Photo: David Martin · CC BY-SA 2.0Greenwich stands out for theft from the person: 4.3 times the rate of a typical town its size
It has more violent crime than 82% of UK towns, and more burglary, vehicle crime and damage than 93%. Greenwich’s overall Safety Grade is D (#19 of 33 in London): more crime per resident than 87% of UK towns, on crimes police recorded inside its built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Recorded violence held steady in a year. Police counts work out at 38.3 violent and sexual offences and 20.8 incidents of burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 residents annually.
Crimes and reports per 1,000 residents (Census 2021) a year, September 2023 to August 2026.
What stands out about safety in Greenwich
About the middle for a borough its size
Of 44 UK towns and cities of 202,000 to 389,000 people, Greenwich has the 19th lowest rate of graded crime: lower than Newham, Southwark and Hackney, higher than Enfield, Brent and Hounslow. Towns its size ↓
Written from the police.uk and government data on this page. Figures are crimes police recorded, not convictions.
What’s behind Greenwich’s grade
A firm grade. Built on 50,786 graded crimes over three years. The grade adds violent and sexual offences and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident and ranks Greenwich against every UK town of 1,000 or more.
Per resident, against all UK towns; beside it, how it compares with towns its size.
What police recorded in the last 12 months
Against the typical town its size, Greenwich runs highest on theft from the person (2.8 per 1,000 against 0.7), robbery (3.2 per 1,000 against 1.4) and vehicle crime (9 per 1,000 against 4.9). Other crime and criminal damage & arson sit below it.
Show as a table
| Category | In the grade | Reports | Per 1,000 | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence & sexual offences | Violent | 10,349 | 35.9 | 38.6 |
| Anti-social behaviour | not graded | 6,384 | 22.2 | 17.5 |
| Shoplifting | not graded | 2,801 | 9.7 | 10.3 |
| Vehicle crime | Home & vehicle | 2,598 | 9 | 4.9 |
| Other theft | not graded | 2,491 | 8.6 | 6.6 |
| Public order | not graded | 2,014 | 7 | 7.4 |
| Drugs | not graded | 1,568 | 5.4 | 3.8 |
| Burglary | Home & vehicle | 1,423 | 4.9 | 3.4 |
| Criminal damage & arson | Home & vehicle | 1,275 | 4.4 | 7.5 |
| Robbery | Violent | 910 | 3.2 | 1.4 |
| Theft from the person | not graded | 807 | 2.8 | 0.7 |
| Other crime | not graded | 461 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| Bicycle theft | not graded | 272 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Possession of weapons | Violent | 233 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
“Violent” is police.uk’s violence and sexual offences (which includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury), robbery and possession of weapons. Anti-social behaviour isn’t a crime category; shoplifting and other theft happen mostly in shops and town centres rather than to residents, so neither counts in the grade.
September 2025 to August 2026, per 1,000 residents. The tick on each bar is the typical (median) town among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more.
Police in Greenwich identify a suspect less often than across UK towns
No suspect was identified for 84% of Greenwich’s burglaries, vehicle crimes and criminal damage, against 69% across UK towns, and for 43% of violent and sexual offences against 19%. Most violent cases close as “unable to prosecute” (38% here), usually because the victim doesn’t support a prosecution. About 7% of violent and 3% of household crimes reached court.
The latest outcome police.uk shows for each crime recorded in the first of the three years (September 2023 to August 2024), so most cases have closed. 17,112 crimes.
Crime in Greenwich per 1,000 residents
A crime isn’t a victim: one person can report several, and crimes in a town centre often involve visitors rather than residents.
And about 18 burglaries, vehicle crimes or acts of criminal damage, plus 22 shoplifting and theft reports, in the 12 months to August 2026. Each dot is one resident; each coloured dot is one recorded crime.
