Cambridge recorded 13,793 crimes in the 12 months to April 2026, a crime rate of 74.53 per 1,000 people: 18 per cent above Cambridgeshire (63.06), 21 per cent above the East of England (61.53) and about 10 per cent above England (around 68). The total fell 5.4 per cent on the previous year (14,578) and is 8.6 per cent below the 2024 peak of 15,092. Cambridge’s rate is lower than every large city we compare, including Cardiff (79.55), and well below Peterborough (103.76) in the same county. What sets it apart is the mix: bicycle theft and theft from the person are about three times the county rate, and Cambridge alone records half of each in Cambridgeshire. The figures describe recorded incidents, not the people who live in Cambridge.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Cambridge; updated 7 June 2026); neighbourhood counts from police.uk, 12 months to August 2026. Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 15 October 2026.
What is the crime rate in Cambridge?
74.53 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate. That is 13,793 offences, not counting 2,433 anti-social behaviour reports (16,226 incidents with them). The rate is 18 per cent above Cambridgeshire (63.06), 21 per cent above the East of England (61.53) and about 10 per cent above England (around 68). A year earlier Cambridge recorded 14,578 offences at 78.78 per 1,000.
Is Cambridge safe compared with other cities?
Yes, on the per-head figure Cambridge sits below every large city on our list. It is about 6 per cent below Cardiff, the lowest of the big cities, 10 per cent below Newcastle and 11 per cent below Sheffield, and between a quarter and two-fifths below Leicester, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Nottingham. It is still above the county and regional averages, as most city centres are. All rates below come from the same source and method.
| Place | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 | Compared with Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster (London) | 125.00 | 68% higher |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 45% higher |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 44% higher |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 43% higher |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 41% higher |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 40% higher |
| Peterborough | 103.76 | 39% higher |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 31% higher |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 13% higher |
| Newcastle | 82.69 | 11% higher |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 7% higher |
| Cambridge | 74.53 | – |
| Cambridgeshire | 63.06 | 15% lower |
| East of England | 61.53 | 17% lower |
For other towns in the region, see Luton crime rate and Watford crime rate; for another compact university city with a similar profile, read is York safe?. Cardiff is the closest big city on rate.
Is Cambridge the most dangerous place in Cambridgeshire?
No. Cambridge is seventh of the 19 places CrimeRate lists in Cambridgeshire by rate. It records the second-highest number of offences, 13,793 of the county’s 68,126 (20.2 per cent), behind Peterborough with 17,640. On the per-head rate, Bretton (116.27), Wisbech (113.81), Peterborough (103.76), Huntingdon (85.28), Hampton Hargate and Vale (81.86) and March (75.33) are all above Cambridge; Ely (52.08), St Ives (46.60), Soham (42.45) and Cambourne (35.90) are well below it.
| Place (CrimeRate Cambridgeshire) | Crimes, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Bretton | 1,725 | 116.27 |
| Wisbech | 3,020 | 113.81 |
| Peterborough | 17,640 | 103.76 |
| Huntingdon | 2,637 | 85.28 |
| Hampton Hargate and Vale | 1,127 | 81.86 |
| March | 1,844 | 75.33 |
| Cambridge | 13,793 | 74.53 |
| St Neots | 2,040 | 56.62 |
| Ely | 1,266 | 52.08 |
| St Ives | 898 | 46.60 |
| Soham | 584 | 42.45 |
| Cambourne | 545 | 35.90 |
Source: CrimeRate Cambridgeshire, a selection of the 19 places it lists (Cambridge is seventh by rate). The county as a whole recorded 68,126 offences (63.06 per 1,000), up 2.3 per cent from 66,617 a year earlier, so Cambridge’s fall went against the county trend.
What kind of crime is recorded in Cambridge?
