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April 2026 Source: Thames Valley Police Police

Crime in Reading: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Reading recorded 1,750 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 9.99 per 1,000 residents. This places Reading at #253 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 34.7% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 8.3% compared to the same period last year.

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

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Key Statistics

  • monitoring104.37 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
  • assignment1,750 crimes recorded in April 2026
  • leaderboardRanked #253 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
  • trending_upCrime up 8.3% year-on-year
Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry Period: April 2026 • Updated monthly

Total Crimes

1,750
trending_down -2.2% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

104.37per 1k
High Risk

National Safety

#253of 331

Top 18% Riskiest UK

National Population

174,223

Estimated population

12-Month Crime Trend

Monthly Totals

Interactive Crime Map

District View
Live Points
Crime Incident
Area Boundary

Incident Distribution

Top Locations
Location ReferenceCrime BreakdownPrimary Count
On or near Supermarket Map
Shoplifting: 113 Robbery: 6
113
On or near Shopping Area Map
Shoplifting: 56 Violence and sexual offences: 15 Public order: 6
56
On or near Honey End Lane Map
Violence and sexual offences: 29 Criminal damage and arson: 10
29
On or near Cross Street Map
Shoplifting: 39
39
On or near Parking Area Map
Violence and sexual offences: 37
37
On or near Shooters Way Map
Shoplifting: 33
33
On or near Petrol Station Map
Shoplifting: 32
32
On or near Petrol Station Map
Violence and sexual offences: 19
19
On or near Supermarket Map
Violence and sexual offences: 13
13
On or near Parking Area Map
Anti-social behaviour: 10
10

Crime Breakdown

April 2026
1,750 Total
Violence & Sexual Offences
607
34.7%
Shoplifting
338
19.3%
Anti-social Behaviour
180
10.3%
Public Order
130
7.4%
Other Theft
127
7.3%
Criminal Damage & Arson
100
5.7%
Vehicle Crime
53
3.0%
Drug Offences
38
2.2%
Other Crime
37
2.1%
Bicycle Theft
37
2.1%
Burglary
36
2.1%
Robbery
32
1.8%
Theft from Person
22
1.3%
Weapons Possession
13
0.7%

Crime Analysis: Reading

Reading recorded 1,750 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 104.37 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#253 of 331 local authorities).

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Reading at 34.7%. Shoplifting (19.3%) and Anti-social Behaviour (10.3%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Reading has risen noticeably — by 8.3%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Thames Valley 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

1,430

Total Stops

10.5%

Arrest Rate

108

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

960

Offensive weapons

182

Stolen goods

179

Article for use in theft

87

Articles for use in criminal damage

10

Firearms

6

Game or poaching equipment

4

Fireworks

1

Outcome

A no further action disposal963
Community resolution278
Arrest150
Not recorded13
Penalty Notice for Disorder11
Khat or Cannabis warning7
Summons / charged by post4
Caution (simple or conditional)4

Gender

Male1,194
Female205
Other18

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

61.8%

White

18.7%

Asian

17.7%

Black

1.8%

Other

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

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

16 wards

Highest Crime

#Ward Crimes Rate
1Abbey 398 246.4
2Southcote 152 121.2
3Coley 136 101.8
4Battle 87 99.3
5Park 86 97.7

Safest Wards

Ward Crimes Rate
shieldCaversham Heights 27 2.8
shieldEmmer Green 28 2.9
shieldRedlands 107 3.7
shieldThames 102 6.1
shieldCaversham 80 6.2

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -2.2%
Year-on-Yeartrending_up +8.3%
12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.4%

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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