Waltham Forest, the borough that includes Walthamstow, records 80.11 crimes per 1,000 people, slightly below the London rate of 82.39, and its total fell 5.5 per cent to 23,076 offences in the 12 months to April 2026. It sits 17th of the 33 London areas on CrimeRate’s ranking, close to the middle of the table. In Walthamstow itself, the High Street neighbourhood around the market recorded 2,406 crimes and anti-social behaviour reports from September 2025 to August 2026, according to police.uk.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Metropolitan Police, Waltham Forest); neighbourhood monthly counts from police.uk (High Street and William Morris to August 2026, Hoe Street to July 2026); resident population from the ONS Census 2021. Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 2 October 2026.
Is Walthamstow safe compared with London and England?
Walthamstow is in Waltham Forest, which recorded 80.11 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate. That is 2.8 per cent below the London rate of 82.39 and about 1.2 times the England rate of 67.79. The headline total of 23,076 excludes anti-social behaviour: the 13 other categories add up to exactly 23,076, and 6,907 anti-social behaviour reports come on top, 29,983 incidents in all. Waltham Forest is 17th of 33 London areas, just below the median borough rate of 80.36. See our London crime rate by borough ranking for the full list.
How does Waltham Forest compare with its neighbours?
Waltham Forest records less crime per head than most of the boroughs around it. Newham, to the south, is 4th in London and Haringey, to the west, is 7th (see is Tottenham safe?); Enfield, to the north, is also above Waltham Forest. Only Redbridge, to the east, has a lower rate among these neighbours.
| Area | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 | Rank in London (of 33) |
|---|---|---|
| Newham | 100.22 | 4 |
| Haringey | 95.10 | 7 |
| Enfield | 85.76 | 13 |
| London (all) | 82.39 | – |
| Waltham Forest | 80.11 | 17 |
| Redbridge | 73.62 | 21 |
| England | 67.79 | – |
All rates are from one source, CrimeRate, so they use the same method. Hackney, which borders Waltham Forest to the south-west, records 97.19 per 1,000 and is 6th in London; see is Hackney safe? For the borough next door, read is Stratford safe?, and for all seven East London boroughs side by side, is East London safe?
Why is Walthamstow’s crime picture different from central London?
Waltham Forest is mainly residential. It has a busy town centre around Walthamstow Central station, the end of the Victoria line, and a long street market on the High Street, but it does not have the West End crowds, major rail terminals or late-night districts that push up rates in boroughs such as Westminster or Camden. As a result the borough’s rate is close to its rate per resident. Against the 278,400 people counted in the ONS Census 2021, the 23,076 offences work out at about 83 per 1,000 residents, close to CrimeRate’s 80.11. In Camden the same comparison nearly doubles the figure. That makes Waltham Forest’s number a fairer picture of what residents live with than a central borough’s.
What kind of crime is recorded in Waltham Forest?
Violence and sexual offences is the largest category at 30.7 per cent. Vehicle crime comes second, which is unusual. The table shows each category’s count and share of the 23,076 total (anti-social behaviour excluded).
| Category | Waltham Forest, 12 months to April 2026 | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 7,075 | 30.7% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,538 | 11.0% |
| Other theft | 2,251 | 9.8% |
| Shoplifting | 2,107 | 9.1% |
| Drugs | 1,702 | 7.4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,546 | 6.7% |
| Public order | 1,492 | 6.5% |
| Theft from the person | 1,463 | 6.3% |
| Burglary | 1,300 | 5.6% |
| Robbery | 771 | 3.3% |
| Bicycle theft | 369 | 1.6% |
| Other crime | 296 | 1.3% |
| Possession of weapons | 166 | 0.7% |
Three points stand out. First, vehicle crime: 2,538 offences, 8.81 per 1,000, is more than Camden recorded (2,307) even though Camden’s total crime is about 70 per cent higher. Thefts of and from cars and vans are the most practical risk for many Walthamstow residents. Second, theft of all kinds (other theft, shoplifting, theft from the person and bicycle theft) is 6,190 offences, 26.8 per cent, compared with 47.9 per cent in Camden, so pickpocketing and phone snatching are a much smaller part of the picture. Third, violence and sexual offences is a broad category that includes harassment, stalking and offences without injury; possession of weapons is the smallest line at 166. Drugs and weapons offences are mostly recorded when police find them, so they reflect patrols as much as the underlying problem. Anti-social behaviour is recorded at 23.97 per 1,000, 23 per cent of all incidents including it.
Is crime in Walthamstow going up or down?
