Bishop's Stortford change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in August, when Bishop's Stortford saw a 300% increase in bicycle theft. Bishop's Stortford saw a large fall in theft from the person during December, when it fell by 90% compared to December in 2019. Vehicle Crime saw a fall in every month of Bishop's Stortford's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -7% | +37% | -12% | +12% | +45% | +23% | +64% | +7% | -20% | -46% |
| Bicycle Theft | -86% | - | -29% | -38% | - | +300% | +100% | -29% | -63% | -70% |
| Burglary | -36% | +29% | +8% | -45% | +57% | +17% | -75% | -71% | -54% | +100% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +53% | -6% | -57% | +47% | -57% | +16% | -15% | -4% | -72% | -55% |
| Drugs | -43% | +33% | +50% | -43% | +150% | +40% | -33% | +50% | - | +300% |
| Other Crime | -82% | -60% | +100% | -25% | +50% | - | - | +100% | -50% | +50% |
| Other Theft | -38% | -48% | -31% | -4% | +38% | -14% | -29% | - | +43% | -19% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Public Order | -18% | -7% | -19% | +13% | -58% | -64% | +13% | +64% | +100% | -6% |
| Robbery | -75% | - | - | - | - | -57% | -33% | +133% | - | -67% |
| Shoplifting | -17% | -58% | -81% | -32% | -44% | -48% | -5% | - | +5% | -11% |
| Theft From the Person | -78% | -83% | -67% | - | - | +100% | +75% | - | -33% | -90% |
| Vehicle Crime | -23% | -29% | -50% | -14% | -63% | -27% | +8% | -58% | -26% | -13% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +23% | -8% | -29% | -32% | +1% | -11% | +47% | +62% | +4% | -14% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Bishop's Stortford
What police force serves Bishop's Stortford?
Bishop's Stortford's local territorial police force is the Hertfordshire Constabulary.How dangerous is Bishop's Stortford?
Bishop's Stortford is among the top 5 safest medium-sized towns in Hertfordshire.What is Bishop's Stortford's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Bishop's Stortford are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Bishop's Stortford?
Bishop's Stortford's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Apr 2021