Is Tower Hamlets safe?

Tower Hamlets has a crime rate of 119.25 per 1,000 residents — below the national average for England and Wales, placing it among the lower-crime areas in the UK at #283 of 331 local authorities. Crime levels vary significantly across Tower Hamlets'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 Tower Hamlets?

As of April 2026, Tower Hamlets has an annual crime rate of 119.25 per 1,000 residents, based on 3,913 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 Tower Hamlets rank nationally for crime?

Tower Hamlets ranks #283 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 Tower Hamlets?

The most common crime type in Tower Hamlets is Anti-social Behaviour, accounting for 909 incidents in April 2026 — 23.2% 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 Tower Hamlets local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Metropolitan Police Service Police

Crime in Tower Hamlets: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Tower Hamlets is among the safer areas in England and Wales, recording 3,913 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 10.63 per 1,000 residents. This places Tower Hamlets at #283 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Anti-social Behaviour accounts for the largest share of crime at 23.2% of all offences recorded. Crime is up 2.1% compared to the same period last year.

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

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Key Statistics

monitoring119.25 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment3,913 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #283 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_upCrime up 2.1% 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

3,913

trending_up +2.0% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

119.25per 1k

High Risk

National Safety

#283of 331

Top 9% Riskiest UK

Inner London

#6rank

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: 42 Violence and sexual offences: 14	42
On or near Stepney Green Map	Shoplifting: 31	31
On or near Shopping Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 10 Theft from the person: 9 Burglary: 4	10
On or near Supermarket Map	Theft from the person: 9 Robbery: 8 Bicycle theft: 3	9
On or near Shopping Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 20	20
On or near Canary Wharf Map	Shoplifting: 11 Other theft: 5 Other crime: 1	11
On or near Parking Area Map	Drugs: 10 Robbery: 6	10
On or near Further/Higher Educational Building Map	Anti-social behaviour: 15	15
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 5 Criminal damage and arson: 3 Violence and sexual offences: 3	5
On or near Ainsley Street Map	Anti-social behaviour: 12	12

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

3,913 Total

Anti-social Behaviour

909

23.2%

Violence & Sexual Offences

876

22.4%

Shoplifting

294

7.5%

Other Theft

287

7.3%

Theft from Person

283

7.2%

Drug Offences

242

6.2%

Vehicle Crime

225

5.8%

Public Order

195

5.0%

Criminal Damage & Arson

190

4.9%

Burglary

160

4.1%

Robbery

2.5%

Bicycle Theft

2.0%

Other Crime

1.2%

Weapons Possession

0.7%

Crime Analysis: Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets recorded 3,913 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 119.25 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#283 of 331 local authorities).

Anti-social Behaviour makes up the largest share of crime in Tower Hamlets at 23.2%. Violence & Sexual Offences (22.4%) and Shoplifting (7.5%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Tower Hamlets has risen 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 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	Weavers	222	164.9
2	Bethnal Green	349	150.4
3	St Peter's	261	149.3
4	Bromley North	141	146.6
5	Mile End	300	134.5

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Island Gardens	91	2.0
shield	Blackwall & Cubitt Town	213	4.7
shield	Canary Wharf	296	6.5
shield	Spitalfields & Banglatown	277	7.2
shield	Stepney Green	138	6.6

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +2.0%

Year-on-Yeartrending_up +2.1%

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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