Photo: Richard Rogerson · CC BY-SA 2.0Waltham Forest stands out for theft from the person: 6.7 times the rate of a typical town its size
Among the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it records less crime per resident than 77%. Violence recorded locally climbed 7% in a year. Overall, it grades C− for safety (#12 of 33 in London). Police counts work out at 28.5 violent and sexual offences and 21.0 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 Waltham Forest
Violent crime rose over the year
In the 12 months to August 2026 police recorded 7% more violent crime per resident in Waltham Forest than in the year before; across UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more violent crime held steady. Burglary, vehicle crime and criminal damage fell 20% (towns its size: held steady). Trend ↓
Less crime than most places its size
Of 46 UK towns and cities of 195,000 to 375,000 people, Waltham Forest has the 9th lowest rate of graded crime: lower than Brighton and Hove, Hillingdon and Enfield, higher than Wandsworth, Havering and Redbridge. Towns its size ↓
Written from the police.uk and government data on this page. Figures are crimes police recorded, not convictions.
What sits behind Waltham Forest’s C−
A firm grade. Built on 41,185 graded crimes over three years. The grade adds violent and sexual offences and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident and ranks Waltham Forest 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, Waltham Forest runs highest on theft from the person (4.4 per 1,000 against 0.7), vehicle crime (8.9 per 1,000 against 4.9) and robbery (2.5 per 1,000 against 1.4). 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 | 7,371 | 26.5 | 38.6 |
| Anti-social behaviour | not graded | 6,862 | 24.7 | 17.5 |
| Vehicle crime | Home & vehicle | 2,477 | 8.9 | 4.9 |
| Other theft | not graded | 2,287 | 8.2 | 6.6 |
| Shoplifting | not graded | 2,168 | 7.8 | 10.3 |
| Drugs | not graded | 1,579 | 5.7 | 3.8 |
| Public order | not graded | 1,428 | 5.1 | 7.4 |
| Burglary | Home & vehicle | 1,278 | 4.6 | 3.4 |
| Theft from the person | not graded | 1,213 | 4.4 | 0.7 |
| Criminal damage & arson | Home & vehicle | 1,020 | 3.7 | 7.5 |
| Robbery | Violent | 685 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| Bicycle theft | not graded | 333 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Other crime | not graded | 307 | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Possession of weapons | Violent | 189 | 0.7 | 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 Waltham Forest identify a suspect less often than across UK towns
No suspect was identified for 84% of Waltham Forest’s burglaries, vehicle crimes and criminal damage, against 69% across UK towns, and for 42% 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 6% 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. 14,429 crimes.
Among 46 towns its size, Waltham Forest ranks 9th for the least graded crime
| # | 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 |
| … | ||||||
| 6 | Wandsworth London | 326,725 | 27.7 | 18.9 | 23 | C |
| 7 | Havering London | 259,401 | 29 | 18.1 | 17.7 | C |
| 8 | Redbridge London | 309,509 | 31.1 | 17.7 | 18.7 | C− |
| 9 | Waltham Forest London | 278,129 | 28.5 | 21 | 23.4 | C− |
| 10 | Luton Bedfordshire | 233,524 | 36.7 | 17.7 | 17.5 | C− |
| 11 | Reading Berkshire | 203,789 | 39.6 | 15.5 | 28 | C− |
| 12 | Ealing London | 367,271 | 33.6 | 22.2 | 20.8 | C− |
| … | ||||||
| 46 | 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 Waltham Forest, and others in London.
