Tower Hamlets Crime Overview
Tower Hamlets is among the top 10 most dangerous cities in London. The overall crime rate in Tower Hamlets in 2020 was 88 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to London's overall crime rate, coming in 8% higher than London's rate of 81 per 1,000 residents. For England and Wales as a whole, Tower Hamlets ranks as the among the top 20 most dangerous city, and the the 597th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, Tower Hamlets had the worst crime rate in London for bicycle theft, with 208 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.64 per 1,000 inhabitants. July 2020 was also a bad month for Tower Hamlets residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for burglary, recording 255 crimes at a rate of 0.79 per 1,000 residents. Tower Hamlets recorded 224 reports of criminal damage and arson during February 2020, making its crime rate of 0.69 the worst for criminal damage and arson in London that month.
The most common crimes in Tower Hamlets are violence and sexual offences, with 8,032 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 25. This is 12% lower than 2019's figure of 9,015 offences and a difference of 3.03 from 2019's crime rate of 28. Tower Hamlets's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 234 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 17% from 2019's figure of 274 crimes.
Tower Hamlets Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Tower Hamlets This Year
| Tower Hamlets | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 23,467 | 72.26 | 386,651 | 43.14 | 40% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 1,962 | 6.04 | 23,018 | 2.57 | 57% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 2,455 | 7.56 | 56,330 | 6.29 | 17% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,845 | 5.68 | 47,563 | 5.31 | 7% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 2,604 | 8.02 | 49,029 | 5.47 | 32% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 378 | 1.16 | 9,534 | 1.06 | 9% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 2,898 | 8.92 | 77,783 | 8.68 | 2.7% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 234 | 0.72 | 5,602 | 0.63 | 12% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 2,105 | 6.48 | 52,270 | 5.83 | 10% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 925 | 2.85 | 25,480 | 2.84 | 0.35% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 738 | 2.27 | 32,905 | 3.67 | 62% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 1,185 | 3.65 | 31,829 | 3.55 | 2.7% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 3,153 | 9.71 | 99,978 | 11.16 | 15% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 8,032 | 24.73 | 211,943 | 23.65 | 4.4% more dangerous |
Tower Hamlets Compared to Nearby Cities
| Cities | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | 17,020 | 79.94 | 10% safer |
| Hounslow | 21,729 | 80.03 | 10% safer |
| Lewisham | 24,819 | 81.15 | 8% safer |
| Newham | 30,154 | 85.39 | 2.8% safer |
| Lambeth | 28,015 | 85.93 | 2.2% safer |
| Tower Hamlets | 28,514 | 87.80 | - |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 17,115 | 92.44 | 5% more dangerous |
| Southwark | 29,614 | 92.88 | 5% more dangerous |
| Haringey | 25,571 | 95.18 | 8% more dangerous |
| Hackney | 27,345 | 97.27 | 10% more dangerous |
| Islington | 24,146 | 99.58 | 12% more dangerous |
Tower Hamlets Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 40 | 41 | 47 | 72 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | Safer |
| Drugs | 4.0 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 12 | 14 | 15 | 9 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.83 | 0.97 | 0.84 | 0.72 | Safer |
| Public Order | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safer |
| Robbery | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 2.8 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 4.0 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.3 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3.6 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 26 | 29 | 28 | 25 | Safer |
Comparing Tower Hamlets to the UK's Major Cities
| Cities | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 71.50 | 23% safer |
| Sheffield | 73.99 | 19% safer |
| Kirklees | 74.23 | 18% safer |
| Croydon | 77.18 | 14% safer |
| Bradford | 79.19 | 11% safer |
| London | 80.70 | 9% safer |
| Tower Hamlets | 87.80 | - |
| Birmingham | 89.02 | 1.4% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 91.57 | 4.1% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 91.90 | 4.5% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 102.51 | 14% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 105.94 | 17% more dangerous |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Tower Hamlets
What police force serves Tower Hamlets?
Tower Hamlets's local territorial police force is the Metropolitan Police Service.How dangerous is Tower Hamlets?
Tower Hamlets is among the top 10 most dangerous cities in London.What is Tower Hamlets's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Tower Hamlets are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Tower Hamlets?
Tower Hamlets's least common crimes are possession of weapons.Last updated: 18 Feb 2021