Is Central Bedfordshire safe?

Central Bedfordshire has a crime rate of 58.76 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #67 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Central Bedfordshire'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 Central Bedfordshire?

As of April 2026, Central Bedfordshire has an annual crime rate of 58.76 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,560 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 Central Bedfordshire rank nationally for crime?

Central Bedfordshire ranks #67 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 Central Bedfordshire?

The most common crime type in Central Bedfordshire is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 529 incidents in April 2026 — 33.9% 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 Central Bedfordshire local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Bedfordshire Police Police

Crime in Central Bedfordshire: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Central Bedfordshire recorded 1,560 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 5.3 per 1,000 residents. This places Central Bedfordshire at #67 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 33.9% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 2.1% compared to the same period last year.

shield Crime is significantly below the UK average — one of the safer areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring58.76 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,560 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #67 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 2.1% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

1,560

trending_up +5.3% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

58.76per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#67of 331

Top 21% Safest UK

National Population

294,251

Estimated population

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: 25	25
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 19 Shoplifting: 4	19
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 15	15
On or near Parking Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 14	14
On or near Sports/Recreation Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 8 Anti-social behaviour: 5	8
On or near Shopping Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 10 Drugs: 2	10
On or near Armistice Croft Map	Violence and sexual offences: 11	11
On or near Parking Area Map	Criminal damage and arson: 7 Other theft: 3	7
On or near Petrol Station Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9	9
On or near Petrol Station Map	Other theft: 8	8

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,560 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

529

33.9%

Anti-social Behaviour

307

19.7%

Vehicle Crime

153

9.8%

Criminal Damage & Arson

117

7.5%

Public Order

5.7%

Shoplifting

5.4%

Other Theft

5.3%

Burglary

3.6%

Drug Offences

3.5%

Other Crime

2.9%

Robbery

1.2%

Weapons Possession

0.9%

Bicycle Theft

0.5%

Theft from Person

0.3%

Crime Analysis: Central Bedfordshire

Central Bedfordshire recorded 1,560 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 58.76 per 1,000 residents — among the lower-crime areas in England and Wales, ranked #67 of 331 by crime rate.

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Central Bedfordshire at 33.9%. Anti-social Behaviour (19.7%) and Vehicle Crime (9.8%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Central Bedfordshire has fallen slightly — by 2.1%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Bedfordshire 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

March 2026

381

Total Stops

13.4%

Arrest Rate

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

253

Offensive weapons

Article for use in theft

Stolen goods

Firearms

Outcome

A no further action disposal275

Arrest51

Community resolution39

Summons / charged by post14

Khat or Cannabis warning2

Gender

Male210

Female25

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

63.0%

White

18.5%

Asian

17.9%

Black

0.6%

Other

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

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

31 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Tithe Farm	45	90.7
2	Houghton Hall	109	90.6
3	Sandy	87	81.7
4	Leighton Buzzard South	117	78.4
5	Biggleswade North	67	77.9

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Northill	12	1.6
shield	Westoning, Flitton and Greenfield	9	1.9
shield	Linslade	23	1.9
shield	Ampthill	29	1.9
shield	Barton-le-Clay	19	3.9

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +5.3%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -2.1%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -0.9%

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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