Brixton records roughly twice the England rate of recorded crime, but the number is driven by drugs, anti-social behaviour and a busy town centre, not by a general risk to people who live there. In the 12 months to April 2026 CrimeRate counts 7,739 recorded offences in Brixton, a rate of 144.13 per 1,000 people. That is about 40 per cent above the Lambeth borough rate of 103.24 and more than double the England figure of 67.79.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk. Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 30 September 2026.
Is Brixton safe compared with the rest of London?
Brixton’s recorded crime rate is 144.13 per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate. London as a whole is 82 and England is 67.79, so Brixton is about 1.8 times the London rate and 2.1 times the England rate. The headline figure excludes anti-social behaviour: the 14 categories CrimeRate lists add up to 9,924 incidents, and 7,739 is what remains once the 2,185 anti-social behaviour reports are removed. Recorded crime measures what is logged in a busy place, not the chance that something happens to you on a given walk. See is London safe? for the city-wide picture.
How does Brixton compare with the rest of Lambeth?
Brixton has the third highest rate of the 14 Lambeth areas CrimeRate lists, behind South Bank and Waterloo, which are both dominated by visitors, offices and the riverside. The gap to the residential south of the borough is large.
| Area (Lambeth) | Recorded crime per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 |
|---|---|
| South Bank | 198.21 |
| Waterloo | 179.63 |
| Brixton | 144.13 |
| South Lambeth | 118.10 |
| Clapham | 111.31 |
| Streatham Hill | 61.15 |
| Gipsy Hill | 69.19 |
| Tulse Hill | 77.52 |
The five highest are at the top of the table; the lowest three are Streatham Hill, Gipsy Hill and Tulse Hill at the bottom. Brixton’s rate is 1.9 times that of neighbouring Tulse Hill. Stockwell (94.23) and Vauxhall (94.31) sit close to the Lambeth-wide figure. Brixton contributes 7,739 of Lambeth’s 37,842 recorded crimes (again excluding anti-social behaviour), about 20 per cent of the borough total from one town centre.
What kind of crime is recorded in Brixton?
Violence and sexual offences is the largest category, as in most places, but Brixton stands out in two other lines. The table shows Brixton’s count, its share of Brixton’s 7,739 (anti-social behaviour excluded) and how much of Lambeth’s total for that category is recorded in Brixton.
| Category | Brixton, 12 months to April 2026 | Share of Brixton total | Share of Lambeth’s count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 2,325 | 30.0% | 21.3% |
| Theft from the person | 781 | 10.1% | 15.8% |
| Shoplifting | 737 | 9.5% | 20.7% |
| Other theft | 730 | 9.4% | 16.5% |
| Drugs | 628 | 8.1% | 34.6% |
| Public order | 584 | 7.5% | 25.6% |
| Robbery | 366 | 4.7% | 20.9% |
| Possession of weapons | 91 | 1.2% | 30.6% |
Two things stand out. Drugs make up 8.1 per cent of Brixton’s total against 4.8 per cent across Lambeth (1,813 of 37,842), and Brixton accounts for about a third of the borough’s drugs and weapons-possession records. Both are offences that police find by looking for them, so a busier stop-and-search or patrol presence in a town centre raises the count without any victim being involved. By contrast theft from the person is a smaller share in Brixton (10.1 per cent) than across Lambeth (13.1 per cent), because Lambeth’s count is inflated by South Bank and Waterloo. Violence and sexual offences is a broad police category that includes harassment and offences with no physical injury, so it does not mean that three in ten incidents are assaults.
Is Brixton getting better or worse?
Slightly better on the total, flat on violence. CrimeRate records 7,852 offences in the previous year against 7,739 in the 12 months to April 2026, a fall of about 1.4 per cent. Violence and sexual offences rose by 2.0 per cent over the same period, from 2,279 to 2,325. Changes this small are within the normal year-to-year noise of recorded crime, so treat them as stable, not as a trend.
Is Brixton safe at night?
Police street-level data has no time of day, so it cannot show whether Brixton is riskier after dark. What it does show is the mix: violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order together make up the biggest share, which is typical of areas with a station, a market, late-opening venues and heavy footfall. If you are walking home late, use busy, lit streets, keep your phone out of sight near the station and check the exact streets you will use in the postcode checker rather than relying on the area figure.
Is Brixton safe to live in?
The rate that matters for a home is the one for your own streets, not the town-centre average. Brixton’s headline figure is pushed up by the market, the transport interchange and the high street, where crimes are recorded but few people sleep. Nearby residential areas such as Tulse Hill (77.52) and Stockwell (94.23) have much lower rates. Compare two postcodes in the checker before deciding, and read how to check crime in your area for the limits of any single number.
How do I check a specific street or postcode in Brixton?
- 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 Tulse Hill, 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, and are not a verdict on anyone who lives there. 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 numbers on this page all come from one source.
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Brixton crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Brixton?
144.13 recorded crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, against 103.24 for Lambeth, 82 for London and 67.79 for England (CrimeRate). Anti-social behaviour is not included in that figure.
Is Brixton the most dangerous part of Lambeth?
No. South Bank (198.21) and Waterloo (179.63) record more crime per 1,000 people, mainly because of visitors and offices. Brixton is third of the 14 Lambeth areas CrimeRate lists.
Is Brixton safe for tourists?
The data shows theft from the person, shoplifting and other theft together make up about 29 per cent of Brixton’s recorded crime, so the everyday issue is property, not violence against visitors. Keep phones and bags secure around the station and market.
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. See where our crime data comes from.
More on London: London crime rate by borough, safest areas in London and crime in London: what the police data shows. Also in south London: is Croydon safe? and is Peckham safe? In an emergency call 999.