Peckham records about 1.3 times the Southwark rate of recorded crime, and it is the third highest of the 17 Southwark areas CrimeRate lists, but the figure reflects a busy high street and transport hub more than a general risk to people who live there. In the 12 months to April 2026 CrimeRate counts 4,662 recorded offences in Peckham, a rate of 121.82 per 1,000 people. Southwark as a whole is 91.28 and London is 82.39.
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 Peckham safe compared with the rest of Southwark and London?
Peckham’s recorded crime rate is 121.82 per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, according to CrimeRate. That is about 1.3 times the Southwark rate of 91.28 and about 1.5 times the London rate of 82.39. The headline count excludes anti-social behaviour: the 14 categories CrimeRate lists add up to 6,109 incidents, and 4,662 is what remains once the 1,447 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 Peckham compare with its neighbours?
Peckham is third of the 17 Southwark areas on CrimeRate’s list, behind Elephant and Castle and Walworth. Both are dense, central and heavily visited, which raises recorded crime relative to the people counted. The leafy south of the borough records roughly half the Peckham rate.
| Area (Southwark) | Recorded crime per 1,000, 12 months to April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Elephant and Castle | 187.45 |
| Walworth | 129.09 |
| Peckham | 121.82 |
| Surrey Quays | 98.72 |
| Camberwell | 94.40 |
| Nunhead | 62.36 |
| Herne Hill | 62.02 |
| West Dulwich | 60.69 |
| Sydenham Hill | 55.25 |
| Bankside | 51.11 |
The five highest are at the top of the table and the five lowest at the bottom. Peckham’s rate is 1.95 times that of neighbouring Nunhead and 1.7 times that of East Dulwich (71.89), although they are a short bus ride apart. Camberwell (94.40) and Bermondsey (92.90) sit close to the Southwark-wide figure. The spread from Bankside (51.11) to Elephant and Castle (187.45) is almost fourfold, so the borough average says little about any single street.
What kind of crime is recorded in Peckham?
Violence and sexual offences is the largest category, as in most places, but the mix in Peckham is dominated by property and shop-related offences. The table shows each category’s count and its share of Peckham’s 4,662 (anti-social behaviour excluded).
| Category | Peckham, 12 months to April 2026 | Share of Peckham total |
|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 1,378 | 29.6% |
| Theft from the person | 471 | 10.1% |
| Other theft | 471 | 10.1% |
| Vehicle crime | 380 | 8.2% |
| Shoplifting | 367 | 7.9% |
| Burglary | 332 | 7.1% |
| Drugs | 297 | 6.4% |
| Public order | 241 | 5.2% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 241 | 5.2% |
| Robbery | 232 | 5.0% |
| Bicycle theft | 144 | 3.1% |
| Other crime | 62 | 1.3% |
| Possession of weapons | 46 | 1.0% |
Three things stand out. First, theft from the person, other theft, shoplifting and vehicle crime together are 1,689 offences, about 36 per cent of the total and more than violence. That is the signature of a busy shopping street, a station and a lot of parked cars. Second, anti-social behaviour is a large extra layer: 1,447 reports, about 24 per cent of the 6,109 incidents when it is included. Third, weapons possession is small in absolute terms (46, or 1.0 per cent), and like drugs it is an offence police record when they look for it, so a stronger patrol presence raises the count without any victim. 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 Peckham getting better or worse?
Slightly better. CrimeRate records 4,716 offences in the previous year against 4,662 in the 12 months to April 2026, a fall of 54, about 1.1 per cent. A change that small is within the normal year-to-year noise of recorded crime, so treat Peckham as stable, not as improving or worsening.
Is Peckham safe at night?
Police street-level data has no time of day, so it cannot show whether Peckham is riskier after dark. What it does show is the mix: violence, anti-social behaviour, public order and theft from the person are the biggest lines, which is typical of areas with a station, 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 Peckham safe to live in?
The rate that matters for a home is the one for your own streets, not the high-street average. Peckham’s headline figure is pushed up by the shopping centre, the stations and the main road, where crimes are recorded but fewer people sleep. Nearby residential areas such as Nunhead (62.36) and East Dulwich (71.89) 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. Do not read this page as a verdict on the people who live here; it describes what was recorded, nothing more.
How do I check a specific street or postcode in Peckham?
- 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 Nunhead, 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.
Want this on the walk itself?
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Peckham crime FAQ
What is the crime rate in Peckham?
121.82 recorded crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to April 2026, against 91.28 for Southwark and 82.39 for London (CrimeRate). Anti-social behaviour is not included in that figure.
Is Peckham the most dangerous part of Southwark?
No. Elephant and Castle (187.45) and Walworth (129.09) record more crime per 1,000 people. Peckham is third of the 17 Southwark areas CrimeRate lists.
Is Peckham safe for visitors?
Theft from the person, other theft and shoplifting together make up about 28 per cent of Peckham’s recorded crime, so the everyday issue is property, not violence against visitors. Keep phones and bags secure around the station and high street.
Is Peckham safer than Brixton?
On these figures, yes: Peckham is 121.82 per 1,000 and Brixton is 144.13, but they sit in different boroughs with different population estimates, so treat the gap as indicative. See 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 the Midlands: is Nottingham safe? Also in south London: is Brixton safe? and is Croydon safe? and is Lewisham safe? In an emergency call 999.