Slough recorded 13,721 crimes in the 12 months to April 2026, a crime rate of 78.72 per 1,000 people: the highest of the 22 places CrimeRate lists in Berkshire, about 40 per cent above the county average of 56.14, 28 per cent above the South East (61.44) and about 16 per cent above England (around 68), yet below every large city we compare, with Cardiff (79.55) only just higher. The total rose 3.4 per cent on the previous year (13,270) but is still 10 per cent below the 2022 peak. Violence and sexual offences make up 42 per cent of it, and vehicle crime runs at more than twice the county rate. The figures describe recorded incidents, not the people who live in the town.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Thames Valley Police, Slough; updated 7 June 2026); neighbourhood counts from police.uk, 12 months to August 2026; population from ONS Census 2021. Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 16 October 2026.
What is the crime rate in Slough?
78.72 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate. That is 13,721 offences, not counting 1,510 anti-social behaviour reports (15,231 incidents with them). The rate is about 40 per cent above Berkshire (56.14), 28 per cent above the South East (61.44) and about 16 per cent above England (around 68). A year earlier Slough recorded 13,270 offences at 76.42 per 1,000.
Is Slough the most dangerous town in Berkshire?
By rate, Slough is first of the 22 places CrimeRate lists in Berkshire, but only just: Reading is a fraction behind at 78.39, and the two towns are effectively level. Reading records more crime in total (18,086 against 13,721) because it is bigger. Slough accounts for about a fifth (20.6 per cent) of the county’s 66,495 recorded offences. Windsor, next door, is at 71.44; Bracknell (58.89) and Maidenhead (47.80) are much lower, and the smaller villages and suburbs sit between 23 and 46 per 1,000.
| Place (Berkshire) | Crimes, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Slough | 13,721 | 78.72 |
| Reading | 18,086 | 78.39 |
| Windsor | 2,680 | 71.44 |
| Newbury | 3,058 | 68.64 |
| Bracknell | 4,892 | 58.89 |
| Thatcham | 1,447 | 53.12 |
| Maidenhead | 4,011 | 47.80 |
| Earley | 1,514 | 38.32 |
| Wokingham | 1,711 | 37.77 |
| Sunninghill and Ascot | 539 | 34.46 |
| Cox Green | 278 | 31.90 |
| Warfield | 296 | 23.30 |
Source: CrimeRate Berkshire, a selection of the 22 places it lists. Berkshire as a whole recorded 66,495 offences (56.14 per 1,000), almost unchanged from 66,383 (56.09) a year earlier. Warfield has the lowest rate in the county.
Is Slough safe compared with other towns and cities?
Slough sits in the middle of the table. Its rate is level with Reading and Cardiff, 5 to 7 per cent below Newcastle and Sheffield, and a third or more below Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds or Nottingham. It is higher than the commuter towns of Luton, High Wycombe and Watford. All rates below come from the same source and method.
| Place | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 | Compared with Slough |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster (London) | 125.00 | 59% higher |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 37% higher |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 36% higher |
| Southampton | 106.50 | 35% higher |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 35% higher |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 33% higher |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 33% higher |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 24% higher |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 7% higher |
| Newcastle | 82.69 | 5% higher |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 1% higher |
| Slough | 78.72 | – |
| Reading | 78.39 | about the same |
| Luton | 74.46 | 5% lower |
| High Wycombe | 73.62 | 6% lower |
| Watford | 72.05 | 8% lower |
| South East | 61.44 | 22% lower |
| Berkshire | 56.14 | 29% lower |
For the neighbouring town, read is Reading safe?. For other Thames Valley and commuter towns, see High Wycombe crime rate, is Milton Keynes safe?, Watford crime rate and Luton crime rate, and for the capital, is London safe?
What kind of crime is recorded in Slough?
Violence and sexual offences are the largest category, with 5,810 offences, 42.3 per cent of the total. The 13 categories below add up to exactly 13,721; anti-social behaviour (1,510 reports) comes on top. The last columns compare Slough’s rate with the Berkshire rate for the same category, from the same source.