Lowest recorded crime in Upper Walthamstow, Hale End & Highams Park South and Markhouse; highest in High Street
| Ward | Residents | Violent | Homes & vehicles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Walthamstow | 8,197 | 16 | 16.7 | |
| Hale End & Highams Park South | 9,360 | 16.8 | 16.2 | |
| Markhouse | 9,275 | 18.8 | 14.4 | |
| Larkswood | 13,534 | 18.4 | 17.9 | |
| Grove Green | 14,742 | 23.8 | 14.1 | |
| Endlebury | 9,325 | 20.1 | 19.1 | |
| William Morris | 15,062 | 22.9 | 18.3 | |
| Chingford Green | 11,400 | 23.5 | 18.3 | |
| Hatch Lane & Highams Park North | 12,945 | 23.4 | 18.6 | |
| St James | 11,742 | 25.6 | 17.6 | |
| Cann Hall | 16,329 | 25.4 | 19.3 | |
| Higham Hill | 14,314 | 26.3 | 19.8 | |
| Chapel End | 13,613 | 25.7 | 23 | |
| Cathall | 10,483 | 31.9 | 18.7 | |
| Forest | 17,254 | 32.1 | 18.7 | |
| Leyton | 13,115 | 31.8 | 20.7 | |
| Wood Street | 9,592 | 33.7 | 23.2 | |
| Hoe Street | 14,270 | 31.4 | 28.6 | |
| Valley | 14,088 | 31.8 | 31.3 | |
| Lea Bridge | 15,216 | 41 | 24 | |
| Leytonstone | 12,238 | 38.7 | 27.4 | |
| High Street | 11,565 | 55.9 | 32.5 |
| At or near | Reports | Mostly |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 4,963 | 53% shoplifting & theft |
| Car parks | 2,847 | 28% violent |
| Petrol stations | 1,886 | 49% shoplifting & theft |
| College and university buildings | 1,744 | 71% shoplifting & theft |
| Bus and coach stations | 475 | 38% shoplifting & theft |
| Police stations | 470 | 49% shoplifting & theft |
| Shopping areas | 444 | 37% shoplifting & theft |
| Sports and recreation grounds | 381 | 34% shoplifting & theft |
| Nightclubs | 265 | 29% anti-social behaviour |
| Parks and open spaces | 170 | 35% anti-social behaviour |
A ward’s rate counts crimes where they happened, not where victims live, so High Street records 2.1× the violent crime per resident of the rest of Waltham Forest. 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 Waltham Forest. We show only these, never streets or homes.
Crimes per 1,000 residents a year by council ward (the part of each ward inside Waltham Forest’s built-up area), September 2023 to August 2026. Beside it, the public places police.uk named most often.
How Waltham Forest’s neighbourhoods rank in England
6% of residents live in the lowest-crime 30% of England’s neighbourhoods, and 12% 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.
Waltham Forest’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.
Crime in Waltham Forest 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 17 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.
How crime in Waltham Forest 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 +7% (towns its size +2%), homes and vehicles -20% (towns its size -5%), shoplifting and theft -9% (towns its size -3%), anti-social behaviour -1% (towns its size -2%).
13 people died in collisions on Waltham Forest’s roads in 2021–2025
Police recorded 2,501 collisions with injuries inside Waltham Forest in five years, in which 13 people died (6 were pedestrians). 356 people were killed or seriously injured: 119 on foot and 84 on a bicycle.
That is 0.9 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, Waltham Forest had 25.6 people killed or seriously injured per 100,000 residents a year, below 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 Waltham Forest’s built-up area, 2021–2025. Described here; not part of the Safety Grade.
Crime in the places around Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest records more graded crime per resident than 3 of its 7 neighbours. Buckhurst Hill, 3.4 miles away, records 22.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year (3-year average), against Waltham Forest’s 28.5.
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
- 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 Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest
Is Waltham Forest safe?
Police recorded 28.5 violent and sexual offences and 21 burglaries, vehicle crimes and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year over the three years to August 2026 (police.uk, inside Waltham Forest’s built-up area). That earns a C− for safety: less crime per resident than 22% of UK towns. Among 46 UK towns of 195,000 to 375,000 people, Waltham Forest is 9th from the least crime.
What are the safest areas of Waltham Forest?
By council ward, Upper Walthamstow, Hale End & Highams Park South and Markhouse record the least violent and household crime per resident: 16, 16.8 and 18.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year (3-year average), against 55.9 in High Street.
Is crime going up in Waltham Forest?
In the 12 months to August 2026, against the 12 months before, violent crime rose 7%, burglary, vehicle crime and damage fell 20%, shoplifting and theft fell 9% and anti-social behaviour held steady. Across UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, violent crime held steady.
Is Waltham Forest town centre safe at night?
police.uk placed 265 crimes and reports at or near nightclubs in three years, 28% of them violent, and High Street ward records 55.9 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 January.
What is the most common crime in Waltham Forest?
Violence & sexual offences: 7,371 in the 12 months to August 2026, which in police.uk includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury. Next came vehicle crime (2,477) and other theft (2,287), with 6,862 reports of anti-social behaviour.
How does Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest’s 28.5 and 21, 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.