Crime and Safety in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Welwyn Garden City is among the top 5 most dangerous medium-sized towns in Hertfordshire, and is the 29th most dangerous overall out of Hertfordshire's 140 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Welwyn Garden City in 2026 is 60 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Hertfordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 0.86% lower than the Hertfordshire rate of 60 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Welwyn Garden City is the 99th safest medium-sized town, and the 1,585th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In January 2026, Welwyn Garden City was the worst medium-sized town in Hertfordshire for shoplifting, with 61 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.96 per 1,000 daytime population. February 2026 was also a bad month for Welwyn Garden City residents, when it was Hertfordshire's most dangerous medium-sized town for possession of weapons, recording 8 crimes at a rate of 0.13 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Welwyn Garden City are violence and sexual offences, with 1,606 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 25. This is 1.3% lower than 2025's figure of 1,627 offences and a difference of 0.23 from 2025's crime rate of 25. Welwyn Garden City's least common crime is theft from the person, with 28 offences recorded in 2026, a decrease of 12% from 2025's figure of 32 crimes.
Welwyn Garden City 2026 Crime Scorecard
Top 5 Most Dangerous
Medium-Sized Towns, Hertfordshire
2.8% lower, regional crime rate
East of England
17% lower, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Welwyn Garden City is 2.8% lower than the East of England and 17% lower than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Welwyn Garden City Crime Rate Over Time
| Welwyn Garden City | |
| East of England | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Welwyn Garden City Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Welwyn Garden City 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 Welwyn Garden City Compares
You can compare Welwyn Garden City'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 Welwyn Garden City's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Welwyn Garden City up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Welwyn Garden City's 1,331 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 Welwyn Garden City? 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
Welwyn Garden City • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Welwyn Garden City has a crime risk score of 464. This is based on analysis of 1,331 nearby areas within Welwyn Garden City, 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 Welwyn Garden City's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Welwyn Garden City, crime risk scores are typically around 464, while in Hertfordshire they are average 456.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 535 (472 for Hertfordshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 589 (Hertfordshire 489).
Trends in Crime Risk
Welwyn Garden City
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 2.3% in Welwyn Garden City'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 Welwyn Garden City's crime risk score is up by 7%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.
The risk score trend over the last year has not shown any statistically meaningful movement up or down.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Welwyn Garden City
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
Welwyn Garden City • 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.
Shoplifting offences have a crime rate of 10 reports per 1,000 people in Welwyn Garden City, which is 1.42 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 646 crime reports logged by Hertfordshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Hertfordshire Police recorded 177 reports of Burglary in Welwyn Garden City, resulting in a crime rate of 2.78 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 0.89.
The crime rate for Vehicle Crime is 0.87 times the national average at 3.72 reports per 1,000. This is from 237 crime reports reported to Hertfordshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Welwyn Garden City
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.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.75 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 0.30 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 150% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.93 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 0.71 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 31% over this timeframe.
Burglary offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.71 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Burglary CrimeRate Index was 0.63 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 13% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Welwyn Garden City
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Criminal Damage and Arson offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.81 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Criminal Damage and Arson CrimeRate Index was 0.98 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 17% over this timeframe.
Theft From the Person offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of - for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 1.08 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a near-complete decrease over this timeframe.
Drugs offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.57 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Drugs CrimeRate Index was 0.52 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 10% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Welwyn Garden City • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Welwyn Garden City | Hertfordshire | East of England | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 1,136 | 17.81 | 1.26 | 21,601 | 15.50 | 1.10 | 74,182 | 10.23 | 0.72 |
| Bicycle Theft | 76 | 1.19 | 1.63 | 917 | 0.66 | 0.90 | 5,325 | 0.72 | 0.99 |
