Crime and Safety in Lambeth

Last updated: 07 Jun 2026

Page highlights:

Lambeth is the third most dangerous borough in London. The overall crime rate in Lambeth in 2026 is 103 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to London's overall crime rate, coming in 25% higher than the London rate of 82 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Lambeth is among the top 10 most dangerous cities, and the 401st most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In January 2026, Lambeth had the worst crime rate in London for robbery, with 157 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.43 per 1,000 daytime population. March 2026 was also a bad month for Lambeth residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for possession of weapons, recording 37 crimes at a rate of 0.10 per 1,000 daytime population.

The most common crimes in Lambeth are violence and sexual offences, with 10,909 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 30. This is 3.8% higher than 2025's figure of 10,510 offences and a difference of 1.13 from 2025's crime rate of 29. Lambeth's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 297 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 18% from 2025's figure of 251 crimes.

Lambeth 2026 Crime Scorecard

Third Most Dangerous

Boroughs, London

29% higher, regional crime rate

London

43% higher, national crime rate

England, Wales & NI

Local Crime in Context

As of April 2026, the crime rate in Lambeth is 29% higher than London and 43% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.

Lambeth Crime Rate Over Time

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Lambeth
London
England, Wales & NI

Lambeth Crime Map

Incidents mapped in Lambeth represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.

Use Crime Map

Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.

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Design element, blobs on the right

See How Lambeth Compares

You can compare Lambeth's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.

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Introduction to Lambeth's crime statistics

 

This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Lambeth up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Lambeth's 6,162 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:

  • Within a Five-Minute Walk
  • Within a Ten-Minute Walk
  • Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk

Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.

Overview map crime around Lambeth

CrimeRate Insights

Looking into a specific address in Lambeth? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.

Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.

That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.

Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.

Crime Risk Scores

Lambeth • 12 Months Ending April 2026

 

The typical five-minute walk within Lambeth has a crime risk score of 639. This is based on analysis of 6,162 nearby areas within Lambeth, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.

Five Mins
639 crime risk score
Ten Mins
711 crime risk score
Fifteen Mins
750 crime risk score

Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Lambeth's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.

Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Lambeth, crime risk scores are typically around 639, while in London they are average 534.

Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 711 (613 for London), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 750 (London 663).

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Trends in Crime Risk

Lambeth

 

Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.

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The 10-year trend indicates a decrease of 12% in Lambeth's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.

Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Lambeth's crime risk score is up by 20%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.

Over the last year, Lambeth's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 3.0%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.

Crime Rates and Indexes

Lambeth

 

The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.

1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.

Highest Crime Rates

Lambeth • 12 Months Ending April 2026

 

Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.

Theft From the Person
8.70 CrimeRate Index
Robbery
4.05 CrimeRate Index
Drugs
1.60 CrimeRate Index

Theft From the Person offences have a crime rate of 13 reports per 1,000 people in Lambeth, which is 8.70 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 4,944 crime reports logged by Metropolitan Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.

For the same period, Metropolitan Police recorded 1,750 reports of Robbery in Lambeth, resulting in a crime rate of 4.78 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 4.05.

The crime rate for Drugs is 1.60 times the national average at 4.94 reports per 1,000. This is from 1,813 crime reports reported to Metropolitan Police.

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Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types

Lambeth

 

Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.

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Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.17 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 0.80 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 46% over this timeframe.

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Shoplifting offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.41 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 0.74 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 91% over this timeframe.

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Theft From the Person offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 9.42 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 6.31 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 49% over this timeframe.

Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types

Lambeth

 

Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.

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Robbery offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 4.10 for the month of April 2026.

Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 4.56 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 10% over this timeframe.

Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map

Lambeth • 12 Months Ending April 2026

 

Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.

 
Lambeth
London
Metropolitan Police
Crime TypeCountRateIndexCountRateIndexCountRateIndex
Anti-Social Behaviour9,80226.781.90235,98521.681.53236,18721.581.53
Bicycle Theft9252.523.4513,6951.261.7313,7441.261.73
Burglary1,7904.901.5747,3594.341.3947,4514.331.38
Criminal Damage and Arson2,1825.940.9554,0984.990.7954,2204.970.79
Drugs1,8134.941.6053,1674.871.5853,2804.851.57
Other Crime4421.220.6613,0081.190.6413,0281.190.64
Other Theft4,42512.072.1297,4528.971.5897,7798.951.57
Possession of Weapons2970.800.946,4430.600.716,4610.600.71
Public Order2,2826.221.0760,0495.520.9560,1565.490.95
Robbery1,7504.784.0530,8042.832.4030,8572.832.40
Shoplifting3,5639.731.3687,9768.091.1388,2698.081.13
Theft From the Person4,94413.488.7077,1607.114.5977,3447.084.57
Vehicle Crime2,5206.861.6081,7557.501.7481,9007.501.74
Violence and Sexual Offences10,90929.780.98273,43425.120.83273,89725.040.82
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Total Crime by Year

 
Lambeth
London
Metropolitan Police
YearCountRateIndexCountRateIndexCountRateIndex
202637,842103.241.43896,40082.391.14898,38682.171.14
202537,306102.081.38896,96183.231.12898,78782.941.12
202436,03998.371.30900,98684.381.12902,68184.121.12
202332,82289.571.13835,47178.981.00837,24478.791.00
202231,64186.381.12795,64675.770.99797,30375.560.98
202128,63177.281.13727,98369.091.01729,40168.831.00
202031,79985.151.15819,46777.661.05821,36277.411.04
201934,55192.061.21849,31080.701.06851,17580.591.06
201834,35591.601.29810,06377.081.08811,73876.911.08
201733,98490.391.41758,16072.411.13759,75572.221.13
201610,80528.661.50234,56522.421.18235,00322.391.17
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Crime in Lambeth's Neighbourhoods

