Southwark Crime Overview
Southwark is among the top 10 most dangerous cities in London. The overall crime rate in Southwark in 2020 was 93 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to London's overall crime rate, coming in 13% higher than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Southwark ranks as the among the top 20 most dangerous city, and the the 489th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In July 2020, Southwark had the worst crime rate in London for bicycle theft, with 275 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.86 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2020 was also a bad month for Southwark residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for drugs, recording 254 crimes at a rate of 0.80 per 1,000 residents. Southwark recorded 209 reports of other theft during May 2020, making its crime rate of 0.66 the worst for other theft in London that month.
The most common crimes in Southwark are violence and sexual offences, with 8,214 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 26. This is 17% lower than 2019's figure of 9,649 offences and a difference of 4.50 from 2019's crime rate of 30. Southwark's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 285 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 19% from 2019's figure of 339 crimes.
Southwark Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Southwark This Year
| Southwark | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 15,898 | 49.86 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 13% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 1,744 | 5.47 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 53% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 2,341 | 7.34 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 14% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,828 | 5.73 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 7% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 2,065 | 6.48 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 16% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 298 | 0.93 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 14% safer |
| Other Theft | 3,435 | 10.77 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 19% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 285 | 0.89 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 29% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 2,081 | 6.53 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 11% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 1,416 | 4.44 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 36% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 953 | 2.99 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 23% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 1,845 | 5.79 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 39% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 3,109 | 9.75 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 14% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 8,214 | 25.76 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 8% more dangerous |
Southwark Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisham | 24,819 | 81.15 | 14% safer |
| Newham | 30,154 | 85.39 | 9% safer |
| Lambeth | 28,015 | 85.93 | 8% safer |
| Tower Hamlets | 28,514 | 87.80 | 6% safer |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 17,115 | 92.44 | 0.48% safer |
| Southwark | 29,614 | 92.88 | - |
| Haringey | 25,571 | 95.18 | 2.4% more dangerous |
| Hackney | 27,345 | 97.27 | 4.5% more dangerous |
| Islington | 24,146 | 99.58 | 7% more dangerous |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 16,253 | 104.10 | 11% more dangerous |
| Camden | 28,903 | 107.04 | 13% more dangerous |
Southwark Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 26 | 26 | 29 | 50 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 5.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 5 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 0.98 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.93 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 15 | 18 | 19 | 11 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.89 | Safer |
| Public Order | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 4.4 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.0 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 7 | 7 | 13 | 6 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 9 | 12 | 11 | 10 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 26 | 31 | 30 | 26 | Safer |
Comparing Southwark to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 71.50 | 30% safer |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 26% safer |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 25% safer |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 20% safer |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 17% safer |
| London | 80.70 | 15% safer |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 4.3% safer |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 1.4% safer |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 1.1% safer |
| Southwark | 92.88 | - |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 9% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 12% more dangerous |
Crime in Southwark During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Southwark change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Southwark saw a 227% increase in anti-social behaviour. Southwark saw a large fall in theft from the person during April, when it fell by 90% compared to April in 2019. Southwark 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 | +21% | +227% | +220% | +87% | +62% | +65% | +61% | +65% | +79% |
| Bicycle Theft | -24% | -47% | -34% | +78% | +124% | +127% | +132% | +68% | +61% |
| Burglary | -40% | -23% | -30% | -27% | -21% | -8% | -4% | -17% | -17% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -28% | -20% | -29% | +9% | +12% | +5% | +15% | +2% | -10% |
| Drugs | -34% | -7% | +26% | -13% | -31% | -23% | -5% | +1% | +22% |
| Other Crime | -37% | -24% | -17% | -24% | -9% | -13% | -17% | +55% | +19% |
| Other Theft | -42% | -72% | -62% | -47% | -36% | -15% | -22% | -45% | -52% |
| Possession of Weapons | -53% | - | -19% | -41% | -50% | +70% | +35% | +52% | +89% |
| Public Order | -6% | -15% | -22% | -23% | +1% | +3% | +25% | -8% | -2% |
| Robbery | -29% | -79% | -68% | -41% | -35% | +4% | -41% | -37% | -53% |
| Shoplifting | -29% | -43% | -42% | -42% | +9% | -21% | -15% | -20% | -28% |
| Theft From the Person | -40% | -90% | -83% | -68% | -64% | -41% | -55% | -50% | -51% |
| Vehicle Crime | -38% | -34% | -18% | -12% | +59% | +13% | -19% | +1% | +12% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -21% | -30% | -22% | -21% | -3% | +14% | +11% | +2% | -11% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Southwark
What police force serves Southwark?
Southwark's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.How dangerous is Southwark?
Southwark is among the top 10 most dangerous cities in London.What is Southwark's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Southwark are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Southwark?
Southwark's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 01 Mar 2021