East London’s seven boroughs recorded 196,607 crimes in the 12 months to April 2026, about 99 for every 1,000 residents, but the picture splits sharply: Newham (100.22 per 1,000) and Hackney (97.19) are in London’s top six, while Havering (67.13) and Tower Hamlets (69.03) are below the London rate of 82.39. Across the seven, recorded crime rose 2.1 per cent on the year before. Most of the increase came from the inner boroughs, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham, while the outer east was almost flat.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Metropolitan Police) for Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering; resident population from the ONS Census 2021. Totals, shares and rates per resident are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 3 October 2026.
Is East London safe compared with the rest of London?
Mostly yes, but it depends on the borough. On CrimeRate’s rates, which all use the same method, three of the seven East London boroughs are above the London rate of 82.39 per 1,000 and four are below it. Newham is 4th of 33 London areas and Hackney 6th; Havering is 23rd and Tower Hamlets 22nd. Every East London borough is above the England rate of 67.79 except Havering, which is just below it at 67.13. For the full London ranking see London crime rate by borough.
| Borough | Crimes, 12 months to April 2026 | Per 1,000 (CrimeRate) | Rank in London (of 33) | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newham | 40,892 | 100.22 | 4 | +3.5% |
| Hackney | 31,315 | 97.19 | 6 | +1.0% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 19,666 | 81.12 | 15 | +1.0% |
| Waltham Forest | 23,076 | 80.11 | 17 | −5.5% |
| Redbridge | 24,733 | 73.62 | 21 | +5.4% |
| Tower Hamlets | 37,488 | 69.03 | 22 | +5.7% |
| Havering | 19,437 | 67.13 | 23 | +0.8% |
| East London (7 boroughs) | 196,607 | – | – | +2.1% |
| London (all) | – | 82.39 | – | – |
| England | – | 67.79 | – | – |
The counts exclude anti-social behaviour. For each borough we checked that the 13 crime categories add up exactly to the headline total. Another 52,147 anti-social behaviour reports come on top, so East London logged 248,754 incidents in all.
Which boroughs count as East London here?
There is no single official boundary for East London. This page uses the seven boroughs north of the Thames and east of the City, Islington and Haringey: Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham (inner London) and Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering (outer London). Together they had 1,990,200 residents in the ONS Census 2021. Greenwich and Bexley, south of the river, are sometimes called south-east London and are not included; CrimeRate gives them 87.11 and 60.14 per 1,000. The City of London is left out because so few people live there.
Why does Tower Hamlets look safer than it is for residents?
Because of Canary Wharf. CrimeRate divides crime by a daytime population, which counts the people who work in a borough, not only those who live there. Tower Hamlets has tens of thousands of office workers, so its rate of 69.03 looks low. Against its 310,300 Census 2021 residents, the same 37,488 offences come to about 121 per 1,000 residents, almost the same as Hackney (also about 121). The CrimeRate area page for Canary Wharf shows the effect directly: 1,539 offences at 28.47 per 1,000, one of the lowest rates in East London despite its crowds. Mile End (142.15 per 1,000) and Bethnal Green (132.04), where more people live, are much higher.
| Borough | Census 2021 residents | Crimes per 1,000 residents (our arithmetic) | Per 1,000 (CrimeRate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Hamlets | 310,300 | 120.8 | 69.03 |
| Hackney | 259,200 | 120.8 | 97.19 |
| Newham | 351,100 | 116.5 | 100.22 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 218,900 | 89.8 | 81.12 |
| Waltham Forest | 278,400 | 82.9 | 80.11 |
| Redbridge | 310,300 | 79.7 | 73.62 |
| Havering | 262,000 | 74.2 | 67.13 |
Neither number is “right”. The daytime rate is fairer for a visitor or commuter, because it counts everyone who is there; the resident rate shows what each borough deals with for the people who live in it. On either measure, the three inner boroughs record more crime per head than the four outer ones.
Is inner East London less safe than outer East London?
It records more crime per head. The three inner boroughs recorded 109,695 offences for 920,600 residents, about 119 per 1,000 residents, up 3.5 per cent on the year before (105,945). The four outer boroughs recorded 86,912 for 1,069,600 residents, about 81 per 1,000, almost unchanged (86,641, +0.3 per cent). Inner East London has busier town centres, more nightlife and major transport hubs such as Stratford, Whitechapel and Shoreditch, which bring visitors and with them more theft and anti-social behaviour. That does not make every inner street riskier than every outer one; it reflects where people gather.
What kind of crime is recorded in East London?