Violence and sexual offences are the largest category, 4,543 offences or 32.9 per cent of the total, but that is 9 per cent below the county rate. Shoplifting is second, at 2,488 offences (18.0 per cent). The 13 categories below add up to exactly 13,793; anti-social behaviour (2,433 reports) comes on top. The last two columns compare Cambridge’s rate with the Cambridgeshire rate for the same category, from the same source.
| Category | Cambridge, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 | Share of total | Cambridgeshire per 1,000 | Cambridge vs county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,543 | 24.55 | 32.9% | 27.01 | −9% |
| Shoplifting | 2,488 | 13.44 | 18.0% | 6.49 | +107% |
| Other theft | 1,060 | 5.73 | 7.7% | 4.63 | +24% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,010 | 5.45 | 7.3% | 5.88 | −7% |
| Public order | 993 | 5.38 | 7.2% | 4.17 | +29% |
| Bicycle theft | 785 | 4.24 | 5.7% | 1.42 | +199% |
| Drugs | 707 | 3.82 | 5.1% | 2.83 | +35% |
| Vehicle crime | 663 | 3.60 | 4.8% | 3.45 | +4% |
| Burglary | 539 | 2.91 | 3.9% | 2.90 | level |
| Theft from the person | 356 | 1.93 | 2.6% | 0.65 | +197% |
| Other crime | 272 | 1.46 | 2.0% | 2.06 | −29% |
| Possession of weapons | 215 | 1.15 | 1.6% | 1.06 | +8% |
| Robbery | 162 | 0.87 | 1.2% | 0.51 | +71% |
| Anti-social behaviour (not in total) | 2,433 | 13.13 | – | 13.36 | −2% |
Four things stand out. First, bicycle theft: 785 thefts at 4.24 per 1,000, three times the county rate. Cambridge records 51 per cent of all bicycle thefts in Cambridgeshire (785 of 1,531) against 20 per cent of all crime, and more than twice as many as York (373), the other cycling city on our list. Cambridge is flat, compact and full of students and commuters who cycle, so far more bikes are left locked in public. Second, theft from the person is also about three times the county rate, and Cambridge again holds half of the county’s cases (356 of 698), the pattern of busy shopping streets, markets and crowds of visitors. Third, shoplifting is more than double the county rate (2,488 offences, 36 per cent of the county total) because the city centre is the area’s main shopping destination. Fourth, the crimes that most affect homes and personal safety are not unusual: burglary is level with the county, vehicle crime only 4 per cent above, and violence, criminal damage and anti-social behaviour are all below the Cambridgeshire rate. Robbery is 71 per cent above the county rate, but from a small base: 162 offences in a year.
Is crime in Cambridge going up or down?
Down, for the second year running. CrimeRate records 15,092 offences in the 12 months to April 2024, 14,578 in 2025 and 13,793 in 2026: 1,299 fewer than the 2024 peak (−8.6 per cent) and 785 fewer than last year (−5.4 per cent). Over the same year Cambridgeshire as a whole went up 2.3 per cent. The latest rate, 74.53, is the lowest in the series apart from the lockdown year.
| Year (12 months to April) | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 12,792 | 76.03 |
| 2018 | 14,408 | 84.32 |
| 2019 | 14,257 | 82.34 |
| 2020 | 14,545 | 82.99 |
| 2021 | 11,568 | 65.23 |
| 2022 | 13,855 | 77.44 |
| 2023 | 14,506 | 79.74 |
| 2024 | 15,092 | 81.85 |
| 2025 | 14,578 | 78.78 |
| 2026 | 13,793 | 74.53 |
The 2021 dip covers the lockdown year, when the colleges, shops, pubs and tourism were largely shut; the rise to 2022 is the city reopening rather than a sudden rise in offending.
Which parts of Cambridge record the most crime?
Cambridgeshire Constabulary covers the city with four neighbourhood areas, and police.uk publishes 12-month counts for each, including anti-social behaviour. Cambridge City Centre and West records the most: 4,670 incidents between September 2025 and August 2026, 28 per cent of the four areas’ 16,597. The other three are closer together than in many cities, because Cambridge’s shops, colleges and hospital are spread across several parts of town.
| Neighbourhood (police.uk) | Incidents, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 | Top categories in Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge City Centre and West | 4,670 | 511 | Violence 139, anti-social behaviour 92, shoplifting 83, bicycle theft 39 |
| Cambridge North | 4,555 | 426 | Violence 133, anti-social behaviour 73, shoplifting 57, criminal damage 39 |
| Cambridge East | 4,377 | 435 | Violence 116, anti-social behaviour 83, shoplifting 46, bicycle theft 37 |
| Cambridge South | 2,995 | 317 | Violence 99, anti-social behaviour 58, criminal damage 38, shoplifting 27 |
Source: police.uk neighbourhood pages, September 2025 to August 2026. These are counts for areas of different sizes, not rates, and they include anti-social behaviour, so they use different boundaries and a different period from the CrimeRate city figure and should not be compared with it directly. The published priorities, the same for all four areas, are two-wheeled enabled crime and anti-social behaviour across Cambridge, and knife crime (issued 9 June 2026; the September update reports more than 400 illegal e-scooters and e-bikes seized), plus e-scooters, and speeding and vehicle nuisance around the Addenbrooke’s area (both issued 15 September 2026).
