Is Waltham Forest safe?

Waltham Forest has a crime rate of 97.54 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #231 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Waltham Forest'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 Waltham Forest?

As of April 2026, Waltham Forest has an annual crime rate of 97.54 per 1,000 residents, based on 2,391 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 Waltham Forest rank nationally for crime?

Waltham Forest ranks #231 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 Waltham Forest?

The most common crime type in Waltham Forest is Anti-social Behaviour, accounting for 588 incidents in April 2026 — 24.6% 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 Waltham Forest local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Metropolitan Police Service Police

Crime in Waltham Forest: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Waltham Forest recorded 2,391 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 8.59 per 1,000 residents. This places Waltham Forest at #231 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Anti-social Behaviour accounts for the largest share of crime at 24.6% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 5.2% compared to the same period last year.

info Crime is above average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring97.54 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment2,391 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #231 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 5.2% 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

2,391

trending_down -2.2% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

97.54per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#231of 331

Ranked by annual rate

Outer London

#11rank

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 Further/Higher Educational Building Map	Shoplifting: 36	36
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 14 Public order: 7 Other theft: 5	14
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 15 Vehicle crime: 7 Theft from the person: 4	15
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 19 Robbery: 5	19
On or near Lynn Road Map	Shoplifting: 18 Robbery: 3	18
On or near Petrol Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 17	17
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 15	15
On or near High Road Map	Anti-social behaviour: 14	14
On or near Petrol Station Map	Other theft: 10 Robbery: 3	10
On or near Lea Bridge Road Map	Violence and sexual offences: 8 Public order: 4	8

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

2,391 Total

Anti-social Behaviour

588

24.6%

Violence & Sexual Offences

560

23.4%

Vehicle Crime

230

9.6%

Other Theft

199

8.3%

Shoplifting

142

5.9%

Drug Offences

137

5.7%

Criminal Damage & Arson

119

5.0%

Public Order

109

4.6%

Burglary

108

4.5%

Theft from Person

3.3%

Robbery

2.1%

Other Crime

1.2%

Bicycle Theft

1.0%

Weapons Possession

0.8%

Crime Analysis: Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest recorded 2,391 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 97.54 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, ranked #231 of 331.

Anti-social Behaviour makes up the largest share of crime in Waltham Forest at 24.6%. Violence & Sexual Offences (23.4%) and Vehicle Crime (9.6%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Waltham Forest has fallen noticeably — by 5.2%. 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

22 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	High Street	210	207.9
2	Leytonstone	173	190.4
3	Lea Bridge	223	132.3
4	Valley	165	123.3
5	St James	103	112.1

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Markhouse	34	2.4
shield	Endlebury	35	3.8
shield	Hatch Lane & Highams Park North	50	3.9
shield	Upper Walthamstow	50	5.7
shield	Larkswood	77	5.7

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -2.2%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -5.2%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.7%

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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