Lewisham records about 1.1 times the London rate of recorded crime, 92.69 offences per 1,000 people against 82.39, but the borough average hides a threefold spread: from 158.48 in Lewisham town centre to 50.35 in Perry Vale. In the 12 months to April 2026 CrimeRate counts 29,090 recorded offences in the borough, excluding anti-social behaviour, and a further 7,237 anti-social behaviour reports.
Data: police-recorded crime, 12 months to April 2026, counts and rates from CrimeRate’s analysis of data.police.uk (Metropolitan Police). Shares and ratios are our own arithmetic on those figures. Updated 1 October 2026.
Is Lewisham safe compared with London and England?
Lewisham’s recorded crime rate is 92.69 per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate. That is about 1.1 times the London rate of 82.39 and about 1.4 times the England rate of 67.79 shown on the same site. The headline total of 29,090 excludes anti-social behaviour: the 13 other categories add up to exactly 29,090, and the 7,237 anti-social behaviour reports come on top, giving 36,327 incidents in all. London rates run high because the city is dense, busy and full of commuters and visitors who are not counted as residents, so a rate above the national figure is normal for an inner London borough. See is London safe? for the city-wide picture.
Which parts of Lewisham record the most and the least crime?
CrimeRate lists 23 areas inside the borough. Nine of them are above the borough rate of 92.69 and fourteen are below it. The highest rates are in and around the town centres and transport hubs, and the lowest are in quieter residential districts in the south and west.
| Area (Lewisham) | Recorded crimes | Per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Lewisham (town centre) | 3,850 | 158.48 |
| Beckenham Hill | 826 | 128.85 |
| Hither Green | 2,948 | 126.52 |
| Bellingham | 1,161 | 121.36 |
| New Cross | 1,234 | 119.20 |
| Brockley | 1,293 | 66.32 |
| Honor Oak | 948 | 66.16 |
| Blackheath | 567 | 61.58 |
| Crofton Park | 237 | 53.76 |
| Perry Vale | 526 | 50.35 |
The five highest are at the top of the table and the five lowest at the bottom. Lewisham town centre’s rate is about 1.7 times the borough figure and 3.1 times that of Perry Vale, even though both are in the same borough. Other well-known areas sit in the middle: Deptford is 104.96, Downham 95.17, Catford 82.23 and Sydenham 112.01. Catford has the second highest count after the town centre (3,314) but a rate below the borough average, which shows that a large count in a large area is not the same as a high rate. Beckenham Hill’s high rate comes from only 826 offences in a small area, so small changes in population or one busy retail site can move it a long way. As with other London pages, such as Peckham (121.82) and Brixton (144.13), the busiest shopping and transport areas record the most crime per resident.
What kind of crime is recorded in Lewisham?
Violence and sexual offences is the largest category, but more than three in ten of the borough’s offences are theft of one kind or another. The table shows each category’s count and its share of the 29,090 (anti-social behaviour excluded).
| Category | Lewisham, 12 months to April 2026 | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 10,720 | 36.9% |
| Shoplifting | 2,614 | 9.0% |
| Vehicle crime | 2,502 | 8.6% |
| Other theft | 2,473 | 8.5% |
| Public order | 2,222 | 7.6% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 2,021 | 6.9% |
| Drugs | 1,719 | 5.9% |
| Burglary | 1,475 | 5.1% |
| Theft from the person | 1,248 | 4.3% |
| Robbery | 1,011 | 3.5% |
| Other crime | 442 | 1.5% |
| Possession of weapons | 327 | 1.1% |
| Bicycle theft | 316 | 1.1% |
Three things stand out. First, violence and sexual offences is 36.9 per cent of the total, but it is a broad police category that includes harassment, stalking and offences with no physical injury, so it does not mean that more than a third of incidents are assaults. Second, shoplifting, vehicle crime, other theft and theft from the person together are 8,837 offences, about 30 per cent of the total, which is the signature of busy high streets, stations and a great deal of parked cars. Third, anti-social behaviour adds 7,237 reports, about 20 per cent of the 36,327 incidents when it is included. Drugs (1,719) and weapons possession (327) are offences police mostly record when they find them, so more patrols raise the count without any victim.
Is Lewisham getting better or worse?
Flat. CrimeRate records 29,168 offences in the previous year against 29,090 in the 12 months to April 2026, a fall of 78, about 0.3 per cent. A change that small is well within the normal year-to-year noise of recorded crime, so treat Lewisham as stable, not as improving or worsening.
Is Lewisham safe at night?
Police street-level data has no time of day, so it cannot show whether Lewisham is riskier after dark. What it does show is the mix: violence, anti-social behaviour, public order and theft from the person are among the biggest lines, which is typical of areas with stations, late-opening venues and heavy footfall. If you are walking home late, stay on busy, lit streets, keep your phone out of sight near the stations and check the exact streets you will use in the postcode checker rather than relying on the borough figure.
Is Lewisham safe to live in?
The rate that matters for a home is the one for your own streets, not the town-centre average. Lewisham’s headline figure is pushed up by the shopping centre, the interchange and the main roads, where crimes are recorded but fewer people sleep. Residential areas such as Brockley (66.32), Blackheath (61.58) and Perry Vale (50.35) record rates well below the London figure. Compare two postcodes in the checker before deciding, 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 Lewisham?
- 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 Brockley, 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 numbers on this page all come from one source.
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Lewisham crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Lewisham?
92.69 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 Lewisham has the most crime?
Lewisham town centre has the highest rate at 158.48 per 1,000, followed by Beckenham Hill (128.85), Hither Green (126.52) and Bellingham (121.36). Busy retail and transport areas record more than residential streets.
Is Lewisham safe for visitors?
Shoplifting, vehicle crime, other theft and theft from the person make up about 30 per cent of recorded crime, so the everyday issue is property, not violence against visitors. Keep phones and bags secure around stations and busy streets.
Is Lewisham safer than Peckham or Brixton?
On these figures the borough rate of 92.69 is lower than Peckham (121.82) and Brixton (144.13), but those are single areas and Lewisham is a whole borough, so the comparison is indicative only. See is Peckham safe? and is Brixton safe?
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? In an emergency call 999.