| Category | Slough, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 | Share of total | Berkshire per 1,000 | Slough vs county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 5,810 | 33.30 | 42.3% | 23.72 | +40% |
| Vehicle crime | 1,491 | 8.56 | 10.9% | 4.01 | +113% |
| Public order | 1,167 | 6.69 | 8.5% | 4.88 | +37% |
| Other theft | 1,153 | 6.62 | 8.4% | 4.79 | +38% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,057 | 6.06 | 7.7% | 4.50 | +35% |
| Shoplifting | 972 | 5.58 | 7.1% | 6.06 | −8% |
| Drugs | 581 | 3.34 | 4.2% | 1.98 | +69% |
| Burglary | 461 | 2.65 | 3.4% | 2.14 | +24% |
| Other crime | 256 | 1.46 | 1.9% | 1.27 | +15% |
| Robbery | 255 | 1.47 | 1.9% | 0.79 | +86% |
| Bicycle theft | 215 | 1.24 | 1.6% | 1.03 | +20% |
| Theft from the person | 175 | 1.01 | 1.3% | 0.58 | +74% |
| Possession of weapons | 128 | 0.74 | 0.9% | 0.39 | +90% |
| Anti-social behaviour (not in total) | 1,510 | 8.64 | – | 7.25 | +19% |
Four things stand out. First, vehicle crime is Slough’s distinctive category: 1,491 offences, more than one in ten of everything recorded, at more than twice the Berkshire rate. Slough has about 15 per cent of CrimeRate’s population base for the county but records 31 per cent of its vehicle crime (1,491 of 4,749), and CrimeRate’s index puts it at 1.99 times the national rate, the highest index of any category here. Two of the town’s police teams list theft from motor vehicles as a current priority. Second, the profile is the opposite of Reading’s: shoplifting is 8 per cent below the county rate, and theft from the person is only 1.3 per cent of the total, so Slough’s crime is less about crowded shopping streets. Third, violence is 40 per cent above the county rate but only a little above the national level (index 1.10). The category is broad and includes harassment, stalking, domestic incidents and assaults without injury, much of it between people who know each other. Fourth, the smaller serious categories are high against the county but small in number: robbery (255, +86 per cent), weapons possession (128, +90 per cent) and drugs (581, +69 per cent), where higher numbers often reflect police activity as much as underlying levels. Anti-social behaviour, at 0.61 of the national index, is below average.
Is crime in Slough going up or down?
Up slightly in the latest year, after three years of falls. CrimeRate records 13,270 offences (76.42 per 1,000) in the 12 months to April 2025 and 13,721 (78.72) in the 12 months to April 2026: 451 more, a rise of 3.4 per cent, while Berkshire rose only 0.2 per cent. The latest figure is still 10 per cent below the peak of 15,282 (90.67 per 1,000) in the 12 months to April 2022.
| Year (12 months to April) | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Berkshire per 1,000 | South East per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10,546 | 63.34 | 46.17 | 55.04 |
| 2018 | 10,878 | 64.88 | 46.85 | 63.85 |
| 2019 | 12,705 | 75.71 | 51.80 | 65.82 |
| 2020 | 12,923 | 76.88 | 52.24 | 65.97 |
| 2021 | 13,935 | 82.67 | 53.72 | 61.36 |
| 2022 | 15,282 | 90.67 | 61.18 | 68.58 |
| 2023 | 15,227 | 89.39 | 63.99 | 68.83 |
| 2024 | 14,713 | 85.59 | 59.89 | 65.86 |
| 2025 | 13,270 | 76.42 | 56.09 | 63.35 |
| 2026 | 13,721 | 78.72 | 56.14 | 61.44 |
Like Reading, Slough did not dip during the lockdown year: recorded crime rose every year from 2017 to 2022, then fell for three years before this small rise. The rate has stayed between about 1.35 and 1.55 times the Berkshire rate throughout, so the gap with the rest of the county is long-standing, not new. Against the South East the gap has narrowed: in 2019 Slough was 15 per cent above the region, at the 2022 peak 32 per cent, and now 28 per cent.
Which parts of Slough record the most crime?
Thames Valley Police covers Slough through neighbourhood teams, and police.uk publishes 12-month counts for each, including anti-social behaviour. Chalvey, Upton and Town, which covers the town centre, records almost as much as the next two teams combined.
