What is the crime rate in Central Bedfordshire?

As of March 2026, Central Bedfordshire has a crime rate of 5.04 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,482 recorded offences.

How does Central Bedfordshire rank nationally for crime?

Central Bedfordshire ranks #111 out of 330 local authorities by total crime volume.

What is the most common crime in Central Bedfordshire?

The most common crime type in Central Bedfordshire is Violence and sexual offences with 547 incidents in March 2026, accounting for 36.9% of all crime.

March 2026 Source: Bedfordshire Police Police

Central Bedfordshire Crime Intelligence Report

Central Bedfordshire recorded 1,482 crimes in March 2026, equating to a crime rate of 5.04 per 1,000 residents. This places Central Bedfordshire at #111 of 330 local authorities nationally by total crime volume. Crime has increased by 1.2% compared to the previous month. Year-on-year, crime levels are 13.8% lower.

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Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry Period: March 2026 • Updated monthly

Total Crimes

1,482

trending_up +1.2% vs last month

Crime Rate

5.04per 1k

Moderate

National Rank

#111of 330

By total crime volume

National Population

294,251

Estimated population

12-Month Crime Trend

Monthly Totals

Interactive Crime Map

District View

Live Points

Crime Incident

Area Boundary

Incident Distribution

Top Locations

Location Reference	Crime Breakdown	Primary Count
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 19 Shoplifting: 7	19
On or near Shopping Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 18 Anti-social behaviour: 5 Theft from the person: 1	18
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 22	22
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 19 Burglary: 2	19
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 10 Other theft: 5	10
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 10 Public order: 3	10
On or near Petrol Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 12	12
On or near Armistice Croft Map	Violence and sexual offences: 7 Criminal damage and arson: 3	7
On or near Petrol Station Map	Other theft: 9	9
On or near Supermarket Map	Anti-social behaviour: 8	8

Crime Breakdown

March 2026

1,482 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

547

36.9%

Anti-social Behaviour

282

19.0%

Vehicle Crime

112

7.6%

Criminal Damage & Arson

6.7%

Other Theft

5.8%

Shoplifting

5.6%

Public Order

5.3%

Drug Offences

3.9%

Burglary

3.5%

Other Crime

3.0%

Weapons Possession

1.1%

Robbery

1.0%

Theft from Person

0.3%

Bicycle Theft

0.3%

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

31 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Leighton Buzzard South	128	8.3
2	Dunstable-Northfields	89	7.8
3	Leighton Buzzard North	87	5.8
4	Arlesey	83	5.1
5	Houghton Hall	79	7.9

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Houghton Conquest and Haynes	11	2.6
shield	Barton-le-Clay	11	2.2
shield	Eaton Bray	12	2.9
shield	Westoning, Flitton and Greenfield	13	2.7
shield	Northill	17	3.7

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +1.2%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -13.8%

Data Transparency

Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 330 local authorities in England & Wales.

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