Greenwich Crime Overview
Greenwich is among the top 20 most dangerous cities in London. The overall crime rate in Greenwich in 2020 was 80 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to London's overall crime rate, coming in 1.2% lower than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Greenwich ranks as the the 32nd most dangerous city, and the the 799th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In April 2020, Greenwich had the worst crime rate in London for other crime, with 37 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.13 per 1,000 inhabitants. September 2019 was also a bad month for Greenwich residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for criminal damage and arson, recording 188 crimes at a rate of 0.65 per 1,000 residents.
The most common crimes in Greenwich are violence and sexual offences, with 7,878 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 27. This is 7% lower than 2019's figure of 8,440 offences and a difference of 1.95 from 2019's crime rate of 29. Greenwich's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 208 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 5% from 2019's figure of 219 crimes.
Greenwich Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Greenwich This Year
| Greenwich | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 10,852 | 37.69 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 14% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 435 | 1.51 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 70% safer |
| Burglary | 1,510 | 5.24 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 20% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,819 | 6.32 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 16% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 1,730 | 6.01 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 9% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 388 | 1.35 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 21% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 2,008 | 6.97 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 25% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 208 | 0.72 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 12% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 1,809 | 6.28 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 7% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 727 | 2.52 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 13% safer |
| Shoplifting | 1,189 | 4.13 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 11% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 309 | 1.07 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 232% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 2,941 | 10.21 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 9% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 7,878 | 27.36 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 14% more dangerous |
Greenwich Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ealing | 26,439 | 77.35 | 3.1% safer |
| Waltham Forest | 21,505 | 77.64 | 2.7% safer |
| Brent | 25,664 | 77.82 | 2.4% safer |
| Enfield | 26,032 | 77.99 | 2.2% safer |
| Hillingdon | 24,014 | 78.25 | 1.9% safer |
| Greenwich | 22,951 | 79.71 | - |
| Barking and Dagenham | 17,020 | 79.94 | 0.29% more dangerous |
| Hounslow | 21,729 | 80.03 | 0.40% more dangerous |
| Lewisham | 24,819 | 81.15 | 1.8% more dangerous |
| Newham | 30,154 | 85.39 | 7% more dangerous |
| Lambeth | 28,015 | 85.93 | 7% more dangerous |
Greenwich Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 21 | 20 | 23 | 38 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 3.0 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.69 | 0.64 | 0.76 | 0.72 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.5 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4.1 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.1 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 11 | 12 | 15 | 10 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | Safer |
Comparing Greenwich to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 71.50 | 11% safer |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 8% safer |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 7% safer |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 3.3% safer |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 0.66% safer |
| Greenwich | 79.71 | - |
| London | 80.70 | 1.2% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 10% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 13% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 13% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 22% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 25% more dangerous |
Crime in Greenwich During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Greenwich change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Greenwich saw a 292% increase in anti-social behaviour. Greenwich saw a large fall in theft from the person during April, when it fell by 91% compared to April in 2019. Greenwich saw consistent falls in the crime rate of several types of crime during every month of its Coronavirus lockdown, including burglary, shoplifting, and vehicle crime.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +3% | +292% | +191% | +94% | +34% | +71% | +56% | +41% | +113% |
| Bicycle Theft | -44% | -52% | -30% | +24% | +100% | +225% | +94% | +108% | +58% |
| Burglary | -55% | -63% | -53% | -42% | -20% | -18% | -10% | -12% | -27% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +7% | -28% | -24% | -13% | +1% | +37% | -22% | -22% | +4% |
| Drugs | +4% | +188% | +264% | +73% | +27% | -4% | +8% | +12% | +54% |
| Other Crime | -28% | +28% | +18% | +32% | +3% | -3% | +22% | -5% | -24% |
| Other Theft | -21% | -41% | -30% | -37% | -28% | -17% | - | -9% | -23% |
| Possession of Weapons | -26% | -56% | +29% | -15% | +6% | -18% | -21% | +47% | +18% |
| Public Order | -16% | +3% | -5% | +12% | +34% | +25% | +19% | +33% | +8% |
| Robbery | -7% | -31% | -59% | -7% | -17% | +30% | -16% | -44% | -1% |
| Shoplifting | -28% | -51% | -68% | -21% | -17% | -45% | -15% | -14% | -34% |
| Theft From the Person | - | -91% | -76% | -51% | -56% | -29% | -11% | -59% | -64% |
| Vehicle Crime | -16% | -51% | -33% | -45% | -21% | -40% | -15% | -28% | -27% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -1% | -18% | +8% | -1% | -2% | +14% | -9% | +1% | +4% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Greenwich
What police force serves Greenwich?
Greenwich's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.How dangerous is Greenwich?
Greenwich is among the top 20 most dangerous cities in London.What is Greenwich's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Greenwich are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Greenwich?
Greenwich's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021