| Burglary | 177 | 2.78 | 0.89 | 3,683 | 2.65 | 0.85 | 17,593 | 2.42 | 0.77 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 290 | 4.54 | 0.72 | 6,931 | 4.97 | 0.79 | 40,107 | 5.51 | 0.88 |
| Drugs | 91 | 1.43 | 0.46 | 3,411 | 2.45 | 0.79 | 18,935 | 2.59 | 0.84 |
| Other Crime | 100 | 1.57 | 0.85 | 1,983 | 1.41 | 0.76 | 12,241 | 1.70 | 0.92 |
| Other Theft | 222 | 3.49 | 0.61 | 8,371 | 6.01 | 1.06 | 34,703 | 4.78 | 0.84 |
| Possession of Weapons | 37 | 0.59 | 0.77 | 861 | 0.62 | 0.73 | 5,931 | 0.83 | 0.98 |
| Public Order | 252 | 3.95 | 0.68 | 5,446 | 3.91 | 0.67 | 32,088 | 4.42 | 0.76 |
| Robbery | 47 | 0.73 | 0.82 | 991 | 0.70 | 0.59 | 4,492 | 0.61 | 0.52 |
| Shoplifting | 646 | 10.15 | 1.42 | 8,328 | 5.99 | 0.84 | 43,068 | 5.94 | 0.83 |
| Theft From the Person | 28 | 0.45 | 0.38 | 954 | 0.68 | 0.44 | 3,654 | 0.52 | 0.34 |
| Vehicle Crime | 237 | 3.72 | 0.87 | 6,049 | 4.35 | 1.01 | 27,821 | 3.84 | 0.89 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 1,606 | 25.22 | 0.83 | 36,109 | 25.93 | 0.85 | 200,684 | 27.65 | 0.91 |
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Total Crime by Year
Welwyn Garden City | Hertfordshire | East of England | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 3,809 | 59.81 | 0.84 | 84,034 | 60.33 | 0.84 | 446,642 | 61.53 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 4,006 | 63.07 | 0.85 | 82,503 | 59.54 | 0.80 | 441,082 | 61.31 | 0.83 |
| 2024 | 3,643 | 57.48 | 0.76 | 73,907 | 53.85 | 0.71 | 443,460 | 62.34 | 0.83 |
| 2023 | 3,973 | 62.90 | 0.80 | 76,470 | 56.33 | 0.71 | 474,715 | 67.51 | 0.85 |
| 2022 | 3,601 | 57.30 | 0.75 | 74,426 | 55.22 | 0.72 | 471,617 | 67.78 | 0.88 |
| 2021 | 3,482 | 55.47 | 0.81 | 72,746 | 54.15 | 0.79 | 437,869 | 63.51 | 0.93 |
| 2020 | 3,895 | 62.13 | 0.84 | 82,388 | 61.55 | 0.83 | 465,376 | 67.88 | 0.92 |
| 2019 | 3,885 | 61.60 | 0.81 | 86,563 | 64.71 | 0.85 | 482,539 | 70.87 | 0.93 |
| 2018 | 3,661 | 57.84 | 0.81 | 84,008 | 63.06 | 0.89 | 439,882 | 64.91 | 0.91 |
| 2017 | 3,664 | 57.82 | 0.91 | 77,119 | 58.04 | 0.91 | 396,747 | 58.76 | 0.92 |
| 2016 | 1,013 | 15.98 | 0.84 | 21,894 | 16.50 | 0.87 | 116,493 | 17.30 | 0.91 |
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Welwyn Garden City Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Medium-Sized Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatfield | 4,688 | 88.56 | 48% more dangerous |
| Elstree and Borehamwood | 3,653 | 73.14 | 22% more dangerous |
| Cheshunt | 3,156 | 72.51 | 21% more dangerous |
| Hoddesdon | 2,750 | 65.82 | 10% more dangerous |
| Welwyn Garden City | 3,809 | 59.81 | - |
| Hertford | 2,036 | 56.52 | 6% safer |
| Letchworth Garden City | 2,082 | 55.56 | 7% safer |
| Bishop's Stortford | 2,494 | 52.47 | 12% safer |
| Bushey | 1,440 | 49.10 | 18% safer |
| Rickmansworth | 1,339 | 47.31 | 21% safer |
| Hitchin | 1,828 | 46.31 | 23% safer |
| Harpenden | 1,179 | 35.14 | 41% safer |
Comparing Welwyn Garden City to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Welwyn Garden City | 59.81 | - |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 33% more dangerous |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 38% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 41% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 64% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 75% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 76% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 78% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 79% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 80% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 109% more dangerous |
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Offences In and Around Welwyn Garden City's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Welwyn Garden City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gosling Sports Park | 38 | - | 5 | 2 | 47 | 40 |
| Mirage Play Area | 2 | - | 3 | - | 6 | 5 |
| Maple Grove | 3 | - | - | - | 14 | 5 |
| Welwyn Garden City | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| Moneyhole Lane Park | 13 | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Welwyn Rugby Club | 2 | - | - | - | 7 | 2 |
| Stanborough Park | 12 | - | 7 | 1 | 33 | 15 |
| Campus West | 15 | - | 1 | - | 3 | 5 |
| Broadwater Crescent Allotments | 11 | - | 1 | - | 10 | 11 |
| King George V Playing Fields | 23 | 3 | 11 | - | 24 | 16 |
| Hatfield Cricket Club | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 5 |
Recent Crimes in Welwyn Garden City
The 20 most recent crime reports in Welwyn Garden City.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Stonehills | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Stonehills | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Parking Area | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Sandpit Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near The Swallows | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Stonehills | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Stonehills | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Stonehills | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Stonehills | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Southfield | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Byfield | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Holwell Road | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Woodman Close | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Kendall Close | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near A1000 | |
| April 2026 | Vehicle crime | On or near Fallowfield | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Monkswood | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Lanefield Walk |
Methodology & Data Sources
Welwyn Garden City 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 Welwyn Garden City during August 2026 will typically become available in October 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.
Welwyn Garden City Data Points
For Welwyn Garden City, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2022 release of their Built Up Areas dataset, using the BUA22CD column value E63004349.
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 Welwyn Garden City's daytime - or "workday" - population of 49,170 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 Welwyn Garden City