Camden records 97.84 crimes per 1,000 people, about 1.2 times the London rate of 82.39, but the borough figure covers a fivefold spread: from 196.24 in St Giles and 162.62 in Camden Town to 35.74 in Holborn and 55.34 in Dartmouth Park. In the 12 months to April 2026 CrimeRate counts 39,579 recorded offences in the borough, excluding anti-social behaviour, 7.2 per cent fewer than the 42,633 a year earlier.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Metropolitan Police); Camden Town monthly counts September 2025 to August 2026 from police.uk; resident population from the ONS Census 2021. Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 2 October 2026.
Is Camden safe compared with London and England?
Camden’s recorded crime rate is 97.84 per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate. That is about 1.2 times the London rate of 82.39 and about 1.4 times the England rate of 67.79. The headline total of 39,579 excludes anti-social behaviour: the 13 other categories add up to exactly 39,579, and 9,514 anti-social behaviour reports come on top, 49,093 incidents in all. On CrimeRate’s figures Camden is fifth of the 33 London boroughs, behind Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Newham. See our London crime rate by borough ranking for the full list.
Why is Camden’s crime rate high?
Camden contains a large slice of central London: the West End fringe around Tottenham Court Road and St Giles, Bloomsbury and its museums, three major railway stations at King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston, and the Camden Town markets and music venues. Millions of people pass through who are not counted as residents. Against the 210,100 residents counted in the ONS Census 2021, the 39,579 offences would be about 188 per 1,000 residents, almost twice CrimeRate’s 97.84, because CrimeRate divides by a larger daytime population. Neither figure means that a typical resident faces that level of risk: much of the recorded crime happens to commuters, shoppers and visitors on a small number of busy streets.
Which parts of Camden record the most and the least crime?
CrimeRate lists 22 areas inside the borough. Eleven are above the borough rate of 97.84 and eleven are below it. The highest rates sit on the West End edge and in Camden Town; the lowest include residential north Camden and, unusually, Holborn.
| Area (Camden) | Recorded crimes | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| St Giles | 2,537 | 196.24 |
| Camden Town | 4,181 | 162.62 |
| Chalk Farm | 1,548 | 141.07 |
| St Pancras | 2,327 | 114.80 |
| Hampstead Heath | 242 | 112.81 |
| Primrose Hill | 583 | 71.97 |
| Kentish Town West | 226 | 64.11 |
| Euston | 1,616 | 60.45 |
| Dartmouth Park | 235 | 55.34 |
| Holborn | 3,100 | 35.74 |
The five highest are at the top and the five lowest at the bottom. St Giles, the streets around Tottenham Court Road and Seven Dials, has about twice the borough rate. Holborn shows why a rate is only as good as its denominator: it records 3,100 offences, twice as many as Chalk Farm, yet has the lowest rate because the area’s office population is very large. Euston (60.45) is similar. Fitzrovia has the highest count in the borough, 6,539, but a rate of 111.14. Hampstead Heath’s high rate comes from only 242 offences in an area with very few residents, so treat it as noise. Elsewhere: Bloomsbury 103.90, King’s Cross 78.23, Kentish Town 96.30, Hampstead 88.49, West Hampstead 95.29, Belsize Park 111.21, Swiss Cottage 98.79 and Gospel Oak 82.41.
What kind of crime is recorded in Camden?
Theft, not violence, is the defining feature of Camden’s figures. Theft from the person, other theft, shoplifting and bicycle theft together are 18,957 offences, 47.9 per cent of the total. The table shows each category’s count and share of the 39,579 (anti-social behaviour excluded).