| Neighbourhood (police.uk) | Incidents, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 | August 2026 | Top categories in August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chalvey, Upton and Town | 5,231 | 444 | Violence 152, anti-social behaviour 49, public order 46, shoplifting 38 |
| Farnham, Baylis and Stoke | 2,863 | 256 | Violence 108, vehicle crime 28, anti-social behaviour 27, other theft 27 |
| Wexham Lea and Central | 2,490 | 254 | Violence 103, public order 29, anti-social behaviour 28, vehicle crime 27 |
| Cippenham | 1,946 | 163 | Violence 55, criminal damage 20, shoplifting 18, anti-social behaviour 17 |
| Colnbrook, Poyle and Foxborough | 1,715 | 159 | Violence 59, vehicle crime 21, criminal damage 17, anti-social behaviour 16 |
| Britwell and Haymill | 1,576 | 133 | Violence 47, anti-social behaviour 21, public order 15, vehicle crime 12 |
| Langley and Kedermister | 1,460 | 129 | Violence 37, anti-social behaviour 21, vehicle crime 19, criminal damage 16 |
Source: police.uk neighbourhood pages, September 2025 to August 2026. These are counts for team areas of different sizes, not rates. Chalvey, Upton and Town holds 30 per cent of the 17,281 incidents across the seven teams. Its published priorities (issued 1 October 2026) include reducing theft from motor vehicles in the town centre and Chalvey, patrols at The Curve, St Ethelbert’s and Yew Tree Road Park after street drinkers moved out of the centre, and visible policing to reduce violence. Wexham Lea and Central lists theft from motor vehicles, drug dealing and moped nuisance in Goodman Park and Bloom Park, and drug dealing around Upton Lee Rec (6 October 2026). Vehicle crime appears in the top four categories in five of the seven teams. Langley and Kedermister and Britwell and Haymill record the least.
Is Slough busier for crime in summer?
A little. Across the seven teams, recorded incidents were lowest in February 2026 (1,203) and highest in July 2026 (1,625), 35 per cent higher, and the six months from March to August held 9,108 incidents against 8,173 in the six months before, a rise of 11 per cent. The seasonal swing is smaller than in seaside or student towns: in most months the total stays between about 1,340 and 1,540. February is a short month, which explains part of the low point.
Is Slough town centre safe at night?
Police street-level data carries no time of day, so it cannot say how much crime happens after dark. What it shows is that violence, anti-social behaviour, public order and shoplifting are the largest categories in Chalvey, Upton and Town, the town-centre team, and that the team is working on street drinking, vehicle crime and visible patrols. Theft from the person is low in Slough, but robbery is almost twice the county rate, so keep phones out of sight on quiet streets. Stay on lit, busy routes between the station, the High Street and the shopping centre, plan your way home, and use licensed taxis. Check the streets you will use in the postcode checker.
Is Slough a safe place to live?
For most residents, yes, with the usual caveats about averages. Burglary is 3.4 per cent of recorded crime (461 offences in a year) and below the national rate (index 0.85). Vehicle crime is the household crime most worth planning for: 1,491 a year, so do not leave anything visible in a car and use off-street or well-lit parking where you can. Census 2021 counted 158,500 residents in Slough borough, up 13.0 per cent from 140,200 in 2011. CrimeRate uses a different population base, so we do not quote its rate per resident. As a rough guide only, the seven police.uk teams together recorded 17,281 incidents including anti-social behaviour, about 109 per 1,000 residents; team boundaries do not match the borough exactly. Compare two postcodes before you choose, 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 Slough?
- 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 in Langley or Cippenham, 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 are not directly comparable; the town and city rates on this page all come from one source.
Want this on the walk itself?
Safety App UK puts a live safety map built from official crime data on your phone, with routes that avoid high-risk areas and one-tap SOS to your trusted circle. Start with a 7-day free trial (for accounts that have not used one before; a payment method is needed), then £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year. Cancel any time in Google Play.
Get the app — free for 7 days Check a Slough postcode
Slough crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Slough?
Slough recorded 78.72 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026 (13,721 offences), against 56.14 for Berkshire and around 68 for England (CrimeRate). Anti-social behaviour, 1,510 reports, is not included.
Is Slough safe?
Broadly, yes. Its crime rate is about 16 per cent above the England average and 40 per cent above Berkshire, but below every large English city we compare and level with Cardiff and Reading. Vehicle crime, robbery and weapons possession are the categories most above the county rate.
Is Slough safer than Reading?
On the recorded figures they are almost level: Slough 78.72 per 1,000 and Reading 78.39 in the 12 months to April 2026. Reading records more crime in total (18,086 against 13,721) because it is a bigger town, and more shoplifting; Slough records more vehicle crime.
Is crime in Slough going up?
Slightly, in the latest year. Recorded crime rose from 13,270 to 13,721 offences between the 12 months to April 2025 and the 12 months to April 2026, up 3.4 per cent, after three years of falls from the 2022 peak of 15,282.
Where does this data come from?
Police-recorded crime published on data.police.uk under the Open Government Licence v3.0, analysed by CrimeRate for counts and rates, police.uk neighbourhood pages for local counts, and ONS Census 2021 for population. See where our crime data comes from.
Other towns and cities: Reading, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Watford, Luton, Southampton, Cambridge and London. In an emergency call 999.