Camden Crime Overview
Camden is the third most dangerous city in London. The overall crime rate in Camden in 2020 was 107 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to London's overall crime rate, coming in 25% higher than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Camden ranks as the among the top 5 most dangerous city, and the the 312nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In March 2020, Camden had the worst crime rate in London for bicycle theft, with 119 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.44 per 1,000 inhabitants. December 2018 was also a bad month for Camden residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for possession of weapons, recording 78 crimes at a rate of 0.29 per 1,000 residents. Camden recorded 241 reports of robbery during October 2017, making its crime rate of 0.89 the worst for robbery in London that month.
The most common crimes in Camden are violence and sexual offences, with 6,400 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 24. This is 17% lower than 2019's figure of 7,484 offences and a difference of 4.02 from 2019's crime rate of 28. Camden's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 165 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 46% from 2019's figure of 241 crimes.
Camden Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Camden This Year
| Camden | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 13,359 | 49.47 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 13% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 1,498 | 5.55 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 54% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 2,124 | 7.87 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 20% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,431 | 5.30 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 0.19% safer |
| Drugs | 1,999 | 7.40 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 26% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 259 | 0.96 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 10% safer |
| Other Theft | 4,548 | 16.84 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 48% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 165 | 0.61 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 3.3% safer |
| Public Order | 2,101 | 7.78 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 25% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 1,132 | 4.19 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 32% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 1,275 | 4.72 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 22% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 3,148 | 11.66 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 70% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 2,823 | 10.45 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 7% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 6,400 | 23.70 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 0.21% more dangerous |
Camden Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwark | 29,614 | 92.88 | 15% safer |
| Haringey | 25,571 | 95.18 | 12% safer |
| Hackney | 27,345 | 97.27 | 10% safer |
| Islington | 24,146 | 99.58 | 7% safer |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 16,253 | 104.10 | 2.8% safer |
| Camden | 28,903 | 107.04 | - |
| Westminster | 43,733 | 167.36 | 36% more dangerous |
| City of London | 5,401 | 555.60 | 81% more dangerous |
Camden Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 37 | 36 | 38 | 49 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 4.3 | 5 | 4.9 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 11 | 13 | 12 | 8 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Drugs | 4.4 | 4.6 | 7 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.86 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.96 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 22 | 29 | 36 | 17 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.73 | 2.1 | 0.89 | 0.61 | Safer |
| Public Order | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Safer |
| Robbery | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4.2 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 8 | 8 | 4.7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person | 27 | 19 | 22 | 12 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 26 | 30 | 28 | 24 | Safer |
Comparing Camden to the UK's Major Cities
Crime in Camden During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Camden change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Camden saw a 105% increase in anti-social behaviour. Camden saw a large fall in theft from the person during April, when it fell by 89% compared to April in 2019. Camden saw consistent falls in the crime rate of several types of crime during every month of its Coronavirus lockdown, including burglary, other theft, robbery, shoplifting, theft from the person, and violence and sexual offences.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +6% | +92% | +105% | +42% | +23% | +31% | +35% | +27% | +46% |
| Bicycle Theft | -2% | -36% | +19% | +47% | +43% | +64% | +10% | +23% | +62% |
| Burglary | -16% | -46% | -54% | -42% | -32% | -38% | -36% | -15% | -18% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -29% | -3% | -27% | +9% | +6% | -4% | +23% | +11% | +24% |
| Drugs | -12% | +14% | +96% | +22% | +50% | +19% | -35% | -8% | -27% |
| Other Crime | -46% | -27% | -19% | +71% | -27% | +5% | -17% | +17% | -4% |
| Other Theft | -40% | -84% | -83% | -79% | -57% | -38% | -38% | -54% | -71% |
| Possession of Weapons | -35% | -72% | -10% | -9% | - | -57% | -27% | -57% | -21% |
| Public Order | -16% | -23% | -32% | -5% | -8% | +15% | +4% | -15% | -7% |
| Robbery | -8% | -65% | -64% | -49% | -40% | -29% | -27% | -56% | -44% |
| Shoplifting | -39% | -64% | -67% | -65% | -20% | -25% | -12% | -21% | -41% |
| Theft From the Person | -24% | -89% | -83% | -76% | -62% | -45% | -33% | -48% | -55% |
| Vehicle Crime | -23% | -13% | +2% | -9% | +2% | +11% | +16% | +7% | -31% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -3% | -30% | -19% | -3% | -11% | -4% | -3% | -4% | -4% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Camden
What police force serves Camden?
Camden's local territorial police force is the City of London Police.How dangerous is Camden?
Camden is the third most dangerous city in London.What is Camden's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Camden are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Camden?
Camden's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021