Is Cambridge busier for crime in summer?
Yes. Across the four neighbourhood areas, recorded incidents were lowest in February 2026 (1,106) and highest in August 2026 (1,689), 53 per cent higher. June, July and August together held 4,868 incidents, 29.3 per cent of the year. City Centre and West went from 331 in February to 517 in June (+56 per cent), the sharpest swing of the four. Cambridge fills with tourists, language-school students and events in summer, so more incidents are recorded; that does not mean the risk to any one person rises in the same proportion.
| Month | City Centre and West | North | East | South | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 321 | 382 | 335 | 245 | 1,283 |
| Oct 2025 | 350 | 385 | 342 | 275 | 1,352 |
| Nov 2025 | 353 | 318 | 350 | 253 | 1,274 |
| Dec 2025 | 300 | 347 | 313 | 195 | 1,155 |
| Jan 2026 | 327 | 390 | 318 | 246 | 1,281 |
| Feb 2026 | 331 | 329 | 274 | 172 | 1,106 |
| Mar 2026 | 418 | 425 | 375 | 248 | 1,466 |
| Apr 2026 | 364 | 349 | 362 | 260 | 1,335 |
| May 2026 | 419 | 388 | 419 | 251 | 1,477 |
| Jun 2026 | 517 | 408 | 408 | 268 | 1,601 |
| Jul 2026 | 459 | 408 | 446 | 265 | 1,578 |
| Aug 2026 | 511 | 426 | 435 | 317 | 1,689 |
Is Cambridge safe at night?
Police street-level data carries no time of day, so it cannot say how much crime happens after dark. What it does show is that violence, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting lead in City Centre and West, where most pubs, bars and late venues are, and that public order offences are 29 per cent above the county rate. On a night out, stay with your group on lit, busy streets, agree how you will get home before you go out, use licensed taxis, and keep phones and bags out of reach in crowds. If you cycle, lock the frame with a good D-lock at a busy, well-lit stand: bicycle theft is the crime Cambridge stands out for most. Check the streets around where you are staying in the postcode checker.
Is Cambridge a safe place to live?
For most residents, yes: burglary (539 offences, 3.9 per cent of recorded crime) is level with the Cambridgeshire rate, vehicle crime is close to it, and violence and criminal damage are below it. The crimes Cambridge records more of, bike theft, shoplifting and theft from the person, are concentrated where people shop, study and commute rather than in homes. Census 2021 counted 145,700 residents in the City of Cambridge, but CrimeRate’s rate uses a larger population base (it divides by daytime population, and Cambridge draws in many commuters, students and visitors), so we do not quote a rate per resident. 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 Cambridge?
- 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 Chesterton or Cherry Hinton, 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 city and town rates on this page all come from one source.
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Cambridge crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Cambridge?
Cambridge recorded 74.53 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026 (13,793 offences), against 63.06 for Cambridgeshire, 61.53 for the East of England and around 68 for England (CrimeRate). Anti-social behaviour, 2,433 reports, is not included.
Is Cambridge safe for students?
Most students have no problems, and Cambridge’s rate is below every large city we compare. The crime students are most likely to meet is bicycle theft: 785 bikes stolen in a year, half of all bike thefts in the county. Use a good lock, register your bike and keep it in a busy, covered stand.
Is Cambridge safer than Peterborough?
On the per-head figures, yes. Cambridge’s 74.53 per 1,000 is about 28 per cent below Peterborough (103.76), and Peterborough records more crimes in total (17,640 against 13,793).
Is crime in Cambridge going down?
Yes. Recorded crime fell from 14,578 to 13,793 offences between the 12 months to April 2025 and the 12 months to April 2026, down 5.4 per cent, and is 8.6 per cent below the 2024 peak of 15,092.
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, and police.uk neighbourhood pages for local counts. See where our crime data comes from.
Other towns and cities: Luton, Watford, High Wycombe, York and Leicester. In an emergency call 999.