Lewisham Crime Overview
Lewisham is among the top 20 most dangerous cities in London. The overall crime rate in Lewisham in 2020 was 81 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to London's overall crime rate, coming in 0.55% higher than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Lewisham ranks as the the 27th most dangerous city, and the the 749th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In June 2020, Lewisham had the worst crime rate in London for burglary, with 214 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.70 per 1,000 inhabitants. March 2018 was also a bad month for Lewisham residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for criminal damage and arson, recording 222 crimes at a rate of 0.73 per 1,000 residents. Lewisham recorded 25 reports of possession of weapons during December 2016, making its crime rate of 0.08 the worst for possession of weapons in London that month.
The most common crimes in Lewisham are violence and sexual offences, with 8,037 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 26. This is 8% lower than 2019's figure of 8,690 offences and a difference of 2.13 from 2019's crime rate of 28. Lewisham's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 237 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 16% from 2019's figure of 276 crimes.
Lewisham Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Lewisham This Year
| Lewisham | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 12,207 | 39.91 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 8% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 553 | 1.81 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 42% safer |
| Burglary | 2,243 | 7.33 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 14% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,914 | 6.26 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 15% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 1,338 | 4.37 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 25% safer |
| Other Crime | 302 | 0.99 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 7% safer |
| Other Theft | 2,158 | 7.06 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 23% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 237 | 0.77 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 18% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 2,019 | 6.60 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 12% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 876 | 2.86 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 0.70% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 1,123 | 3.67 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 0% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 465 | 1.52 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 134% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3,554 | 11.62 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 4.0% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 8,037 | 26.28 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 10% more dangerous |
Lewisham Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enfield | 26,032 | 77.99 | 4.1% safer |
| Hillingdon | 24,014 | 78.25 | 3.7% safer |
| Greenwich | 22,951 | 79.71 | 1.8% safer |
| Barking and Dagenham | 17,020 | 79.94 | 1.5% safer |
| Hounslow | 21,729 | 80.03 | 1.4% safer |
| Lewisham | 24,819 | 81.15 | - |
| Newham | 30,154 | 85.39 | 5.0% more dangerous |
| Lambeth | 28,015 | 85.93 | 6% more dangerous |
| Tower Hamlets | 28,514 | 87.80 | 8% more dangerous |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 17,115 | 92.44 | 12% more dangerous |
| Southwark | 29,614 | 92.88 | 13% more dangerous |
Lewisham Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 22 | 21 | 23 | 40 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.8 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.4 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.99 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.84 | 0.89 | 0.90 | 0.77 | Safer |
| Public Order | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery | 3.2 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 2.9 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.7 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 1.5 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 9 | 11 | 13 | 12 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 26 | 27 | 28 | 26 | Safer |
Comparing Lewisham to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 71.50 | 13% safer |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 10% safer |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 9% safer |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 5% safer |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 2.5% safer |
| London | 80.70 | 0.56% safer |
| Lewisham | 81.15 | - |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 9% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 11% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 12% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 21% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 23% more dangerous |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Lewisham
What police force serves Lewisham?
Lewisham's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.How dangerous is Lewisham?
Lewisham is among the top 20 most dangerous cities in London.What is Lewisham's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Lewisham are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Lewisham?
Lewisham's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 18 Feb 2021