Crime and Safety in Westminster
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Westminster is the most dangerous borough in London. The overall crime rate in Westminster in 2026 is 125 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to London's overall crime rate, coming in 52% higher than the London rate of 82 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Westminster is the second most dangerous city, and the 349th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In January 2026, Westminster had the worst crime rate in London for other theft, with 1,062 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.8 per 1,000 daytime population. January 2026 was also a bad month for Westminster residents, when it was London's most dangerous area for theft from the person, recording 1,581 crimes at a rate of 2.6 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crime in Westminster is theft from the person, with 19,993 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 33. This is 18% lower than 2025's figure of 24,342 offences and a difference of 7.13 from 2025's crime rate of 40. Westminster's least common crimes are possession of weapons, with 357 offences recorded in 2026, an increase of 20% from 2025's figure of 298 crimes.
Westminster 2026 Crime Scorecard
Most Dangerous
Boroughs, London
57% higher, regional crime rate
London
74% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Westminster is 57% higher than London and 74% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Westminster Crime Rate Over Time
| Westminster | |
| London | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Westminster Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Westminster represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
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 visualise the data you need.
See How Westminster Compares
You can compare Westminster's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Westminster's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Westminster up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Westminster's 12,886 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Westminster? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Westminster • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Westminster has a crime risk score of 690. This is based on analysis of 12,886 nearby areas within Westminster, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Westminster's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Westminster, crime risk scores are typically around 690, while in London they are average 534.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 761 (613 for London), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 804 (London 663).
Trends in Crime Risk
Westminster
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
The 10-year trend indicates an increase of 6% in Westminster's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Westminster's crime risk score is up by 31%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.
Over the last year, Westminster's crime risk score has shown a downward trend of approximately 5%, indicating that the risk profile is going down. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Westminster
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Westminster • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Theft From the Person offences have a crime rate of 33 reports per 1,000 people in Westminster, which is 21 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 19,993 crime reports logged by Metropolitan Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Metropolitan Police recorded 2,960 reports of Robbery in Westminster, resulting in a crime rate of 4.93 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 4.18.
The crime rate for Shoplifting is 1.87 times the national average at 13 reports per 1,000. This is from 8,025 crime reports reported to Metropolitan Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Westminster
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Shoplifting offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.86 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 1.38 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 35% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.64 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 0.57 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 12% over this timeframe.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.00 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 0.69 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 45% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Westminster
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Robbery offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 3.20 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Robbery CrimeRate Index was 6.22 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 49% over this timeframe.
