Crime and Safety in London Colney
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
London Colney is the second most dangerous small town in Hertfordshire, and is among the top 5 most dangerous overall out of Hertfordshire's 140 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in London Colney in 2026 is 102 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Hertfordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 70% higher than the Hertfordshire rate of 60 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, London Colney is the 59th most dangerous small town, and the 518th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In April 2026, London Colney had the worst crime rate in Hertfordshire for other theft, with 39 crimes reported and a crime rate of 3.7 per 1,000 daytime population. November 2025 was also a bad month for London Colney residents, when it was again Hertfordshire's most dangerous area for other theft, recording 26 crimes at a rate of 2.5 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crime in London Colney is other theft, with 346 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 33. This is 8% higher than 2025's figure of 320 offences and a difference of 2.48 from 2025's crime rate of 31. London Colney's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 1 offence recorded in 2026, the same as 2025's figure of 1 crime.
London Colney 2026 Crime Scorecard
Second Most Dangerous
Small Towns, Hertfordshire
66% higher, regional crime rate
East of England
42% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in London Colney is 66% higher than the East of England and 42% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
London Colney Crime Rate Over Time
| London Colney | |
| East of England | |
| England, Wales & NI |
London Colney Crime Map
Incidents mapped in London Colney 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 London Colney Compares
You can compare London Colney'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 London Colney's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around London Colney up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of London Colney's 237 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 London Colney? 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
London Colney • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within London Colney has a crime risk score of 544. This is based on analysis of 237 nearby areas within London Colney, 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 London Colney's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in London Colney, crime risk scores are typically around 544, while in Hertfordshire they are average 456.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 570 (472 for Hertfordshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 643 (Hertfordshire 489).
Trends in Crime Risk
London Colney
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 a decrease of 3.9% in London Colney'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 London Colney's crime risk score is up by 16%. 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, London Colney's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 1.2%, indicating that the risk profile is going down. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
London Colney
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
London Colney • 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.
Robbery offences have a crime rate of 1.16 reports per 1,000 people in London Colney, which is 2.42 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 12 crime reports logged by Hertfordshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Hertfordshire Police recorded 156 reports of Shoplifting in London Colney, resulting in a crime rate of 15 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 2.09.
The crime rate for Possession of Weapons is 1.43 times the national average at 0.30 reports per 1,000. This is from 3 crime reports reported to Hertfordshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
London Colney
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.
Burglary offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.21 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 0.67 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 81% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.90 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 0.43 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 109% over this timeframe.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.79 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 0.77 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 2.6% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
London Colney
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
No significant decreases identified.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
London Colney • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
London Colney | Hertfordshire | East of England | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 133 | 12.73 | 0.90 | 21,601 | 15.50 | 1.10 | 74,182 | 10.23 | 0.72 |
| Bicycle Theft | 1 | 0.10 | 2.50 | 917 | 0.66 | 0.90 | 5,325 | 0.72 | 0.99 |
