Merton Crime Overview
Merton is among the top 10 safest cities in London. The overall crime rate in Merton in 2020 was 60 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to London's overall crime rate, coming in 33% lower than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Merton ranks as the the 33rd safest city, and the the 1,707th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
The most common crimes in Merton are violence and sexual offences, with 4,035 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 20. This is 4.0% lower than 2019's figure of 4,196 offences and a difference of 0.77 from 2019's crime rate of 20. Merton's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 92 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 15% from 2019's figure of 106 crimes.
Merton Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Merton This Year
| Merton | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 6,479 | 31.37 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 38% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 331 | 1.60 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 61% safer |
| Burglary | 911 | 4.41 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 43% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 949 | 4.59 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 16% safer |
| Drugs | 878 | 4.25 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 29% safer |
| Other Crime | 199 | 0.96 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 10% safer |
| Other Theft | 1,106 | 5.35 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 62% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 92 | 0.45 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 40% safer |
| Public Order | 971 | 4.70 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 24% safer |
| Robbery | 360 | 1.74 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 63% safer |
| Shoplifting | 518 | 2.51 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 46% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 233 | 1.13 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 214% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 1,904 | 9.22 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 21% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 4,035 | 19.54 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 21% safer |
Merton Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond upon Thames | 11,408 | 57.61 | 4.9% safer |
| Sutton | 11,945 | 57.89 | 4.4% safer |
| Bexley | 14,431 | 58.12 | 4.0% safer |
| Havering | 15,405 | 59.35 | 1.9% safer |
| Bromley | 19,959 | 60.06 | 0.67% safer |
| Merton | 12,487 | 60.46 | - |
| Queen's Park | 917 | 62.12 | 2.7% more dangerous |
| Barnet | 24,670 | 62.32 | 3.0% more dangerous |
| Wandsworth | 22,357 | 67.81 | 11% more dangerous |
| Redbridge | 21,043 | 68.94 | 12% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 29,847 | 77.18 | 22% more dangerous |
Merton Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 17 | 17 | 18 | 31 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.6 | Safer |
| Burglary | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4.4 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 4.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.82 | 0.87 | 0.93 | 0.96 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.57 | 0.47 | 0.51 | 0.45 | Safer |
| Public Order | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.7 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 4.9 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 2.5 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.1 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | No change |
Comparing Merton to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Merton | 60.46 | - |
| Coventry | 71.50 | 15% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 18% more dangerous |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 19% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 22% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 24% more dangerous |
| London | 80.70 | 25% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 32% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 34% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 34% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 41% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 43% more dangerous |
Crime in Merton During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Merton change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Merton saw a 293% increase in anti-social behaviour. Merton saw a large fall in theft from the person during April, when it fell by 83% compared to April in 2019. Merton saw consistent falls in the crime rate of several types of crime during every month of its Coronavirus lockdown, including burglary, other theft, and theft from the person.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +33% | +293% | +198% | +78% | +51% | +54% | +61% | +64% | +93% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | +5% | -13% | -20% | +22% | +96% | -2% | -6% | +80% |
| Burglary | -52% | -55% | -47% | -24% | -39% | -25% | -38% | -48% | -56% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +2% | -43% | -15% | -23% | +16% | +10% | +10% | -1% | +26% |
| Drugs | +100% | +47% | +159% | +79% | +47% | -6% | -5% | +35% | +20% |
| Other Crime | +17% | +11% | -65% | +33% | +24% | +27% | - | +58% | +178% |
| Other Theft | -7% | -62% | -65% | -37% | -20% | -22% | -9% | -33% | -36% |
| Possession of Weapons | -67% | +18% | +11% | -50% | -36% | - | +33% | +33% | -10% |
| Public Order | -25% | -21% | +12% | +61% | +13% | +8% | +26% | +65% | -24% |
| Robbery | +16% | -74% | -61% | -16% | +23% | -6% | +48% | -13% | -20% |
| Shoplifting | -31% | -47% | -28% | -28% | -20% | -32% | - | -23% | -28% |
| Theft From the Person | -40% | -83% | -77% | -72% | -59% | -62% | -14% | -59% | -71% |
| Vehicle Crime | +26% | -40% | +6% | +15% | +33% | +23% | +13% | +1% | +6% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -15% | +11% | +5% | -1% | +1% | +19% | +20% | +27% | -6% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Merton
What police force serves Merton?
Merton's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.How dangerous is Merton?
Merton is among the top 10 safest cities in London.What is Merton's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Merton are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Merton?
Merton's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021