Watford has a crime rate of 103.03 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #247 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Watford'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 Watford?

As of April 2026, Watford has an annual crime rate of 103.03 per 1,000 residents, based on 950 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 Watford rank nationally for crime?

Watford ranks #247 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 Watford?

The most common crime type in Watford is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 295 incidents in April 2026 — 31.1% 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 Watford local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Hertfordshire Constabulary Police

Crime in Watford: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Watford recorded 950 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 9.19 per 1,000 residents. This places Watford at #247 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 31.1% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 5.6% compared to the same period last year.

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

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Key Statistics

monitoring103.03 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment950 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #247 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 5.6% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

950

trending_down -4.3% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

103.03per 1k

High Risk

National Safety

#247of 331

Top 20% Riskiest UK

Hertfordshire

#9rank

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	Other theft: 19 Shoplifting: 6	19
On or near Further/Higher Educational Building Map	Anti-social behaviour: 12 Other theft: 4 Burglary: 1	12
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 14 Robbery: 1	14
On or near Wells Yard Map	Violence and sexual offences: 7 Shoplifting: 4 Robbery: 2	7
On or near Hospital Map	Violence and sexual offences: 10 Public order: 4	10
On or near Parking Area Map	Shoplifting: 9 Other theft: 3	9
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 10	10
On or near Addiscombe Road Map	Criminal damage and arson: 5 Violence and sexual offences: 5	5
On or near Shopping Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 9	9
On or near Parking Area Map	Public order: 7	7

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

950 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

295

31.1%

Anti-social Behaviour

210

22.1%

Other Theft

8.2%

Vehicle Crime

7.2%

Criminal Damage & Arson

6.8%

Shoplifting

6.0%

Public Order

5.7%

Drug Offences

4.3%

Burglary

1.8%

Other Crime

1.8%

Robbery

1.7%

Theft from Person

1.4%

Bicycle Theft

1.2%

Weapons Possession

0.8%

Crime Analysis: Watford

Watford recorded 950 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 103.03 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#247 of 331 local authorities).

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Watford at 31.1%. Anti-social Behaviour (22.1%) and Other Theft (8.2%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Watford has risen noticeably — by 5.6%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Hertfordshire Constabulary 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

641

Total Stops

17.8%

Arrest Rate

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

373

Article for use in theft

135

Offensive weapons

Stolen goods

Articles for use in criminal damage

Psychoactive substances

Firearms

Evidence of offences under the Act

Outcome

A no further action disposal400

Arrest114

Community resolution83

Not recorded32

Summons / charged by post7

Caution (simple or conditional)5

Gender

Male345

Other204

Female76

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

68.9%

White

16.8%

Black

11.2%

Asian

3.1%

Other

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

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

12 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Central	310	223.1
2	Holywell	92	107.1
3	Meriden	94	105.3
4	Woodside	63	90.7
5	Callowland	63	85.4

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Tudor	30	1.5
shield	Oxhey	43	2.4
shield	Nascot	43	4.7
shield	Stanborough	41	5.4
shield	Park	35	4.0

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -4.3%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +5.6%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_up +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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Hertfordshire Constabulary

33 policing neighbourhoods

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