12 Months Ending Apr 2026

 

NeighbourhoodTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Brixton7,739144.13 40% more dangerous
Clapham6,634111.31 8% more dangerous
Gipsy Hill56769.19 33% safer
Kennington93077.75 25% safer
Lambeth1,03894.58 8% safer
South Bank2,123198.21 92% more dangerous
South Lambeth1,193118.10 14% more dangerous
Stockwell3,06794.23 9% safer
Streatham3,77984.69 18% safer
Streatham Hill1,49261.15 41% safer
Tulse Hill2,18777.52 25% safer
Vauxhall2,30294.31 9% safer
Waterloo2,061179.63 74% more dangerous
West Norwood1,68181.24 21% safer

Lambeth Compared to Other London Boroughs

12 Months Ending Apr 2026

 

BoroughTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Kensington and Chelsea21,836119.6016% more dangerous
Lambeth37,842103.24-
Newham40,892100.222.9% safer
Camden39,57997.845% safer
Hackney31,31597.196% safer
Haringey28,04095.108% safer
Lewisham29,09092.6910% safer
Islington31,59190.8912% safer

Comparing Lambeth to the UK's Major Cities

12 Months Ending Apr 2026

 

City NameCrime RateRate Difference
Cardiff79.5523% safer
Newcastle upon Tyne82.6920% safer
Sheffield84.0919% safer
Leicester97.875% safer
Lambeth103.24-
Bristol104.641.4% more dangerous
Birmingham105.051.8% more dangerous
Liverpool106.483.1% more dangerous
Leeds107.103.7% more dangerous
Nottingham107.744.4% more dangerous
Westminster125.0021% more dangerous

Offences In and Around Lambeth's Parks & Leisure Spaces

 

Limited to spaces in Lambeth that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll Others
Albert Square Garden237264536
Norwood Grove3611107
Harleyford Road Community Garden207122021
Eythorne Park115141044846
Loughborough Park9414744136
Lambeth Park133421946
Clapham Leisure Centre145123263210
Streatham Common1086151052108
Rush Common1421715885118
Clapham Common130172945123430
Tooting Bec Common37101366288
Waterloo Millennium Green526211766362
Black Prince Community Hub278573944
Moorlands Nature Garden Allotment20-121218
Agnes Riley Gardens641-811
Streatham Vale Park2412724533
Brockwell Park80282727148297
Norwood Park103724360
Jubilee Gardens938172555326
Vauxhall Park725102331150
Slade Gardens429843032
Max Roach Park539512729
Max Roach Park1418631719
Church Manor Estate116223215
Myatt's Fields Park344381833
Ruskin Park241145110121
Wyck Gardens671616113781
Milkwood Community Park31--611
Woodfield Recreation Ground5---25
Hillside Gardens101--514
Oakleigh Way Recreation Ground183462421
Ridge Road Allotments7421161
St Mary at Hill Burial Ground4535-4458
Knights Hill Recreation Ground305313623
Archbishop's Park87111314367
Albert Embankment Gardens51491685
Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground226812663
Pedlar's Park2921142178
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens34242171104297
Kingfisher Playground1372103356
Heathbrook Park145983971
Cock Pond2355718215
Larkhall Park6213111851104
Lorn Road Allotments71511016
Papa's Park3224811
Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park50420114498
Lamlash Street Allotments673222217
Kennington Park7412122363117
Charlie Chaplin Adventure Playground205-6726
Dan Leno Garden24-11716
Flaxman Sports Centre111-711
Ferndale21-21108
Vauxhall leisure centre78532037101
Emma Cons Garden303151350140

Recent Crimes in Lambeth

The 20 most recent crime reports in Lambeth.

 

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
April 2026Anti-social behaviourOn or near Railton Road
April 2026Anti-social behaviourOn or near Parking Area
April 2026Anti-social behaviourOn or near Silverthorne Road
April 2026Anti-social behaviourOn or near Gipsy Road
April 2026Anti-social behaviourOn or near Fairmile Avenue
April 2026Anti-social behaviourOn or near Kennington Road
April 2026Bicycle theftOn or near Knolly'S Road
April 2026BurglaryOn or near Penford Street
April 2026DrugsOn or near Upper Marsh
April 2026DrugsOn or near St Saviour'S Road
April 2026Other theftOn or near Penford Street
April 2026Other theftOn or near A3036
April 2026Public orderOn or near Charlotte Row
April 2026ShopliftingOn or near Edge Point Close
April 2026Theft from the personOn or near Lindway
April 2026Vehicle crimeOn or near Dalmore Road
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Babington Road
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Atlantic Road
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Flaxman Road
April 2026Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Babington Road

Methodology & Data Sources

Lambeth Crime Report

 

Data Sources & Processing

Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.

Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Lambeth during August 2026 will typically become available in October 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.

Lambeth Data Points

For Lambeth, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E43000212.

Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Lambeth's daytime - or "workday" - population of 274,378 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.

All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.

Lambeth geographic boundaries light outline
CrimeRate's boundaries for Lambeth

Calculating Crime Rates

CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.

Crime Risk Score Calculations

CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.

Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.

Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.

The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Crime in Lambeth

 

What police force serves Lambeth?
Lambeth's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.

How dangerous is Lambeth?
Lambeth is the third most dangerous borough in London.

What is Lambeth's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Lambeth are violence and sexual offences.

What is the least common crime in Lambeth?
Lambeth's least common crimes are possession of weapons.