Brent Crime Overview
Brent is among the top 20 safest cities in London. The overall crime rate in Brent in 2020 was 78 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to London's overall crime rate, coming in 3.7% lower than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Brent ranks as the the 38th most dangerous city, and the the 858th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In May 2020, Brent had the worst crime rate in London for public order, with 192 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.58 per 1,000 inhabitants. March 2018 was also a bad month for Brent residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 346 crimes at a rate of 1.0 per 1,000 residents. Brent recorded 154 reports of drugs during December 2016, making its crime rate of 0.47 the worst for drugs in London that month.
The most common crimes in Brent are violence and sexual offences, with 8,350 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 25. This is 8% lower than 2019's figure of 9,001 offences and a difference of 1.97 from 2019's crime rate of 27. Brent's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 203 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 20% from 2019's figure of 244 crimes.
Brent Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Brent This Year
| Brent | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 15,313 | 46.44 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 7% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 364 | 1.10 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 134% safer |
| Burglary | 1,989 | 6.03 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 4.3% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,862 | 5.65 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 6% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 1,961 | 5.95 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 8% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 334 | 1.01 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 5.0% safer |
| Other Theft | 2,360 | 7.16 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 21% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 203 | 0.62 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 1.6% safer |
| Public Order | 1,946 | 5.90 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 1.2% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 870 | 2.64 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 8% safer |
| Shoplifting | 861 | 2.61 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 41% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 583 | 1.77 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 101% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3,981 | 12.07 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 8% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 8,350 | 25.32 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 7% more dangerous |
Brent Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wandsworth | 22,357 | 67.81 | 15% safer |
| Redbridge | 21,043 | 68.94 | 13% safer |
| Croydon | 29,847 | 77.18 | 0.83% safer |
| Ealing | 26,439 | 77.35 | 0.61% safer |
| Waltham Forest | 21,505 | 77.64 | 0.23% safer |
| Brent | 25,664 | 77.82 | - |
| Enfield | 26,032 | 77.99 | 0.22% more dangerous |
| Hillingdon | 24,014 | 78.25 | 0.55% more dangerous |
| Greenwich | 22,951 | 79.71 | 2.4% more dangerous |
| Barking and Dagenham | 17,020 | 79.94 | 2.7% more dangerous |
| Hounslow | 21,729 | 80.03 | 2.8% more dangerous |
Brent Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 28 | 28 | 30 | 46 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.83 | 1.1 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 9 | 10 | 8 | 6 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 4.7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.98 | 1.0 | 0.97 | 1.0 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.76 | 0.77 | 0.74 | 0.62 | Safer |
| Public Order | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 2.6 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 2.6 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | Safer |
Comparing Brent to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 71.50 | 9% safer |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 5% safer |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 4.8% safer |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 0.83% safer |
| Brent | 77.82 | - |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 1.7% more dangerous |
| London | 80.70 | 3.6% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 13% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 15% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 15% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 24% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 27% more dangerous |
Crime in Brent During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Brent change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Brent saw a 204% increase in anti-social behaviour. Brent saw a large fall in theft from the person during April, when it fell by 79% compared to April in 2019. Rates of robbery and theft from the person both fell year-on-year for every month during Brent's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +15% | +204% | +186% | +54% | +20% | +57% | +48% | +35% | +107% |
| Bicycle Theft | +23% | -4% | +83% | +47% | +74% | +53% | +100% | +42% | +4% |
| Burglary | -37% | -37% | -29% | -35% | +15% | -4% | -12% | -4% | -24% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -24% | -18% | -17% | +1% | +34% | +4% | +20% | -10% | +26% |
| Drugs | -9% | +63% | +92% | +44% | -3% | +30% | +8% | +36% | +30% |
| Other Crime | -24% | -13% | +45% | - | +19% | +6% | +95% | +22% | +50% |
| Other Theft | -23% | -35% | -40% | -5% | -3% | +4% | -19% | -7% | -27% |
| Possession of Weapons | -30% | -15% | -5% | -46% | +4% | +53% | -4% | +5% | +18% |
| Public Order | -15% | +17% | +16% | +10% | -2% | +9% | +28% | +16% | +7% |
| Robbery | -23% | -66% | -48% | -36% | -25% | -11% | -21% | -17% | -51% |
| Shoplifting | -17% | -59% | -34% | -15% | +7% | +1% | -4% | +24% | -4% |
| Theft From the Person | -14% | -79% | -65% | -73% | -26% | -2% | -26% | -23% | -24% |
| Vehicle Crime | -12% | -9% | -19% | +0% | +20% | +64% | +2% | -4% | -10% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -9% | +1% | -9% | -5% | +1% | +16% | +11% | +7% | +16% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Brent
What police force serves Brent?
Brent's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.How dangerous is Brent?
Brent is among the top 20 safest cities in London.What is Brent's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Brent are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Brent?
Brent's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021