Barnet Crime Overview
Barnet is among the top 10 safest cities in London. The overall crime rate in Barnet in 2020 was 62 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to London's overall crime rate, coming in 29% lower than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Barnet ranks as the the 35th safest city, and the the 1,567th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, Barnet had the worst crime rate in London for burglary, with 301 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.76 per 1,000 inhabitants. June 2020 was also a bad month for Barnet residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for shoplifting, recording 137 crimes at a rate of 0.35 per 1,000 residents. Barnet recorded 544 reports of vehicle crime during October 2020, making its crime rate of 1.4 the worst for vehicle crime in London that month.
The most common crimes in Barnet are violence and sexual offences, with 7,055 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 18. This is 7% lower than 2019's figure of 7,517 offences and a difference of 1.17 from 2019's crime rate of 19. Barnet's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 134 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 10% from 2019's figure of 147 crimes.
Barnet Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Barnet This Year
| Barnet | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 13,637 | 34.45 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 25% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 253 | 0.64 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 302% safer |
| Burglary | 2,559 | 6.46 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 2.6% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,755 | 4.43 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 20% safer |
| Drugs | 992 | 2.51 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 118% safer |
| Other Crime | 292 | 0.74 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 43% safer |
| Other Theft | 2,608 | 6.59 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 32% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 134 | 0.34 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 85% safer |
| Public Order | 1,649 | 4.17 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 40% safer |
| Robbery | 874 | 2.21 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 29% safer |
| Shoplifting | 1,313 | 3.32 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 11% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 560 | 1.41 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 152% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 4,626 | 11.69 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 4.5% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 7,055 | 17.82 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 33% safer |
Barnet Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bexley | 14,431 | 58.12 | 7% safer |
| Havering | 15,405 | 59.35 | 5% safer |
| Bromley | 19,959 | 60.06 | 3.8% safer |
| Merton | 12,487 | 60.46 | 3.1% safer |
| Queen's Park | 917 | 62.12 | 0.32% safer |
| Barnet | 24,670 | 62.32 | - |
| Wandsworth | 22,357 | 67.81 | 8% more dangerous |
| Redbridge | 21,043 | 68.94 | 10% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 29,847 | 77.18 | 19% more dangerous |
| Ealing | 26,439 | 77.35 | 19% more dangerous |
| Waltham Forest | 21,505 | 77.64 | 20% more dangerous |
Barnet Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 19 | 18 | 21 | 34 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.63 | 0.45 | 0.56 | 0.64 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 5 | 4.9 | 5 | 4.4 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.5 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.61 | 0.92 | 0.82 | 0.74 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.37 | 0.39 | 0.37 | 0.34 | Safer |
| Public Order | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 2.2 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.3 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 1.4 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 10 | 13 | 15 | 12 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | Safer |
Comparing Barnet to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 62.32 | - |
| Coventry | 71.50 | 13% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 16% more dangerous |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 16% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 19% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 21% more dangerous |
| London | 80.70 | 23% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 30% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 32% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 32% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 39% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 41% more dangerous |
Crime in Barnet During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Barnet change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in November, when Barnet saw a 256% increase in bicycle theft. Barnet saw a large fall in theft from the person during May, when it fell by 83% compared to May in 2019. Theft From the Person saw a fall in every month of Barnet's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +35% | +237% | +176% | +82% | +55% | +43% | +64% | +47% | +68% |
| Bicycle Theft | -41% | +14% | -19% | +8% | +11% | +14% | +65% | +173% | +256% |
| Burglary | -20% | -55% | -46% | -43% | -34% | +6% | -6% | +8% | -4% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -13% | -18% | -14% | -23% | +1% | +32% | -3% | +4% | -13% |
| Drugs | -13% | +62% | +202% | +24% | +51% | +28% | +19% | +70% | +56% |
| Other Crime | +12% | - | +27% | - | +5% | -33% | -23% | -20% | +6% |
| Other Theft | -30% | -55% | -50% | -39% | +6% | -4% | +12% | -24% | -10% |
| Possession of Weapons | +18% | -22% | -12% | +18% | +17% | +100% | -20% | -36% | +20% |
| Public Order | -30% | -10% | -7% | +11% | +1% | +32% | +51% | -16% | -7% |
| Robbery | +30% | -49% | -56% | -41% | -41% | -4% | -38% | -46% | -59% |
| Shoplifting | -24% | -34% | -40% | -4% | -14% | -24% | -17% | +10% | -20% |
| Theft From the Person | -43% | -83% | -83% | -74% | -46% | -7% | -48% | -47% | -65% |
| Vehicle Crime | -25% | -58% | -31% | -37% | -21% | -3% | -11% | +3% | -20% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -4% | -6% | +4% | -3% | +6% | +14% | +5% | +7% | -3% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Barnet
What police force serves Barnet?
Barnet's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.How dangerous is Barnet?
Barnet is among the top 10 safest cities in London.What is Barnet's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Barnet are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Barnet?
Barnet's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021