Violence and sexual offences is the largest category everywhere, 63,749 offences or 32.4 per cent of East London’s total. But the mix changes from west to east. Theft from the person, which includes pickpocketing and phone snatching, is a central and inner-east problem: Hackney recorded 4,296 such thefts, 13.7 per cent of its crime, against 423 in Havering (2.2 per cent). Per resident, that is about 16.6 per 1,000 in Hackney against 1.6 in Havering, ten times higher. In the outer boroughs violence makes up a larger share (40.5 per cent in Barking and Dagenham, 37.6 per cent in Redbridge) because there is less street theft, not because there is more violence per person.
| Borough | Violence and sexual offences | Robbery | Theft from the person | Vehicle crime | Burglary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Hamlets | 11,709 | 1,254 | 2,766 | 2,596 | 2,348 |
| Hackney | 8,771 | 1,515 | 4,296 | 1,913 | 1,879 |
| Newham | 12,089 | 1,703 | 3,990 | 4,348 | 1,641 |
| Waltham Forest | 7,075 | 771 | 1,463 | 2,538 | 1,300 |
| Redbridge | 9,309 | 801 | 1,195 | 2,753 | 1,123 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 7,955 | 839 | 724 | 2,050 | 889 |
| Havering | 6,841 | 623 | 423 | 2,153 | 874 |
| East London | 63,749 | 7,506 | 14,857 | 18,351 | 10,054 |
Two more patterns are worth knowing. Vehicle crime is high right across the east: Newham’s 4,348 offences are about 12.4 per 1,000 residents, and every outer borough is above 8 per 1,000 residents, so for car owners it is often the most practical risk. Burglary is highest per resident in Tower Hamlets (about 7.6 per 1,000) and Hackney (7.2), and lowest in Havering (3.3). Robbery follows the same inner-to-outer pattern, from 5.8 per 1,000 residents in Hackney to 2.4 in Havering.
Is crime in East London going up or down?
Slightly up overall: 196,607 offences in the 12 months to April 2026 against 192,586 a year earlier, a rise of 2.1 per cent. The direction differs by borough. Tower Hamlets (+5.7 per cent) and Redbridge (+5.4 per cent) rose most, and Newham rose 3.5 per cent. Hackney, Barking and Dagenham and Havering were within about 1 per cent of the previous year. Waltham Forest was the only East London borough where crime fell, down 5.5 per cent. One year is a short window, so treat these as a direction, not a verdict.
Which parts of East London record the most crime?
Town centres and transport hubs. CrimeRate’s area pages, which use their own population base for each area, show the highest rates in Hackney Central (3,018 offences, 160.03 per 1,000), Mile End (142.15), Dalston (4,687 offences, 133.45) and Bethnal Green (132.04). In Newham, the Stratford area is covered on our is Stratford safe? page. Lower rates in the same data include Canary Wharf (28.47), Upney in Barking and Dagenham (63.28) and Brownswood Park in Hackney (64.59). These are places where people shop, travel and go out, and higher counts there rarely mean higher risk for the people who live nearby. For a single street, use the postcode checker or the UK crime map rather than a borough average.
Is North London safer than East London?
Not by much. On the same CrimeRate measure, the north London boroughs range from Camden (97.84, 5th) and Haringey (95.10, 7th) through Islington (90.89, 10th) and Enfield (85.76, 13th) to Barnet (65.93, 26th). That is a similar spread to East London, from Newham (100.22) down to Havering (67.13). In both parts of the city the inner boroughs with busy centres sit near the top and the suburban outer boroughs near the bottom. For borough detail see is Camden safe?, is Tottenham safe? and is Walthamstow safe?
Is East London safe to live in or visit?
For most people, yes, with the usual city precautions. Most recorded crime is concentrated in a small number of busy centres, and much of it is theft and anti-social behaviour rather than serious violence against strangers. Visitors to Shoreditch, Brick Lane, Whitechapel or Stratford should watch their phones and bags, especially near station entrances and in crowds. If you are choosing somewhere to live, the outer boroughs record less crime per head, but the street matters more than the borough: compare two postcodes before deciding and read how to check crime in your area. This page describes what police recorded, not the people who live in any area.
How do I check a specific street or postcode in East London?
- Enter the postcode in the postcode checker to see 12 months of police-recorded crime and the trend by month.
- Add a second postcode to compare two areas side by side, for example a street near a station and one a few roads away.
- Zoom into the UK crime map to see what was recorded near a street.
Police data covers reported crime only, and each crime is shown at a nearby anonymised point, not an exact address. Rates from different websites use different population estimates and are not directly comparable, which is why the borough rates on this page all come from one source. Read where our crime data comes from for the limits.
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East London crime FAQ
What is the safest borough in East London?
Havering has the lowest rate in East London, 67.13 crimes per 1,000 in the 12 months to April 2026 (CrimeRate), 23rd of 33 London areas. Per resident it is also lowest, at about 74 per 1,000.
Which East London borough has the most crime?
Newham has the most offences (40,892) and the highest CrimeRate rate (100.22 per 1,000, 4th in London). Per resident, Tower Hamlets and Hackney are level at about 121 per 1,000.
Is crime in East London rising?
Slightly: 196,607 offences in the 12 months to April 2026, up 2.1 per cent from 192,586. Waltham Forest was the only borough where it fell (−5.5 per cent).
Is Tower Hamlets safe?
Its CrimeRate rate of 69.03 per 1,000 is below the London average, but that figure is lowered by Canary Wharf’s daytime workers. Per resident it is about 121 per 1,000, similar to Hackney. Canary Wharf itself has a low rate; Mile End and Bethnal Green are higher.
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, with the ONS Census 2021 for residents. See where our crime data comes from.
More on London: is London safe?, London crime rate by borough, safest areas in London and crime in London: what the police data shows. East London areas: Hackney, Stratford and Walthamstow. In an emergency call 999.