Theft From the Person offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 16 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Theft From the Person CrimeRate Index was 21 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 23% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Westminster • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Westminster | London | Metropolitan Police | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 13,374 | 22.23 | 1.57 | 235,985 | 21.68 | 1.53 | 236,187 | 21.58 | 1.53 |
| Bicycle Theft | 935 | 1.56 | 2.14 | 13,695 | 1.26 | 1.73 | 13,744 | 1.26 | 1.73 |
| Burglary | 2,618 | 4.36 | 1.39 | 47,359 | 4.34 | 1.39 | 47,451 | 4.33 | 1.38 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 2,216 | 3.68 | 0.59 | 54,098 | 4.99 | 0.79 | 54,220 | 4.97 | 0.79 |
| Drugs | 2,933 | 4.90 | 1.59 | 53,167 | 4.87 | 1.58 | 53,280 | 4.85 | 1.57 |
| Other Crime | 487 | 0.79 | 0.43 | 13,008 | 1.19 | 0.64 | 13,028 | 1.19 | 0.64 |
| Other Theft | 15,647 | 26.00 | 4.57 | 97,452 | 8.97 | 1.58 | 97,779 | 8.95 | 1.57 |
| Possession of Weapons | 357 | 0.61 | 0.72 | 6,443 | 0.60 | 0.71 | 6,461 | 0.60 | 0.71 |
| Public Order | 3,643 | 6.06 | 1.04 | 60,049 | 5.52 | 0.95 | 60,156 | 5.49 | 0.95 |
| Robbery | 2,960 | 4.93 | 4.18 | 30,804 | 2.83 | 2.40 | 30,857 | 2.83 | 2.40 |
| Shoplifting | 8,025 | 13.34 | 1.87 | 87,976 | 8.09 | 1.13 | 88,269 | 8.08 | 1.13 |
| Theft From the Person | 19,993 | 33.21 | 21 | 77,160 | 7.11 | 4.59 | 77,344 | 7.08 | 4.57 |
| Vehicle Crime | 2,950 | 4.90 | 1.14 | 81,755 | 7.50 | 1.74 | 81,900 | 7.50 | 1.74 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 12,434 | 20.68 | 0.68 | 273,434 | 25.12 | 0.83 | 273,897 | 25.04 | 0.82 |
Download | |||||||||
Total Crime by Year
Westminster | London | Metropolitan Police | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 75,198 | 125.02 | 1.74 | 896,400 | 82.39 | 1.14 | 898,386 | 82.17 | 1.14 |
| 2025 | 84,643 | 140.59 | 1.90 | 896,961 | 83.23 | 1.12 | 898,787 | 82.94 | 1.12 |
| 2024 | 88,968 | 147.25 | 1.95 | 900,986 | 84.38 | 1.12 | 902,681 | 84.12 | 1.12 |
| 2023 | 78,518 | 128.70 | 1.63 | 835,471 | 78.98 | 1.00 | 837,244 | 78.79 | 1.00 |
| 2022 | 58,005 | 94.08 | 1.22 | 795,646 | 75.77 | 0.99 | 797,303 | 75.56 | 0.98 |
| 2021 | 35,055 | 56.33 | 0.82 | 727,983 | 69.09 | 1.01 | 729,401 | 68.83 | 1.00 |
| 2020 | 65,976 | 104.48 | 1.41 | 819,467 | 77.66 | 1.05 | 821,362 | 77.41 | 1.04 |
| 2019 | 68,821 | 108.65 | 1.42 | 849,310 | 80.70 | 1.06 | 851,175 | 80.59 | 1.06 |
| 2018 | 55,337 | 86.22 | 1.21 | 810,063 | 77.08 | 1.08 | 811,738 | 76.91 | 1.08 |
| 2017 | 49,364 | 76.37 | 1.19 | 758,160 | 72.41 | 1.13 | 759,755 | 72.22 | 1.13 |
| 2016 | 15,072 | 23.30 | 1.22 | 234,565 | 22.42 | 1.18 | 235,003 | 22.39 | 1.17 |
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Crime in Westminster's Neighbourhoods
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Neighbourhood | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldwych | 522 | 73.38 | 41% safer |
| Bayswater | 2,455 | 161.29 | 29% more dangerous |
| Belgravia | 2,590 | 96.11 | 23% safer |
| Buckingham Palace | 24 | 58.45 | 53% safer |
| Charing Cross | 730 | 347.68 | 178% more dangerous |
| Chinatown | 1,427 | 378.15 | 202% more dangerous |
| Clare Market | 59 | 12.01 | 90% safer |
| Covent Garden | 4,073 | 246.87 | 97% more dangerous |
| Hyde Park | 874 | 704.36 | 463% more dangerous |
| Kensington Gardens | 136 | 189.91 | 52% more dangerous |
| Leicester Square | 2,582 | 1184.78 | 848% more dangerous |
| Lisson Grove | 2,655 | 109.74 | 12% safer |
| Maida Vale | 2,453 | 89.59 | 28% safer |
| Marylebone | 10,531 | 145.13 | 16% more dangerous |
| Mayfair | 7,612 | 116.61 | 7% safer |
| Paddington | 3,851 | 98.62 | 21% safer |
| Pimlico | 1,905 | 72.91 | 42% safer |
| Regent's Park | 274 | 353.42 | 183% more dangerous |
| Soho | 12,515 | 337.88 | 170% more dangerous |
| St James's Park | 307 | 287.31 | 130% more dangerous |
| St. James's | 2,170 | 74.77 | 40% safer |
| St. John's Wood | 1,484 | 69.21 | 45% safer |
| Strand | 1,977 | 121.80 | 2.6% safer |
| Victoria | 2,743 | 81.83 | 35% safer |
| West Kilburn | 1,651 | 85.46 | 32% safer |
| Westbourne | 1,811 | 101.60 | 19% safer |
| Westminster Village | 2,846 | 52.02 | 58% safer |
| Whitehall | 802 | 85.06 | 32% safer |
Westminster Compared to Other London Boroughs
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Borough | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 75,198 | 125.02 | - |
| Camden | 39,579 | 97.84 | 22% safer |
| Haringey | 28,040 | 95.10 | 24% safer |
| Lewisham | 29,090 | 92.69 | 26% safer |
| Southwark | 39,255 | 91.28 | 27% safer |
| Islington | 31,591 | 90.89 | 27% safer |
| Greenwich | 27,583 | 87.11 | 30% safer |
| Brent | 32,653 | 86.45 | 31% safer |
| Enfield | 29,378 | 85.76 | 31% safer |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 20,786 | 84.88 | 32% safer |
| Barking and Dagenham | 19,666 | 81.12 | 35% safer |
| Hillingdon | 31,089 | 80.61 | 36% safer |
| Waltham Forest | 23,076 | 80.11 | 36% safer |
| Ealing | 32,448 | 77.95 | 38% safer |
| Hounslow | 26,744 | 77.29 | 38% safer |
| Croydon | 33,841 | 75.52 | 40% safer |