Down on the borough figure. CrimeRate records 24,426 offences (85.19 per 1,000) in the previous year against 23,076 (80.11) in the 12 months to April 2026, a fall of 1,350, or 5.5 per cent. More recent police.uk figures, which include anti-social behaviour, show the busiest Walthamstow neighbourhood steady through the year:
| Month | High Street (police.uk) | William Morris (police.uk) |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 175 | 110 |
| Oct 2025 | 199 | 90 |
| Nov 2025 | 219 | 105 |
| Dec 2025 | 205 | 108 |
| Jan 2026 | 213 | 98 |
| Feb 2026 | 199 | 87 |
| Mar 2026 | 215 | 96 |
| Apr 2026 | 199 | 91 |
| May 2026 | 210 | 108 |
| Jun 2026 | 196 | 105 |
| Jul 2026 | 199 | 118 |
| Aug 2026 | 177 | 130 |
| 12 months | 2,406 | 1,246 |
High Street ranged from 175 to 219 a month, with no clear seasonal peak. William Morris, in the north of Walthamstow, recorded about half as many, but its last two months (118 and 130) were its highest of the year. One or two months are not a trend, so check it again when the next month is published.
Which parts of Walthamstow record the most crime?
The town centre. The police.uk High Street neighbourhood, which takes in the market, recorded 2,406 crimes and anti-social behaviour reports from September 2025 to August 2026. Hoe Street recorded 1,638 from August 2025 to July 2026 (its latest published month), and William Morris 1,246 from September 2025 to August 2026. These are counts, not rates: police.uk gives no population for each neighbourhood, so a larger count partly reflects more shops, transport and footfall rather than more risk for residents. In High Street’s latest month, August 2026, the largest categories were anti-social behaviour (58), violence and sexual offences (39), other theft (15) and shoplifting (15). In Hoe Street in July 2026 they were violence and sexual offences (44), anti-social behaviour (41), vehicle crime (14) and drugs (8). In William Morris in August 2026: anti-social behaviour (58), violence and sexual offences (29), vehicle crime (14) and public order (10). CrimeRate has a separate area page for Leyton, in the south of the borough, which records 3,107 offences at 75.63 per 1,000, about 6 per cent below the borough rate.
Is Walthamstow safe at night?
Police street-level data carries no time of day, so it cannot say whether Walthamstow is riskier after dark. The mix points to the main issues in the town centre: anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and theft around the market, the bus station and Walthamstow Central. Keep to lit, busy routes such as Hoe Street and Selborne Road late at night, keep your phone out of sight near station entrances, and check the streets you will use in the postcode checker.
Is Walthamstow a safe place to live?
By London standards Walthamstow sits in the middle: its borough rate is below the London average and below most of its neighbours, and recorded crime fell over the year. For a home, the streets you will live on matter more than the borough average; counts are highest around the High Street and the station, where most shops and transport are. If you have a car, vehicle crime is worth more attention here than in many boroughs: park off-street where you can and do not leave anything on view. Compare two postcodes before you decide, and read how to check crime in your area for the limits of any single number. This page describes what was recorded, not the people who live here.
How do I check a specific street or postcode in Walthamstow?
- Enter your postcode in the postcode checker to see 12 months of police-recorded crime and the trend by month.
- Add a second postcode, for example one near Lloyd Park or Wood Street, to compare two areas side by side.
- Zoom into the UK crime map to see what was recorded near a street.
These figures describe areas, not addresses. Police data covers reported crime only, and each crime is shown at a nearby anonymised point. Read where our crime data comes from for the limits. Rates from different websites use different population estimates and are not directly comparable, so the borough rates on this page all come from one source.
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Walthamstow crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Walthamstow?
Walthamstow is in Waltham Forest, which recorded 80.11 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, against 82.39 for London and 67.79 for England (CrimeRate). Anti-social behaviour is not included in that figure.
Is Walthamstow safer than Stratford?
On the borough figures, yes: Waltham Forest’s 80.11 per 1,000 is below Newham’s 100.22, and Newham ranks 4th in London against Waltham Forest’s 17th. Stratford’s rate is pushed up by its shopping centre and transport hub.
Is crime in Walthamstow going down?
Yes on the borough headline: 23,076 offences in the 12 months to April 2026, down 5.5 per cent from 24,426 a year earlier.
What is the most common crime in Walthamstow?
Violence and sexual offences, 30.7 per cent of the borough’s recorded crime, followed by vehicle crime at 11.0 per cent. In the town centre, anti-social behaviour is the largest single category in recent months.
Where does this data come from?
Police-recorded crime published on data.police.uk and police.uk under the Open Government Licence v3.0, analysed by CrimeRate for counts and rates, with the ONS Census 2021 for residents. See where our crime data comes from.
More on London: London crime rate by borough, is London safe?, safest areas in London and crime in London: what the police data shows. Other London areas: Stratford, Camden, Lewisham, Brixton and Peckham. In an emergency call 999.