Lowest recorded crime in Eltham Park & Progress, Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham and Charlton Hornfair; highest in Greenwich Peninsula
| Ward | Residents | Violent | Homes & vehicles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eltham Park & Progress | 10,767 | 18.8 | 18.3 | |
| Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham | 14,531 | 20.8 | 16.8 | |
| Charlton Hornfair | 12,312 | 25.6 | 15.4 | |
| Plumstead Common | 15,167 | 24.7 | 16.6 | |
| Eltham Page | 9,754 | 27.7 | 15.5 | |
| Charlton Village & Riverside | 10,514 | 29.4 | 14 | |
| Greenwich Creekside | 10,997 | 30.7 | 12.9 | |
| Blackheath Westcombe | 15,030 | 25.8 | 19.3 | |
| East Greenwich | 14,484 | 28.7 | 17.3 | |
| Middle Park & Horn Park | 9,515 | 35.5 | 17.4 | |
| Abbey Wood | 17,685 | 32.3 | 22.5 | |
| Thamesmead Moorings | 12,449 | 38.6 | 18.2 | |
| West Thamesmead | 11,115 | 39.7 | 18.6 | |
| Eltham Town & Avery Hill | 15,273 | 36 | 23 | |
| Woolwich Common | 12,692 | 41.7 | 19.8 | |
| Kidbrooke Park | 10,093 | 40.7 | 21 | |
| Kidbrooke Village & Sutcliffe | 6,107 | 39.7 | 26 | |
| Shooters Hill | 11,900 | 47.6 | 21.1 | |
| Plumstead & Glyndon | 21,972 | 44.6 | 25 | |
| Greenwich Park | 10,556 | 48.7 | 22.8 | |
| Woolwich Dockyard | 11,684 | 61.2 | 26.9 | |
| Woolwich Arsenal | 12,104 | 65.3 | 24.5 | |
| Greenwich Peninsula | 11,416 | 74.4 | 39.5 |
| At or near | Reports | Mostly |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 4,451 | 54% shoplifting & theft |
| Car parks | 2,953 | 27% violent |
| Shopping areas | 2,387 | 48% shoplifting & theft |
| Petrol stations | 1,869 | 52% shoplifting & theft |
| Sports and recreation grounds | 1,712 | 39% violent |
| Hospitals | 1,095 | 51% violent |
| College and university buildings | 934 | 41% violent |
| Prisons | 717 | 56% violent |
| Police stations | 525 | 38% violent |
| Bus and coach stations | 282 | 29% shoplifting & theft |
A ward’s rate counts crimes where they happened, not where victims live, so Greenwich Peninsula records 2.1× the violent crime per resident of the rest of Greenwich. police.uk places each crime at an anonymous map point; some are named for the kind of place (a supermarket, a car park), and each row adds up every place of that kind in Greenwich. We show only these, never streets or homes.
Crimes per 1,000 residents a year by council ward (the part of each ward inside Greenwich’s built-up area), September 2023 to August 2026. Beside it, the public places police.uk named most often.
How Greenwich’s neighbourhoods rank in England
6% of residents live in the lowest-crime 30% of England’s neighbourhoods, and 19% in the highest-crime 20%. The crime domain scores the risk of violence, burglary, theft and criminal damage where people live, so it can read differently from the town-wide rate, which counts crimes where they happened.
Greenwich’s residents by the crime decile of their neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people) in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (crime domain), where 1 is the highest-crime 10% of England’s neighbourhoods and 10 the lowest.
How crime in Greenwich has moved
“Towns its size” pools all UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more that police.uk covers each month (Greater Manchester has no data).
Rolling three-month rate, per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026 against the 12 before: violent +5% (towns its size +2%), homes and vehicles -10% (towns its size -5%), shoplifting and theft -4% (towns its size -3%), anti-social behaviour -6% (towns its size -2%).
Greenwich places 19th of 44 towns its size, the least crime first
| # | Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Shops & theft | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrow London | 260,534 | 23.3 | 15.4 | 16 | C+ |
| 2 | Merton London | 214,931 | 24.2 | 14.8 | 16.1 | C+ |
| 3 | Sutton London | 208,858 | 27.1 | 14.6 | 13.3 | C |
| 4 | Bexley London | 246,074 | 26.1 | 17.5 | 14.3 | C |
| … | ||||||
| 16 | Enfield London | 329,822 | 32.6 | 24 | 20.6 | C− |
| 17 | Brent London | 340,611 | 35.9 | 20.8 | 26.2 | C− |
| 18 | Hounslow London | 286,591 | 35.2 | 21.5 | 21.8 | C− |
| 19 | Greenwich London | 288,117 | 38.3 | 20.8 | 22.9 | D |
| 20 | Lewisham London | 300,764 | 38.8 | 21.2 | 23.5 | D |
| 21 | Barking and Dagenham London | 218,236 | 40.5 | 20 | 17.5 | D |
| 22 | Lambeth London | 317,108 | 40.1 | 21.2 | 42.3 | D |
| … | ||||||
| 44 | Westminster London | 203,571 | 81.4 | 42.3 | 254.6 | D− |
Safety letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only.