| Category | Camden, 12 months to April 2026 | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 8,359 | 21.1% |
| Theft from the person | 6,898 | 17.4% |
| Other theft | 6,829 | 17.3% |
| Shoplifting | 4,332 | 10.9% |
| Public order | 2,524 | 6.4% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,307 | 5.8% |
| Burglary | 2,143 | 5.4% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,742 | 4.4% |
| Drugs | 1,630 | 4.1% |
| Robbery | 1,466 | 3.7% |
| Bicycle theft | 898 | 2.3% |
| Other crime | 281 | 0.7% |
| Possession of weapons | 170 | 0.4% |
Three points stand out. First, theft from the person, mostly phones and bags taken from pockets or snatched in the street, is 6,898 offences at 17.04 per 1,000, a very high share compared with the outer London boroughs we have covered, such as Croydon or Lewisham. That is the signature of crowded stations, markets and nightlife. Second, violence and sexual offences is only 21.1 per cent of the total here, against 36.9 per cent in Lewisham; it is also a broad category that includes harassment and offences with no injury. Third, possession of weapons is the smallest line at 170 offences. Drugs and weapons are mostly recorded when police find them, so they reflect patrols as much as the underlying problem.
Is Camden getting better or worse?
Better on the headline figure. CrimeRate records 42,633 offences (105.25 per 1,000) in the previous year against 39,579 (97.84) in the 12 months to April 2026, a fall of 3,054, or 7.2 per cent. Not every category fell: violence and sexual offences rose 3.7 per cent, from 8,061 to 8,359. More recent police.uk figures for the Camden Town neighbourhood, which include anti-social behaviour, show 3,871 crimes from September 2025 to August 2026, with a low of 269 in January 2026 and highs of 355 in May and 351 in July. The summer months run higher, as in most busy centres.
| Camden Town neighbourhood (police.uk) | Crimes recorded |
|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 306 |
| Oct 2025 | 321 |
| Nov 2025 | 345 |
| Dec 2025 | 325 |
| Jan 2026 | 269 |
| Feb 2026 | 293 |
| Mar 2026 | 346 |
| Apr 2026 | 281 |
| May 2026 | 355 |
| Jun 2026 | 336 |
| Jul 2026 | 351 |
| Aug 2026 | 343 |
In August 2026 the largest categories in the Camden Town neighbourhood were violence and sexual offences (76), anti-social behaviour (56), theft from the person (50) and other theft (39). The police.uk neighbourhood boundary is not the same as CrimeRate’s Camden Town area, so the two totals should not be compared directly.
Is Camden Town safe at night?
Police street-level data carries no time of day, so it cannot say whether Camden is riskier after dark. The mix points to the main issues: phone and bag theft, public order and anti-social behaviour around the markets, the Underground station and late venues on Camden High Street and Chalk Farm Road. Keep your phone out of sight near station entrances and in crowds, stay on lit, busy routes such as the High Street rather than back streets and canal towpaths late at night, and check the streets you will use in the postcode checker.
Is Camden safe to live in?
For a home, the rate on your own streets matters more than the borough average. Camden’s headline is pushed up by the West End fringe, the three stations and the market area, where many crimes are recorded but few people live. Residential areas such as Dartmouth Park (55.34), Kentish Town West (64.11), Primrose Hill (71.97) and Gospel Oak (82.41) record rates below the London figure. 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 Camden?
- 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 Kentish Town or Hampstead, 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 area 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 Camden postcode
Camden crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Camden?
97.84 recorded 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.
Which part of Camden has the most crime?
St Giles has the highest rate at 196.24 per 1,000, followed by Camden Town (162.62) and Chalk Farm (141.07). Fitzrovia has the highest count, 6,539 offences. These are busy retail, nightlife and transport areas.
Is Camden Market safe for tourists?
The main risk for visitors is theft, not violence: theft from the person and other theft together are about 35 per cent of Camden’s recorded crime. Keep phones and bags closed and in front of you in crowds and at the station.
Is crime in Camden going down?
Yes on the headline: 39,579 offences in the 12 months to April 2026, down 7.2 per cent from 42,633. Violence and sexual offences rose 3.7 per cent over the same period.
Is Camden safer than Westminster?
On CrimeRate’s figures Camden’s 97.84 per 1,000 is below Westminster’s 125.02, and Camden ranks fifth in London. Both rates are inflated by large numbers of visitors and workers. See is London safe?
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. 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. Other London areas: Brixton, Peckham, Stratford, Lewisham and Walthamstow. In an emergency call 999.