Crime in Cambridge
Recorded crime in Cambridge is about the England and Wales average. It is about the same as 5 years ago. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
149,352 residents in 78 neighbourhoods. 2% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.0/10Good
- 5-year change
- 0%about the same
Crime over 5 years
About the same as 5 years ago Recorded crimes in Cambridge, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the England and Wales average. 95 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 56% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
- Robbery: 8% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 21 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 1.2 |
| Burglary | 4.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 28.3 |
| Drugs | 2.6 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.0 |
| Other crime | 1.6 |
| Other theft | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 8.1 |
| Public order | 8.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 11.6 |
| Shoplifting | 10.8 |
What crimes are recorded in Cambridge
91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Cambridge in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 13,762. Home Office recorded crime: 13,689 (1% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 251 | 1.7 | Up 11% |
| Cars broken into | 308 | 2.1 | Down 7% |
| Vehicle tampering | 75 | 0.50 | Down 12% |
| Vandalism to homes | 228 | 1.5 | Down 16% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 172 | 1.2 | Down 3% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 327 | 2.2 | Down 10% |
| Arson | 29 | 0.19 | Down 48% |
| Burglary of homes | 228 | 1.5 | Down 19% |
| Burglary of businesses | 173 | 1.2 | Down 24% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 111 | 0.74 | Up 32% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 102 | 0.68 | Up 10% |
| Robbery of people | 170 | 1.1 | Up 4% |
| Robbery of businesses | 12 | 0.08 | - |
| Violence with injury | 993 | 6.6 | Up 4% |
| Violence without injury | 2,124 | 14.2 | Down 2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 962 | 6.4 | Up 2% |
| Sexual offences | 447 | 3.0 | Up 7% |
| Shoplifting | 2,299 | 15.4 | Down 19% |
| Bicycle theft | 789 | 5.3 | Down 31% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 349 | 2.3 | Down 19% |
| Drug dealing | 428 | 2.9 | Up 449% |
| Drug possession | 274 | 1.8 | Up 17% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Cambridgeshire Police area: 609 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (606 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Cambridge.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Cambridge, 11% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 4,486 | 7% | 6% | 62% | 21% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 2,783 | 24% | 4% | 10% | 61% | 1% |
| Other theft | 1,135 | 3% | 1% | 19% | 76% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,114 | 5% | 3% | 27% | 62% | 3% |
| Public order | 1,056 | 19% | 3% | 42% | 32% | 5% |
| Bicycle theft | 975 | 4% | 0% | 5% | 90% | 1% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 635 | 9% | 0% | 8% | 81% | 2% |
| Burglary | 542 | 11% | 1% | 12% | 75% | 2% |
| Drugs | 369 | 27% | 28% | 18% | 17% | 10% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 369 | 1% | 1% | 11% | 85% | 2% |
| Other crime | 264 | 17% | 8% | 53% | 14% | 8% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 185 | 19% | 9% | 48% | 18% | 5% |
| Robbery | 168 | 7% | 1% | 48% | 40% | 4% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 3% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Cambridge
Postcode districts in Cambridge
Questions about crime in Cambridge
- Is Cambridge a safe place to live?
- Cambridge scores 4 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Cambridge?
- About the same as 5 years ago: 14,100 recorded crimes a year then, 14,083 now.
- What is the most common crime in Cambridge?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 28 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Cambridge?
- In Cambridge, 11% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 48% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Cambridge?
- Of 542 burglaries reported in Cambridge between September 2024 and August 2025, 11% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 75% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Cambridge?
- In Cambridge, the police recorded 251 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.7 per 1,000 residents, up 11% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Cambridge?
- 727 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Cambridge in 2025/26, 4.9 per 1,000 residents, about the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Cambridge last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Cambridge in 2025/26, against 2 the year before.