Merton

Crime and Safety in Merton, London

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Merton is among the top 10 safest boroughs in London. The overall crime rate in Merton in 2021 was 62 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to London's overall crime rate, coming in 40% lower than the London rate of 87 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Merton is among the top 10 safest cities, and the 2,011st most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

The most common crimes in Merton are violence and sexual offences, with 4,527 offences during 2021, giving a crime rate of 22. This is 3.5% higher than 2020's figure of 4,367 offences and a difference of 0.78 from 2020's crime rate of 21. Merton's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 87 offences recorded in 2021, a decrease of 15% from 2020's figure of 100 crimes.

Merton 2022 Crime Scorecard

Top 10 Safest

Boroughs, London

39% lower, regional crime rate

London

17% lower, national crime rate

England, Wales & NI

Local Crime in Context

As of 2022, the crime rate in Merton is 39% lower than London and 17% lower than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.

Merton Crime Rate Over Time

Merton Crime Map

Incidents mapped in Merton represent the time frame between April 2019 and March 2022. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.

Last updated: 11 May, 2022

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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 visualize the data you need.

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Last updated: 11 May, 2022

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Historical Crime Rates for Merton

Year	Crime Rate per 1,000 people	Total Crimes
2021	62	12,841
2020	65	13,453
2019	69	14,289
2018	68	14,095
2017	65	13,522
2016	62	12,867

Crime in Merton Compared To London

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Summary of Crimes in Merton This Year

	Merton		London
Crime	Count	Rate	Count	Rate	Rate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour	5,220	25.27	303,000	33.85	34% safer
Bicycle Theft	304	1.47	21,536	2.41	64% safer
Burglary	909	4.40	52,414	5.85	33% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson	1,006	4.87	53,198	5.94	22% safer
Drugs	607	2.94	43,227	4.83	64% safer
Other Crime	202	0.98	10,265	1.15	17% safer
Other Theft	1,304	6.31	90,137	10.07	60% safer
Possession of Weapons	87	0.42	5,014	0.56	33% safer
Public Order	1,091	5.28	61,305	6.85	30% safer
Robbery	340	1.65	22,528	2.52	53% safer
Shoplifting	717	3.47	33,674	3.76	8% safer
Theft From the Person	235	1.14	39,809	4.45	290% safer
Vehicle Crime	1,512	7.32	98,517	11.00	50% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences	4,527	21.92	244,975	27.36	25% safer

Merton Compared to Other London Boroughs

Borough	Total Crimes	Crime Rate	Rate Difference
Richmond upon Thames	11,168	56.40	10% safer
Harrow	14,460	57.57	8% safer
Bexley	14,880	59.93	3.7% safer
Sutton	12,704	61.57	0.97% safer
Kingston upon Thames	10,995	61.94	0.37% safer
Merton	12,841	62.17	-
Havering	16,749	64.53	3.7% more dangerous
Bromley	22,194	66.78	7% more dangerous
Barnet	26,555	67.08	7% more dangerous
Wandsworth	24,775	75.15	17% more dangerous
Redbridge	23,718	77.71	20% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Merton

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Merton

Date	Crime Type	Location	Outcome
March 2022	Criminal damage and arson	On or near Churston Drive	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Criminal damage and arson	On or near Supermarket	Local resolution
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Wilberforce Way	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Public order	On or near Wydell Close	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Holmbury Court	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Criminal damage and arson	On or near Willow Lane	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Violence and sexual offences	On or near Nightclub	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Shoplifting	On or near Supermarket	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Burglary	On or near Arthur Road	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Criminal damage and arson	On or near Cottenham Park Road	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Tabor Grove	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Squires Court	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Poplar Avenue	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Shoplifting	On or near Hartfield Road	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Chadwick Avenue	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Other theft	On or near High Street Mews	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Ryfold Road	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Public order	On or near Chaucer Way	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Other crime	On or near Evesham Green	Investigation complete; no suspect identified
March 2022	Vehicle crime	On or near Morden Road	Investigation complete; no suspect identified

Merton Crime Trends

	Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents
Crime	2018	2019	2020	2021	Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour	17	18	33	25	Getting worse
Bicycle Theft	2.0	1.5	1.7	1.5	Safer
Burglary	7	8	4.7	4.4	Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson	6	5	5.0	4.9	Safer
Drugs	2.2	3.1	4.6	2.9	Getting worse
Other Crime	0.87	0.93	1.0	0.98	Getting worse
Other Theft	8	8	6	6	Safer
Possession of Weapons	0.47	0.51	0.48	0.42	Safer
Public Order	4.7	4.6	5	5	Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)	1.9	2.1	1.9	1.6	Safer
Shoplifting	4.8	3.5	2.7	3.5	Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)	1.5	2.3	1.2	1.1	Safer
Vehicle Crime	9	9	10	7	Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences	20	20	21	22	Getting worse

Changes In Merton's Crime Rates Over Time

Offences in Merton's Green Spaces

We only display green spaces in Merton that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2021.

