Royston Crime Overview
Royston is among the top 10 most dangerous small towns in Hertfordshire, and is the 69th most dangerous overall out of Hertfordshire's 141 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Royston in 2020 was 40 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Hertfordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 48% lower than the Hertfordshire rate of 60 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Royston is the 256th safest small town, and the 4,323rd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In July 2020, Royston was the worst small town in Hertfordshire for burglary, with 8 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.47 per 1,000 inhabitants. September 2020 was also a bad month for Royston residents, when it was Hertfordshire's most dangerous small town for criminal damage and arson, recording 13 crimes at a rate of 0.76 per 1,000 residents. Royston recorded 5 reports of other crime during April 2020, making its crime rate of 0.29 the worst small town for other crime in Hertfordshire that month.
The most common crimes in Royston are violence and sexual offences, with 260 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 15. This is 19% lower than 2019's figure of 310 offences and a difference of 2.93 from 2019's crime rate of 18. Royston's least common crime is robbery, with 2 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 300% from 2019's figure of 8 crimes.
Compare Royston to other towns and cities
See how Royston shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Royston and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Royston Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Royston This Year
| Royston | Hertfordshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 262 | 15.37 | 26,059 | 21.91 | 43% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 8 | 0.47 | 1,506 | 1.27 | 170% safer |
| Burglary | 40 | 2.35 | 4,023 | 3.38 | 44% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 87 | 5.11 | 7,241 | 6.09 | 19% safer |
| Drugs | 17 | 1.00 | 2,624 | 2.21 | 121% safer |
| Other Crime | 10 | 0.59 | 1,472 | 1.24 | 110% safer |
| Other Theft | 77 | 4.52 | 6,806 | 5.72 | 27% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 7 | 0.41 | 568 | 0.48 | 17% safer |
| Public Order | 62 | 3.64 | 5,557 | 4.67 | 28% safer |
| Robbery | 2 | 0.12 | 712 | 0.60 | 400% safer |
| Shoplifting | 45 | 2.64 | 6,358 | 5.35 | 103% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 5 | 0.29 | 818 | 0.69 | 138% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 69 | 4.05 | 6,730 | 5.66 | 40% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 260 | 15.26 | 26,803 | 22.53 | 48% safer |
Crime in Royston Compared To Hertfordshire
Royston Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chorleywood | 409 | 35.20 | 15% safer |
| Abbots Langley | 772 | 35.43 | 14% safer |
| Berkhamsted | 734 | 38.64 | 4.6% safer |
| Tring | 485 | 38.80 | 4.2% safer |
| Sawbridgeworth | 364 | 40.13 | 0.75% safer |
| Royston | 689 | 40.43 | - |
| North Mymms | 384 | 41.20 | 1.9% more dangerous |
| Welwyn | 376 | 41.46 | 2.5% more dangerous |
| Ware | 1,014 | 50.47 | 20% more dangerous |
| Baldock | 543 | 51.11 | 21% more dangerous |
| Aldenham | 513 | 53.41 | 24% more dangerous |
Royston Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 19 | 14 | 17 | 15 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.41 | 0.59 | 0.82 | 0.47 | Safer |
| Burglary | 3.8 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 2.4 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 4.1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.53 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.82 | 0.82 | 1.1 | 0.59 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 6 | 4.3 | 5 | 4.5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.6 | 0.76 | 0.65 | 0.41 | Safer |
| Public Order | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.18 | 0.35 | 0.47 | 0.12 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 2.4 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 2.6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.23 | 0.29 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.0 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 13 | 15 | 18 | 15 | Safer |
Changes In Royston's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Royston to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Royston | 40.43 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 40% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 48% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 51% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 53% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 53% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 59% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 61% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 62% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 70% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 71% more dangerous |
Crime in Royston's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royston North & Central | 298 | 52 | First |
| Royston South, West & East | 391 | 35 | Second |
Crime in Royston During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Royston change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in December, when Royston saw a 900% increase in vehicle crime. Royston saw a large fall in vehicle crime during August, when it fell by 86% compared to August in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +14% | -20% | +12% | +7% | -22% | -3% | -17% | -59% | +41% | -13% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | -50% | - | - | +100% | - | - | - |
| Burglary | - | -33% | - | - | +300% | - | - | +33% | - | -71% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +33% | -11% | +117% | - | -55% | -38% | -7% | -55% | -60% | -20% |
| Drugs | - | - | -50% | - | +33% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Crime | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Theft | +29% | -71% | -71% | -62% | -63% | -75% | +200% | +120% | +100% | -33% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | - | +300% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Public Order | -83% | -50% | -43% | +40% | +100% | +25% | -22% | +75% | +133% | - |
| Shoplifting | -33% | -83% | -75% | -80% | -50% | +50% | -60% | +200% | +400% | +400% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | +100% | - | -50% | -40% | +600% | -86% | +280% | -75% | -69% | +900% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +89% | - | -21% | -29% | -9% | +35% | -39% | -38% | -12% | -62% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Royston
What police force serves Royston?
Royston's local territorial police force is the Hertfordshire Constabulary.How dangerous is Royston?
Royston is among the top 10 most dangerous small towns in Hertfordshire.What is Royston's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Royston are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Royston?
Royston's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021