Comparing Westminster to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 36% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 34% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 33% safer |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 22% safer |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 16% safer |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 16% safer |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 15% safer |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 14% safer |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 14% safer |
| Westminster | 125.02 | - |
CrimeRate Pro
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You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Westminster's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Westminster that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primrose Hill | 48 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 36 | 142 |
| Flanders Fields Memorial Garden | - | - | 2 | - | 1 | 2 |
| Meanwhile Gardens | 48 | 21 | 20 | 9 | 54 | 81 |
| Forty Tree Green | 11 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 39 | 25 |
| Westbourne Green | 143 | 18 | 22 | 14 | 106 | 110 |
| South Kilburn Open Space | 58 | 6 | - | - | 32 | 31 |
| Paddington Recreation Ground | 100 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 43 | 74 |
| Regent's Park | 13 | 18 | 32 | 13 | 59 | 264 |
| St Mary's Gardens | 69 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 37 | 37 |
| Broadley Street Gardens | 106 | 16 | 22 | 4 | 43 | 50 |
| Lisson Gardens | 61 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 19 |
| Park Square Gardens | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 37 |
| Crescent Gardens | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 44 |
| Kensington Gardens | 109 | 42 | 52 | 30 | 159 | 460 |
| Hyde Park | 114 | 208 | 97 | 69 | 268 | 552 |
| Hanover Square Garden | 38 | 29 | 25 | 39 | 79 | 1283 |
| Grosvenor Square Gardens | 21 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 23 | 82 |
| Mount Street Gardens | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 29 |
| Golden Square Gardens | 17 | 14 | 19 | 12 | 35 | 289 |
| Queen Victoria Memorial Gardens | 6 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 134 |
| Drury Lane Gardens | 85 | 4 | 25 | 5 | 62 | 178 |
| Victoria Embankment Gardens | 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 79 |
| Waterloo Gardens | 16 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 66 |
| Victoria Embankment Gardens | 154 | 44 | 67 | 68 | 290 | 817 |
| Victoria Tower Gardens | 3 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 43 | 46 |
| Paddington Bowling and Sports Club | 21 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 61 |
| Little Venice Sports Centre | 12 | 2 | 1 | - | 14 | 20 |
| Coney Garth | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 49 |
| 14 TO 16 | 48 | 23 | 18 | 32 | 80 | 648 |
| Green Park | 19 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 80 |
| St James's Park | 25 | 8 | 30 | 4 | 39 | 319 |
| Eaton Square Gardens | 15 | 3 | - | - | 14 | 54 |
| Ebury Square Gardens | 22 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 32 | 165 |
| Queen Mother Sports Centre | 178 | 7 | 25 | 16 | 86 | 179 |
| Westminster School Playing Field | 99 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 47 |
| Abingdon Street Gardens | 3 | 1 | 10 | - | 38 | 36 |
| Abbey Garden | 21 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 39 | 40 |
| St John's Gardens | 30 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 53 | 91 |
| Millbank Gardens | 47 | 4 | 2 | - | 27 | 27 |
| Victoria Tower Gardens | - | 2 | 2 | - | 5 | 6 |
| Ranelagh Gardens | 39 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 24 | 59 |
| St George's Square Gardens | 24 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 40 | 25 |
| The Convent Garden | 45 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 39 | 204 |
| United Nations Green | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 132 |
| Parliament Square Garden | 20 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 43 | 86 |
Recent Crimes in Westminster
The 20 most recent crime reports in Westminster.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Kennet Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Bear Street | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Theft from the person | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Leicester Square | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Leicester Square |
Methodology & Data Sources
Westminster Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Westminster during August 2026 will typically become available in October 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Westminster Data Points
For Westminster, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E43000236.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Westminster's daytime - or "workday" - population of 680,488 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Westminster