Name	ASB	Drugs	Public Order	Robbery	VSO	All Others	Crimes per Hectare
Abbey Recreation Ground	13	-	-	-	2	0	6
All Saints Recreation Ground	-	-	1	-	3	0	8
Cannon Hill Common	6	-	-	-	1	0	0.62
Cricket Green	6	-	-	-	-	0	3.7
Drax Playing Field	3	-	-	-	-	0	0.29
Emmanuel School Playing Field	3	-	-	-	-	0	0.68
John Innes Recreation Ground	3	-	-	-	-	0	1.8
Joseph Hood Recreation Ground	1	-	1	-	7	3	1.4
King George's Playing Field	7	2	1	-	1	2	1.6
London Road Playing Fields	-	-	-	-	2	5	1.2
Morden Hall Park	18	3	6	2	5	17	1.3
Morden Park	2	4	-	-	3	2	0.25
Prince George's Playing Field	-	-	-	-	-	1	0.07
Raynes Park Tennis Club	-	-	4	3	3	5	24
Sherwood Park	3	5	1	3	5	5	17
Tamworth Farm Recreation Ground	-	-	-	-	-	1	1.2
Wimbledon College Playing Fields	-	-	-	-	1	1	0.62

Comparing Merton to the UK's Major Cities

City	Crime Rate	Rate Difference
Coventry	39.93	56% safer
Birmingham	49.60	25% safer
Merton	62.17	-
Barnet	67.08	7% more dangerous
Croydon	82.48	25% more dangerous
Sheffield	90.03	31% more dangerous
Bristol	90.52	31% more dangerous
Leicester	111.59	44% more dangerous
Liverpool	123.06	49% more dangerous
Bradford	132.28	53% more dangerous
Leeds	150.94	59% more dangerous

Crime in Merton's Neighbourhoods

Wimbledon Broadway North is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Merton, followed by Mitcham East in second place, and Morden Central as the third most dangerous area. Merton's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Cannon Hill, Cottenham Park, and Merton Park.

Neighbourhood	Crime Count	Crime Rate	Danger Rank
Cannon Hill	233	30	25th
Colliers Wood	744	78	Sixth
Cottenham Park	263	33	24th
Graveney	444	52	19th
Lavender Park	450	56	16th
Lonesome	605	69	Ninth
Lower Morden	263	36	21st
Merton Church Road & Phipps Bridge	545	65	11th
Merton Park	263	33	23rd
Mitcham East	783	93	Second
Mitcham South	713	83	Fourth
Mitcham West	666	71	Eighth
Morden Central	776	88	Third
Pollards Hill	513	69	Tenth
Raynes Park	652	78	Fifth
Rowan Road	538	63	12th
South Wimbledon	478	52	18th
St Helier North	518	59	14th
West Barnes	410	49	20th
Wimbledon Broadway North	796	107	First
Wimbledon Broadway South	645	71	Seventh
Wimbledon Chase	279	34	22nd
Wimbledon Common	297	53	17th
Wimbledon Hill	449	57	15th
Wimbledon Park & Durnsford Road	523	62	13th

Merton Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown

Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Merton for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.

Crime Type	Safest Neighbourhood	Most Dangerous Neighbourhood
Anti-Social Behaviour	Wimbledon Chase (100)	Mitcham South (337)
Bicycle Theft	Pollards Hill (1)	Raynes Park (41)
Burglary	Lower Morden (16)	Wimbledon Common (43)
Criminal Damage and Arson	Cannon Hill (18)	Mitcham South (89)
Drugs	Cottenham Park (5)	Mitcham East (50)
Other Crime	Cottenham Park (1)	Wimbledon Broadway North (14)
Other Theft	Lower Morden (15)	Wimbledon Broadway North (90)
Possession of Weapons	Cannon Hill (1)	Mitcham East (9)
Public Order	Cottenham Park (13)	Wimbledon Broadway North (78)
Robbery (inc. mugging)	Wimbledon Common (3)	Rowan Road (40)
Shoplifting	Cannon Hill (1)	Wimbledon Broadway North (118)
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)	West Barnes (1)	Wimbledon Broadway North (74)
Vehicle Crime	Wimbledon Broadway South (35)	Wimbledon Common (77)
Violence and Sexual Offences	Wimbledon Chase (82)	Mitcham East (304)

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. Shoplifting saw a fall in every month of Merton's lockdown.

Crime	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Anti-Social Behaviour	+33%	+293%	+198%	+78%	+51%	+54%	+61%	+64%	+92%	+71%
Bicycle Theft	-	+5%	-13%	-20%	+22%	+96%	-2%	-6%	+80%	+41%
Burglary	-52%	-55%	-47%	-24%	-40%	-25%	-38%	-48%	-56%	-34%
Criminal Damage and Arson	+2%	-43%	-15%	-23%	+16%	+10%	+10%	-1%	+26%	+15%
Drugs	+100%	+47%	+159%	+79%	+47%	-6%	-5%	+35%	+20%	+48%
Other Crime	+17%	+11%	-65%	+33%	+24%	+27%	-	+58%	+178%	-21%
Other Theft	-7%	-62%	-65%	-37%	-20%	-22%	-9%	-33%	-35%	-22%
Possession of Weapons	-67%	+18%	+11%	-50%	-36%	-	+33%	+33%	-10%	+33%
Public Order	-25%	-21%	+12%	+61%	+13%	+8%	+26%	+65%	-24%	+31%
Robbery	+16%	-74%	-61%	-16%	+23%	-6%	+48%	-13%	-20%	-15%
Shoplifting	-31%	-47%	-28%	-28%	-20%	-32%	-	-23%	-28%	-15%
Theft From the Person	-40%	-83%	-77%	-72%	-59%	-62%	-14%	-59%	-71%	-77%
Vehicle Crime	+26%	-40%	+6%	+15%	+33%	+23%	+13%	+1%	+6%	-46%
Violence and Sexual Offences	-15%	+11%	+5%	-1%	+1%	+19%	+20%	+27%	-6%	-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 boroughs 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.

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