Harlow has a crime rate of 99.36 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #235 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Harlow's wards; some neighbourhoods are considerably safer than the city average. See the ward breakdown and hotspot map on this page for a detailed local picture.

What is the crime rate in Harlow?

As of April 2026, Harlow has an annual crime rate of 99.36 per 1,000 residents, based on 873 recorded offences in the latest reporting period. This figure is sourced from Police.uk open data and normalised using ONS Census 2021 population estimates to allow accurate comparisons between areas.

How does Harlow rank nationally for crime?

Harlow ranks #235 out of 331 local authorities in England and Wales by annual crime rate per 1,000 residents. A rank of #1 indicates the highest crime rate nationally. Rankings are recalculated each month as new Police.uk data becomes available, covering all recorded crimes across the area.

What is the most common crime in Harlow?

The most common crime type in Harlow is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 335 incidents in April 2026 — 38.4% of all recorded crime in the area. Data is sourced from Police.uk and covers all crimes recorded by the responsible police force across the Harlow local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Essex Police Police

Crime in Harlow: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Harlow recorded 873 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 9.35 per 1,000 residents. This places Harlow at #235 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 38.4% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 1.5% compared to the same period last year.

warning Crime is significantly above the UK average for this area.

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Key Statistics

monitoring99.36 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment873 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #235 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 1.5% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

873

trending_down -1.5% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

99.36per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#235of 331

Top 24% Riskiest UK

Essex

#12rank

Ranked by annual rate

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: 23	23
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 14 Violence and sexual offences: 8	14
On or near Police Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9 Criminal damage and arson: 6 Drugs: 5	9
On or near Hospital Map	Violence and sexual offences: 11 Other theft: 5 Public order: 3	11
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 5 Other theft: 4 Theft from the person: 2	5
On or near Luther King Road Map	Shoplifting: 6 Bicycle theft: 3	6
On or near Milwards Map	Public order: 4 Burglary: 2 Criminal damage and arson: 2	4
On or near Supermarket Map	Public order: 4 Criminal damage and arson: 4	4
On or near Parking Area Map	Other theft: 8	8
On or near Supermarket Map	Anti-social behaviour: 7	7

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

873 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

335

38.4%

Anti-social Behaviour

107

12.3%

Other Theft

7.2%

Shoplifting

7.1%

Public Order

6.9%

Vehicle Crime

6.5%

Criminal Damage & Arson

5.6%

Drug Offences

4.9%

Burglary

4.4%

Bicycle Theft

2.1%

Other Crime

1.9%

Theft from Person

1.0%

Weapons Possession

0.9%

Robbery

0.8%

Crime Analysis: Harlow

Harlow recorded 873 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 99.36 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#235 of 331 local authorities).

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Harlow (38.4%). Anti-social Behaviour (12.3%) and Other Theft (7.2%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Harlow has risen slightly — by 1.5%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Essex Police through the Police.uk open data platform and cross-referenced with ONS 2021 Census population estimates to produce the per-resident rates above. Data typically appears 1–2 months after the end of the recording period.

Stop & Search

April 2026

1,156

Total Stops

14.8%

Arrest Rate

Neighbourhoods

Outcome

A no further action disposal821

Arrest171

Community resolution155

Summons / charged by post4

Caution (simple or conditional)3

Khat or Cannabis warning2

Gender

Male925

Female156

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

75.6%

White

9.4%

Black

7.7%

Asian

4.6%

Mixed

2.7%

Other

Stop & search data published by Essex Police under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: police.uk.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

11 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Toddbrook	193	210.0
2	Mark Hall	114	111.6
3	Staple Tye	81	105.7
4	Netteswell	66	104.9
5	Bush Fair	56	89.5

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Church Langley	27	3.0
shield	Little Parndon and Hare Street	94	5.3
shield	Great Parndon	46	7.0
shield	Old Harlow	82	7.3
shield	Harlow Common	45	5.9

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -1.5%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +1.5%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.5%

Data Transparency

Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 331 local authorities in England & Wales.

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