Crime in Tower Hamlets
Recorded crime in Tower Hamlets is 1.4 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 14%. The biggest share of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
331,886 residents in 169 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 2/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 9.4/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- +14%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 14% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Tower Hamlets, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.4× the England and Wales average. 102 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 42% of the harm here
- Robbery: 18% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 44 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 | 3.8 |
| Burglary | 7.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 30.0 |
| Drugs | 6.4 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.7 |
| Other crime | 1.2 |
| Other theft | 12.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 6.9 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 9.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.1 |
| Public order | 7.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 4.3 |
| Shoplifting | 4.9 |
What crimes are recorded in Tower Hamlets
106.7 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Tower Hamlets in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
Metropolitan Police did not assign 5.4% of the crimes it recorded in 2025/26 to a council area, so these figures are lower than the true count.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 895 | 2.7 | Down 16% |
| Cars broken into | 1,228 | 3.7 | Down 20% |
| Vehicle tampering | 270 | 0.81 | About the same |
| Vandalism to homes | 345 | 1.0 | Down 23% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 166 | 0.50 | Down 25% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 544 | 1.6 | About the same |
| Arson | 64 | 0.19 | Up 7% |
| Burglary of homes | 590 | 1.8 | Down 22% |
| Burglary of businesses | 895 | 2.7 | Down 9% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 135 | 0.41 | Up 55% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 174 | 0.52 | Up 22% |
| Robbery of people | 887 | 2.7 | Down 16% |
| Robbery of businesses | 363 | 1.1 | Up 10% |
| Violence with injury | 2,630 | 7.9 | Up 10% |
| Violence without injury | 5,033 | 15.2 | Up 6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 2,717 | 8.2 | Up 8% |
| Sexual offences | 1,226 | 3.7 | Up 19% |
| Shoplifting | 2,943 | 8.9 | Up 19% |
| Bicycle theft | 908 | 2.7 | Down 16% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2,538 | 7.6 | Down 18% |
| Drug dealing | 910 | 2.7 | Up 26% |
| Drug possession | 1,807 | 5.4 | About the same |
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.
Metropolitan Police area: 13,775 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (16,285 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Tower Hamlets.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Tower Hamlets, 7% 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) | 11,303 | 8% | 3% | 53% | 25% | 10% |
| Other theft | 3,940 | 1% | 0% | 12% | 82% | 5% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2,997 | 1% | 0% | 6% | 86% | 8% |
| Shoplifting | 2,859 | 8% | 2% | 12% | 74% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2,611 | 1% | 0% | 5% | 90% | 4% |
| Public order | 2,586 | 9% | 1% | 40% | 39% | 11% |
| Drugs | 2,491 | 15% | 37% | 34% | 3% | 11% |
| Burglary | 2,224 | 7% | 0% | 10% | 79% | 4% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 2,041 | 5% | 1% | 23% | 66% | 5% |
| Robbery | 1,340 | 6% | 0% | 20% | 64% | 10% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,118 | 0% | 0% | 4% | 92% | 3% |
| Other crime | 512 | 17% | 3% | 37% | 21% | 22% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 228 | 41% | 3% | 29% | 12% | 16% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Postcode districts in Tower Hamlets
Monthly report: Crime in London falls over the year to August 2026
Questions about crime in Tower Hamlets
- Is Tower Hamlets a safe place to live?
- Tower Hamlets scores 2 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Tower Hamlets?
- Up 14% over 5 years, from 32,811 recorded crimes a year to 37,556.
- What is the most common crime in Tower Hamlets?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 30 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Tower Hamlets?
- In Tower Hamlets, 7% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 53% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Tower Hamlets?
- Of 2,224 burglaries reported in Tower Hamlets between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 79% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Tower Hamlets?
- In Tower Hamlets, the police recorded 895 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 2.7 per 1,000 residents, down 16% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Tower Hamlets?
- 1,055 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Tower Hamlets in 2025/26, 3.2 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Tower Hamlets last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Tower Hamlets in 2025/26, against 8 the year before.