St Albans Crime Overview
St Albans is the safest major town in Hertfordshire, and is the 47th most dangerous overall out of Hertfordshire's 141 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in St Albans 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, St Albans is among the top 20 safest major towns, and the 2,814th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, St Albans had the worst crime rate in Hertfordshire for possession of weapons, with 8 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.09 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2019 was also a bad month for St Albans residents, when it was Hertfordshire's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 50 crimes at a rate of 0.57 per 1,000 residents. St Albans recorded 36 reports of bicycle theft during September 2018, making its crime rate of 0.41 the worst for bicycle theft in Hertfordshire that month.
The most common crimes in St Albans are violence and sexual offences, with 1,612 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 18. This is 4.8% lower than 2019's figure of 1,689 offences and a difference of 0.88 from 2019's crime rate of 19. St Albans's least common crime is robbery, with 31 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 116% from 2019's figure of 67 crimes.
Compare St Albans to other towns and cities
See how St Albans shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how St Albans and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
St Albans Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in St Albans This Year
| St Albans | Hertfordshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 1,478 | 16.84 | 26,059 | 21.91 | 30% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 135 | 1.54 | 1,506 | 1.27 | 18% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 202 | 2.30 | 4,023 | 3.38 | 47% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 457 | 5.21 | 7,241 | 6.09 | 17% safer |
| Drugs | 187 | 2.13 | 2,624 | 2.21 | 3.8% safer |
| Other Crime | 88 | 1.00 | 1,472 | 1.24 | 24% safer |
| Other Theft | 406 | 4.63 | 6,806 | 5.72 | 24% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 47 | 0.54 | 568 | 0.48 | 11% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 339 | 3.86 | 5,557 | 4.67 | 21% safer |
| Robbery | 31 | 0.35 | 712 | 0.60 | 71% safer |
| Shoplifting | 510 | 5.81 | 6,358 | 5.35 | 8% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 48 | 0.55 | 818 | 0.69 | 25% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 498 | 5.68 | 6,730 | 5.66 | 0.35% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,612 | 18.37 | 26,803 | 22.53 | 23% safer |
Crime in St Albans Compared To Hertfordshire
St Albans Compared to Nearby Major Towns
| Major Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Albans | 4,560 | 51.97 | - |
| Watford | 8,938 | 63.25 | 18% more dangerous |
| Hemel Hempstead | 6,785 | 65.96 | 21% more dangerous |
| Stevenage | 7,671 | 81.54 | 36% more dangerous |
St Albans Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 25 | 16 | 16 | 17 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.5 | Safer |
| Burglary | 5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 2.3 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.7 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 2.1 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.0 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.67 | 0.54 | Safer |
| Public Order | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.62 | 0.73 | 0.76 | 0.35 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.93 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.55 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 15 | 17 | 19 | 18 | Getting worse |
Changes In St Albans's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing St Albans to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| St Albans | 51.97 | - |
| 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 St Albans's Neighbourhoods
St Albans Central is the most dangerous neighbourhood in St Albans, followed by Clarence Park in second place, and London Colney as the third most dangerous area. St Albans's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Bernards Heath, Longacres, and Marshalswick.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernards Heath | 188 | 27 | Ninth |
| Clarence Park | 579 | 70 | Second |
| Cottonmill & Sopwell | 478 | 63 | Fourth |
| Jersey Farm & Sandridge | 310 | 45 | Seventh |
| London Colney | 631 | 65 | Third |
| Longacres | 165 | 25 | Tenth |
| Marshalswick | 198 | 29 | Eighth |
| St Albans Central | 1,266 | 139 | First |
| The Camp & Cunningham | 439 | 63 | Fifth |
| Townsend & New Greens | 412 | 53 | Sixth |
St Albans Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of St Albans for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Bernards Heath (65) | St Albans Central (343) |
| Bicycle Theft | Jersey Farm & Sandridge (1) | St Albans Central (63) |
| Burglary | Bernards Heath (3) | The Camp & Cunningham (33) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Longacres (12) | St Albans Central (165) |
| Drugs | Longacres (5) | St Albans Central (56) |
| Other Crime | Marshalswick (3) | The Camp & Cunningham (16) |
| Other Theft | Longacres (12) | St Albans Central (138) |
| Possession of Weapons | Bernards Heath (1) | Townsend & New Greens (10) |
| Public Order | Marshalswick (10) | St Albans Central (112) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Marshalswick (1) | London Colney (10) |
| Shoplifting | Longacres (4) | St Albans Central (241) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | The Camp & Cunningham (1) | St Albans Central (18) |
| Vehicle Crime | Marshalswick (22) | Cottonmill & Sopwell (86) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Bernards Heath (59) | St Albans Central (338) |
Crime in St Albans During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in St Albans change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in August, when St Albans saw a 500% increase in other crime. St Albans saw a large fall in theft from the person during June, when it fell by 93% compared to June in 2019. Rates of other theft and theft from the person both fell year-on-year for every month during St Albans's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -8% | -1% | +4% | -16% | +14% | +23% | +4% | -17% | +14% | +6% |
| Bicycle Theft | -57% | -56% | -38% | +58% | -35% | -85% | -48% | -15% | -73% | +18% |
| Burglary | -57% | -80% | -60% | -30% | -10% | -40% | -58% | -33% | -78% | -30% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +17% | -39% | -38% | +23% | -14% | -24% | - | +8% | -22% | -48% |
| Drugs | -60% | -59% | +129% | -25% | +186% | +420% | +73% | +13% | +25% | -22% |
| Other Crime | -8% | -63% | +33% | -75% | +200% | +500% | -43% | +100% | -17% | -14% |
| Other Theft | -3% | -68% | -43% | -33% | -46% | - | -18% | -47% | -25% | -36% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | -75% | -67% | +33% | - | -71% | -29% | +100% | +60% | -50% |
| Public Order | -35% | -31% | -5% | -61% | -18% | -18% | +9% | +6% | -19% | +29% |
| Robbery | +50% | - | -71% | -89% | +25% | -67% | - | -40% | -50% | - |
| Shoplifting | -47% | -68% | -55% | -38% | -11% | -47% | -8% | +56% | -12% | +5% |
| Theft From the Person | -43% | -82% | -88% | -93% | -71% | - | -55% | -60% | -36% | -70% |
| Vehicle Crime | -38% | +36% | +3% | -25% | -27% | -35% | +43% | -16% | +2% | -44% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -16% | -15% | -19% | -15% | -10% | -1% | +8% | +23% | +7% | +14% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in St Albans
What police force serves St Albans?
St Albans's local territorial police force is the Hertfordshire Constabulary.How dangerous is St Albans?
St Albans is the safest major town in Hertfordshire.What is St Albans's most common crime?
The most common crimes in St Albans are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in St Albans?
St Albans's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021