St Stephen Crime Overview
St Stephen is the third most dangerous small town in Hertfordshire, and is the 32nd most dangerous overall out of Hertfordshire's 141 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in St Stephen in 2020 was 62 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Hertfordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 2.7% higher than the Hertfordshire rate of 60 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, St Stephen is the 295th most dangerous small town, and the 1,969th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, St Stephen was the worst small town in Hertfordshire for burglary, with 9 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.63 per 1,000 inhabitants. July 2020 was also a bad month for St Stephen residents, when it was Hertfordshire's most dangerous small town for criminal damage and arson, recording 16 crimes at a rate of 1.1 per 1,000 residents. St Stephen recorded 10 reports of other theft during May 2020, making its crime rate of 0.70 the worst small town for other theft in Hertfordshire that month.
The most common crimes in St Stephen are violence and sexual offences, with 351 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 25. This is 12% higher than 2019's figure of 308 offences and a difference of 3.00 from 2019's crime rate of 22. St Stephen's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 1 offence recorded in 2020, a decrease of 300% from 2019's figure of 4 crimes.
Compare St Stephen to other towns and cities
See how St Stephen shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how St Stephen and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
St Stephen Crime Map
Crime in St Stephen Compared To Hertfordshire
Summary of Crimes in St Stephen This Year
| St Stephen | Hertfordshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 182 | 12.71 | 26,059 | 21.91 | 72% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 4 | 0.28 | 1,506 | 1.27 | 354% safer |
| Burglary | 75 | 5.24 | 4,023 | 3.38 | 35% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 69 | 4.82 | 7,241 | 6.09 | 26% safer |
| Drugs | 23 | 1.61 | 2,624 | 2.21 | 37% safer |
| Other Crime | 14 | 0.98 | 1,472 | 1.24 | 27% safer |
| Other Theft | 115 | 8.03 | 6,806 | 5.72 | 29% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 1 | 0.07 | 568 | 0.48 | 586% safer |
| Public Order | 53 | 3.70 | 5,557 | 4.67 | 26% safer |
| Robbery | 3 | 0.21 | 712 | 0.60 | 186% safer |
| Shoplifting | 68 | 4.75 | 6,358 | 5.35 | 13% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 5 | 0.35 | 818 | 0.69 | 97% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 100 | 6.98 | 6,730 | 5.66 | 19% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 351 | 24.51 | 26,803 | 22.53 | 8% more dangerous |
St Stephen Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Mymms | 384 | 41.20 | 49% safer |
| Welwyn | 376 | 41.46 | 48% safer |
| Ware | 1,014 | 50.47 | 22% safer |
| Baldock | 543 | 51.11 | 20% safer |
| Aldenham | 513 | 53.41 | 15% safer |
| St Stephen | 881 | 61.52 | - |
| Potters Bar | 1,511 | 65.47 | 6% more dangerous |
| Waltham Cross | 1,260 | 115.49 | 47% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in St Stephen
View crime percentage over time forSt Stephen Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 24 | 12 | 11 | 13 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.35 | 0.42 | 0.35 | 0.28 | Safer |
| Burglary | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4.8 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.6 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 1.5 | 0.98 | 1.0 | 0.98 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 7 | 11 | 7 | 8 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.8 | 0.56 | 0.28 | 0.07 | Safer |
| Public Order | 3.8 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 3.7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.42 | 0.63 | 0.28 | 0.21 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 3.1 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 | Getting worse |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.07 | 0.42 | 0.35 | 0.35 | Getting worse |
| Vehicle Crime | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 22 | 22 | 22 | 25 | Getting worse |
Changes In St Stephen's Crime Rates Over Time
Offences in St Stephen's Green Spaces
We only display green spaces in St Stephen that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others | Crimes per Hectare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanstead Park | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 0 | 0.17 |
Comparing St Stephen to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| St Stephen | 61.52 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 9% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 21% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 26% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 28% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 29% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 37% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 40% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 43% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 54% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 55% more dangerous |
Crime in St Stephen's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bricket Wood & Chiswell Green | 395 | 50 | Second |
| How Wood & Park Street | 552 | 86 | First |
Crime in St Stephen During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in St Stephen change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when St Stephen saw a 500% increase in public order. St Stephen saw a large fall in shoplifting during March, when it fell by 75% compared to March in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +63% | +114% | +100% | +9% | +36% | - | -74% | +60% | +133% | +20% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | -44% | -60% | - | -44% | -22% | +100% | +40% | - | +50% | +200% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -33% | - | -50% | -27% | +167% | -56% | -60% | - | -42% | -60% |
| Drugs | - | - | +100% | -50% | -33% | - | - | +200% | +300% | -67% |
| Other Crime | - | - | - | +300% | - | - | -33% | - | - | - |
| Other Theft | +180% | -33% | +100% | -50% | -33% | +67% | +450% | -36% | +67% | -9% |
| Public Order | - | +500% | +17% | +100% | -33% | +500% | +33% | - | +133% | +150% |
| Shoplifting | -75% | - | +100% | +20% | +150% | -67% | +14% | +400% | +300% | +33% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | +100% |
| Vehicle Crime | +150% | - | +20% | +150% | -67% | -50% | -31% | +140% | +500% | -42% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -5% | +44% | -3% | -30% | +21% | +37% | +16% | - | +11% | +75% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in St Stephen
What police force serves St Stephen?
St Stephen's local territorial police force is the Hertfordshire Constabulary.How dangerous is St Stephen?
St Stephen is the third most dangerous small town in Hertfordshire.What is St Stephen's most common crime?
The most common crimes in St Stephen are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in St Stephen?
St Stephen's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 07 May 2021