Graded crime per 1,000 residents a year, September 2023 to August 2026, counting from the least: towns ranked near Greenwich, and others in London.
12 people died in collisions on Greenwich’s roads in 2021–2025
Police recorded 2,945 collisions with injuries inside Greenwich in five years, in which 12 people died (6 were pedestrians). 500 people were killed or seriously injured: 167 on foot and 109 on a bicycle.
That is 0.8 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, below the median for UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more (1.1, 210 towns).
Counting serious injuries too, Greenwich had 34.7 people killed or seriously injured per 100,000 residents a year, about the same as the median for UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more (30.3). 33% of them were on foot, against 31% across UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more.
Casualties are counted where the collision happened, not where people lived: a main road through town adds through-traffic, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Seriously injured uses the Department for Transport’s adjusted figures, which even out the police forces’ different ways of recording injuries. There’s no national rate here: more than half of road deaths in England and Wales (58%) happen outside every town’s built-up area. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), 2021–2025.
Collisions police recorded inside Greenwich’s built-up area, 2021–2025. Described here; not part of the Safety Grade.
Crime in the places around Greenwich
| Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwich | 288,117 | 38.3 | 20.8 | D |
| Bexley | 246,074 | 26.1 | 17.5 | C |
| Lewisham | 300,764 | 38.8 | 21.2 | D |
| Newham | 351,065 | 38.9 | 23 | D |
| Tower Hamlets | 311,072 | 43.3 | 23 | D |
| Bromley | 325,469 | 25.7 | 20.8 | C |
| Barking and Dagenham | 218,236 | 40.5 | 20 | D |
| Southwark | 307,076 | 40 | 22.1 | D |
Greenwich records more graded crime per resident than 2 of its 7 neighbours. Bexley, 3.4 miles away, records 26.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year (3-year average), against Greenwich’s 38.3.
Per 1,000 residents a year, the same three years. Tap a town for its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- A prison inside the boundary. police.uk counted 717 at or near a prison (56% violent) and 1,095 at or near a hospital over three years. They count in Greenwich’s rate, as they would for any town that has them.
- Where crimes happen, not where victims live. police.uk places each crime at a point near where it happened. Town centres with shops, stations, a hospital and nightlife record more crime per resident, and residents of nearby villages who come in to shop or go out are part of that count.
- Bigger towns record more per resident. Across UK towns, recorded crime per resident rises steeply with size, more than in the U.S., so a city’s grade sits low against the whole UK. The “towns its size” figures show where Greenwich sits among towns like it; they are context and don’t change the grade.
- Points are approximate. police.uk moves each point to the nearest of a set of anonymous map points, so crimes near the edge of the built-up area can fall either side of it.
Questions about safety in Greenwich
Is Greenwich safe?
Police recorded 38.3 violent and sexual offences and 20.8 burglaries, vehicle crimes and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year over the three years to August 2026 (police.uk, inside Greenwich’s built-up area). That earns a D for safety: less crime per resident than 13% of UK towns. Among 44 UK towns of 202,000 to 389,000 people, Greenwich is 19th from the least crime.
What are the safest areas of Greenwich?
By council ward, Eltham Park & Progress, Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham and Charlton Hornfair record the least violent and household crime per resident: 18.8, 20.8 and 25.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year (3-year average), against 74.4 in Greenwich Peninsula.
Is crime going up in Greenwich?
In the 12 months to August 2026, against the 12 months before, violent crime held steady, burglary, vehicle crime and damage fell 10%, shoplifting and theft held steady and anti-social behaviour fell 6%. Across UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, violent crime held steady.
Is Greenwich town centre safe at night?
police.uk placed 225 crimes and reports at or near nightclubs in three years, 29% of them violent, and Greenwich Peninsula ward records 74.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 of its residents a year. Over the last two years, violent crime peaked in June and was lowest in February.
What is the most common crime in Greenwich?
Violence & sexual offences: 10,349 in the 12 months to August 2026, which in police.uk includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury. Next came shoplifting (2,801) and vehicle crime (2,598), with 6,384 reports of anti-social behaviour.
How does Greenwich compare with Newham?
Newham records 38.9 violent and sexual offences and 23 crimes against homes and vehicles per 1,000 residents a year, against Greenwich’s 38.3 and 20.8, over the same three years.
Sources: data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025, crime domain by LSOA (residents from ONS Census 2021) · Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions 2021–2025, points inside the built-up-area boundary · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.