| Burglary | 27 | 2.60 | 1.00 | 3,683 | 2.65 | 0.85 | 17,593 | 2.42 | 0.77 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 55 | 5.27 | 0.84 | 6,931 | 4.97 | 0.79 | 40,107 | 5.51 | 0.88 |
| Drugs | 16 | 1.55 | 0.76 | 3,411 | 2.45 | 0.79 | 18,935 | 2.59 | 0.84 |
| Other Crime | 15 | 1.44 | 1.17 | 1,983 | 1.41 | 0.76 | 12,241 | 1.70 | 0.92 |
| Other Theft | 346 | 33.14 | 5.82 | 8,371 | 6.01 | 1.06 | 34,703 | 4.78 | 0.84 |
| Possession of Weapons | 3 | 0.30 | 1.43 | 861 | 0.62 | 0.73 | 5,931 | 0.83 | 0.98 |
| Public Order | 51 | 4.88 | 0.84 | 5,446 | 3.91 | 0.67 | 32,088 | 4.42 | 0.76 |
| Robbery | 12 | 1.16 | 2.42 | 991 | 0.70 | 0.59 | 4,492 | 0.61 | 0.52 |
| Shoplifting | 156 | 14.93 | 2.09 | 8,328 | 5.99 | 0.84 | 43,068 | 5.94 | 0.83 |
| Theft From the Person | 8 | 0.79 | 0.86 | 954 | 0.68 | 0.44 | 3,654 | 0.52 | 0.34 |
| Vehicle Crime | 59 | 5.66 | 1.32 | 6,049 | 4.35 | 1.01 | 27,821 | 3.84 | 0.89 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 319 | 30.55 | 1.00 | 36,109 | 25.93 | 0.85 | 200,684 | 27.65 | 0.91 |
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Total Crime by Year
London Colney | Hertfordshire | East of England | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 1,068 | 102.37 | 1.52 | 84,034 | 60.33 | 0.84 | 446,642 | 61.53 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 969 | 93.06 | 1.33 | 82,503 | 59.54 | 0.80 | 441,082 | 61.31 | 0.83 |
| 2024 | 767 | 74.61 | 1.07 | 73,907 | 53.85 | 0.71 | 443,460 | 62.34 | 0.83 |
| 2023 | 744 | 73.44 | 1.04 | 76,470 | 56.33 | 0.71 | 474,715 | 67.51 | 0.85 |
| 2022 | 628 | 62.37 | 0.87 | 74,426 | 55.22 | 0.72 | 471,617 | 67.78 | 0.88 |
| 2021 | 600 | 59.36 | 0.93 | 72,746 | 54.15 | 0.79 | 437,869 | 63.51 | 0.93 |
| 2020 | 664 | 65.33 | 0.94 | 82,388 | 61.55 | 0.83 | 465,376 | 67.88 | 0.92 |
| 2019 | 720 | 70.06 | 0.97 | 86,563 | 64.71 | 0.85 | 482,539 | 70.87 | 0.93 |
| 2018 | 778 | 75.90 | 1.11 | 84,008 | 63.06 | 0.89 | 439,882 | 64.91 | 0.91 |
| 2017 | 757 | 74.30 | 1.21 | 77,119 | 58.04 | 0.91 | 396,747 | 58.76 | 0.92 |
| 2016 | 144 | 14.17 | 0.84 | 21,894 | 16.50 | 0.87 | 116,493 | 17.30 | 0.91 |
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London Colney Compared to Nearby Small Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Colney | 1,068 | 102.37 | - |
| Waltham Cross | 1,254 | 98.09 | 4.2% safer |
| Potters Bar | 1,792 | 69.26 | 32% safer |
| Baldock | 683 | 62.64 | 39% safer |
| Watford Rural | 1,517 | 61.33 | 40% safer |
| St Stephen | 1,010 | 59.50 | 42% safer |
| Sawbridgeworth | 502 | 48.33 | 53% safer |
| Ware | 1,084 | 51.30 | 50% safer |
| Aldenham | 523 | 48.20 | 53% safer |
| North Mymms | 448 | 43.98 | 57% safer |
| Abbots Langley | 1,311 | 49.94 | 51% safer |
Comparing London Colney to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 22% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 19% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 18% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 4.4% safer |
| London Colney | 102.37 | - |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 2.2% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 2.6% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 4.0% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 4.6% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 5% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 22% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
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You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around London Colney's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in London Colney 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenley Lane Playing Field | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Napsbury Park Sports Ground | - | - | 1 | - | 4 | 1 |
| Morris Playing Fields | 4 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 5 |
| Glebe Allotments | 3 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 8 |
| Walsingham Park | 4 | - | - | - | 5 | 2 |
| Cotlandswick Leisure Centre | 1 | - | 3 | - | 5 | 6 |
Recent Crimes in London Colney
The 20 most recent crime reports in London Colney.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Halsey Park | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Walsingham Way | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near St Annes Road | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Wyedale | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Riverside | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Shoplifting | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near St Annes Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near St Annes Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Napier Close |
Methodology & Data Sources
London Colney 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 London Colney during July 2026 will typically become available in September 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.
London Colney Data Points
For London Colney, 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 E04013285.
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 London Colney's daytime - or "workday" - population of 8,366 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 London Colney