Crime in Welwyn Hatfield
Recorded crime in Welwyn Hatfield is 0.9 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 10%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
122,819 residents in 69 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.3/10Good
- 5-year change
- +10%more crimes
Crime over 5 years
Up 10% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Welwyn Hatfield, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.9× the England and Wales average. 74 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 61% of the harm here
- Burglary: 14% of the harm here
- Robbery: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 61% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 26 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 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 4.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 28.0 |
| Drugs | 2.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.2 |
| Other crime | 1.6 |
| Other theft | 7.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1.1 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.5 |
| Public order | 5.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.0 |
| Shoplifting | 7.0 |
What crimes are recorded in Welwyn Hatfield
77.6 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Welwyn Hatfield in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 9,634. Home Office recorded crime: 9,535 (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 | 207 | 1.7 | Down 23% |
| Cars broken into | 300 | 2.4 | Up 18% |
| Vehicle tampering | 139 | 1.1 | Up 34% |
| Vandalism to homes | 160 | 1.3 | Down 2% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 80 | 0.65 | Down 4% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 230 | 1.9 | Down 13% |
| Arson | 20 | 0.16 | Down 13% |
| Burglary of homes | 225 | 1.8 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of businesses | 103 | 0.84 | Up 3% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 42 | 0.34 | Up 14% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 64 | 0.52 | Up 10% |
| Robbery of people | 78 | 0.64 | Down 7% |
| Robbery of businesses | 68 | 0.55 | Up 51% |
| Violence with injury | 928 | 7.6 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 1,531 | 12.5 | Up 6% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,276 | 10.4 | Up 6% |
| Sexual offences | 381 | 3.1 | Up 3% |
| Shoplifting | 1,061 | 8.6 | Down 3% |
| Bicycle theft | 202 | 1.6 | Up 40% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 129 | 1.1 | Down 4% |
| Drug dealing | 131 | 1.1 | Up 236% |
| Drug possession | 237 | 1.9 | 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.
Hertfordshire Police area: 598 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (762 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Welwyn Hatfield.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Welwyn Hatfield, 8% 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) | 4,245 | 5% | 4% | 69% | 18% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 1,276 | 21% | 2% | 11% | 64% | 2% |
| Other theft | 824 | 0% | 1% | 21% | 73% | 5% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 768 | 6% | 3% | 29% | 58% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 645 | 2% | 0% | 11% | 84% | 2% |
| Public order | 610 | 10% | 6% | 46% | 32% | 6% |
| Burglary | 458 | 3% | 0% | 16% | 78% | 2% |
| Drugs | 283 | 32% | 33% | 27% | 1% | 7% |
| Other crime | 227 | 11% | 3% | 59% | 18% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 197 | 2% | 1% | 10% | 80% | 7% |
| Robbery | 141 | 9% | 1% | 38% | 44% | 8% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 138 | 0% | 0% | 9% | 85% | 6% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 106 | 33% | 12% | 34% | 5% | 16% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Welwyn Hatfield
Postcode districts in Welwyn Hatfield
Questions about crime in Welwyn Hatfield
- Is Welwyn Hatfield a safe place to live?
- Welwyn Hatfield 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 Welwyn Hatfield?
- Up 10% over 5 years, from 8,631 recorded crimes a year to 9,473.
- What is the most common crime in Welwyn Hatfield?
- 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 Welwyn Hatfield?
- In Welwyn Hatfield, 8% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 41% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Welwyn Hatfield?
- Of 458 burglaries reported in Welwyn Hatfield between September 2024 and August 2025, 3% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 78% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Welwyn Hatfield?
- In Welwyn Hatfield, the police recorded 207 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.7 per 1,000 residents, down 23% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Welwyn Hatfield?
- 470 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Welwyn Hatfield in 2025/26, 3.8 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Welwyn Hatfield last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in Welwyn Hatfield in 2025/26, against 2 the year before.