Hackney Crime Overview
Hackney is among the top 10 most dangerous cities in London. The overall crime rate in Hackney in 2020 was 97 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to London's overall crime rate, coming in 17% higher than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Hackney ranks as the among the top 20 most dangerous city, and the the 426th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In October 2020, Hackney had the worst crime rate in London for bicycle theft, with 296 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.0 per 1,000 inhabitants. August 2020 was also a bad month for Hackney residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 262 crimes at a rate of 0.93 per 1,000 residents. Hackney recorded 146 reports of robbery during November 2020, making its crime rate of 0.52 the worst for robbery in London that month.
The most common crimes in Hackney are violence and sexual offences, with 7,553 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 27. This is 6% lower than 2019's figure of 8,037 offences and a difference of 1.72 from 2019's crime rate of 29. Hackney's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 241 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 13% from 2019's figure of 272 crimes.
Hackney Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Hackney This Year
| Hackney | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 16,217 | 57.69 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 25% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 2,157 | 7.67 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 66% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 2,312 | 8.22 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 23% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,613 | 5.74 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 7% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 1,375 | 4.89 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 12% safer |
| Other Crime | 263 | 0.94 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 13% safer |
| Other Theft | 2,790 | 9.92 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 12% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 241 | 0.86 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 27% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 2,019 | 7.18 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 19% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 1,427 | 5.08 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 44% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 683 | 2.43 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 51% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 2,037 | 7.25 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 51% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 2,875 | 10.23 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 9% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 7,553 | 26.87 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 12% more dangerous |
Hackney Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambeth | 28,015 | 85.93 | 13% safer |
| Tower Hamlets | 28,514 | 87.80 | 11% safer |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 17,115 | 92.44 | 5% safer |
| Southwark | 29,614 | 92.88 | 4.7% safer |
| Haringey | 25,571 | 95.18 | 2.2% safer |
| Hackney | 27,345 | 97.27 | - |
| Islington | 24,146 | 99.58 | 2.3% more dangerous |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 16,253 | 104.10 | 7% more dangerous |
| Camden | 28,903 | 107.04 | 9% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 43,733 | 167.36 | 42% more dangerous |
| City of London | 5,401 | 555.60 | 82% more dangerous |
Hackney Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 30 | 28 | 32 | 58 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 10 | 11 | 12 | 8 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 3.8 | 4.7 | 5 | 4.9 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.88 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.94 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 13 | 14 | 15 | 10 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.0 | 0.94 | 0.97 | 0.86 | Safer |
| Public Order | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.4 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person | 12 | 8 | 11 | 7 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | Safer |
Comparing Hackney to the UK's Major Cities
Crime in Hackney During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Hackney change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Hackney saw a 319% increase in anti-social behaviour. Hackney saw a large fall in theft from the person during May, when it fell by 80% compared to May in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +34% | +319% | +240% | +102% | +45% | +64% | +77% | +76% | +96% |
| Bicycle Theft | -36% | -35% | +9% | +81% | +48% | +94% | +168% | +86% | +80% |
| Burglary | -37% | -53% | -17% | -32% | -22% | +11% | 0% | -13% | -1% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -21% | +13% | -12% | +11% | +3% | +29% | +1% | +17% | +32% |
| Drugs | -45% | -22% | +64% | -5% | -27% | -28% | -13% | +20% | +5% |
| Other Crime | -9% | +26% | - | -17% | +10% | -27% | +47% | +8% | - |
| Other Theft | -38% | -66% | -59% | -42% | -28% | -19% | +4% | -18% | -49% |
| Possession of Weapons | -45% | -44% | - | +20% | -13% | +29% | +4% | +59% | +33% |
| Public Order | -1% | -14% | +15% | +59% | +20% | +25% | +42% | +16% | -5% |
| Robbery | +12% | -70% | -53% | -57% | -42% | -5% | -1% | -9% | -15% |
| Shoplifting | -18% | -55% | -35% | -39% | -5% | +17% | -7% | -23% | -24% |
| Theft From the Person | +4% | -77% | -80% | -71% | -49% | -12% | -3% | -33% | -9% |
| Vehicle Crime | -25% | -40% | -47% | -20% | +9% | +3% | +24% | +14% | +20% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -11% | -18% | -7% | +9% | -1% | +13% | +18% | +5% | +7% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Hackney
What police force serves Hackney?
Hackney's local territorial police force is the City of London Police.How dangerous is Hackney?
Hackney is among the top 10 most dangerous cities in London.What is Hackney's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Hackney are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Hackney?
Hackney's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021