Merton has a crime rate of 71.05 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #120 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Merton'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 Merton?

As of April 2026, Merton has an annual crime rate of 71.05 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,386 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 Merton rank nationally for crime?

Merton ranks #120 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 Merton?

The most common crime type in Merton is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 377 incidents in April 2026 — 27.2% 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 Merton local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Metropolitan Police Service Police

Crime in Merton: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Merton recorded 1,386 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 6.44 per 1,000 residents. This places Merton at #120 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 27.2% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 6.5% compared to the same period last year.

check_circle Crime is below average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring71.05 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,386 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #120 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 6.5% year-on-year

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

location_cityPart of Greater London —View all 33 London boroughs

Total Crimes

1,386

trending_up +4.9% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

71.05per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#120of 331

Ranked by annual rate

Outer London

#2rank

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 Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 58	58
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 23 Public order: 5	23
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 19	19
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 15 Theft from the person: 2	15
On or near Supermarket Map	Anti-social behaviour: 8 Robbery: 4 Drugs: 2	8
On or near Parking Area Map	Shoplifting: 11 Bicycle theft: 3	11
On or near Brickfield Road Map	Shoplifting: 10	10
On or near Shopping Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 10	10
On or near Petrol Station Map	Anti-social behaviour: 10	10
On or near Supermarket Map	Public order: 9	9

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,386 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

377

27.2%

Anti-social Behaviour

318

22.9%

Shoplifting

165

11.9%

Vehicle Crime

6.3%

Other Theft

5.9%

Criminal Damage & Arson

5.7%

Public Order

5.6%

Burglary

3.8%

Drug Offences

3.1%

Theft from Person

2.0%

Robbery

2.0%

Bicycle Theft

1.8%

Other Crime

1.0%

Weapons Possession

0.6%

Crime Analysis: Merton

Merton recorded 1,386 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 71.05 per 1,000 residents — broadly average for England and Wales, ranked #120 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Merton at 27.2%. Anti-social Behaviour (22.9%) and Shoplifting (11.9%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Merton has fallen noticeably — by 6.5%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Metropolitan Police Service 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.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

20 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Cricket Green	118	111.7
2	Merton Park	78	94.4
3	Wimbledon Town & Dundonald	108	89.0
4	Colliers Wood	82	88.1
5	Longthornton	101	83.3

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Cannon Hill	36	2.6
shield	Village	34	1.8
shield	Wandle	36	2.5
shield	Lower Morden	36	3.2
shield	Hillside	42	3.9

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +4.9%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -6.5%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.1%

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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