Free Crime Statistics

View a breakdown of recorded crimes near any UK postcode. Data comes from Police UK and is updated monthly with a two-month delay. Covers England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Quick answer

Police UK publishes street-level crime data covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, refreshed monthly with a two-month lag. Categories include anti-social behaviour, violence, burglary, theft, drugs and vehicle crime. Numbers below count reported incidents within roughly a 1-mile radius of the postcode. Compare against neighbouring areas before reading anything into the absolute count.

How to read UK crime statistics

Police UK publishes street-level crime data for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland: every reported and recorded crime by location and category, updated monthly. This tool aggregates those reports for the area within a 1-mile radius of any postcode you search, for the most recent month available (typically about 2 months behind today).

Crime numbers should always be read in context. Three things matter most: the trend (is crime increasing or decreasing?), the comparison to nearby postcodes (is this area worse than its neighbours?), and the composition (the mix of violent vs property vs anti-social crime). A high total isn't automatically bad. Busy commercial areas always record more incidents than residential streets.

Police UK suppresses exact addresses for privacy. Incidents are "snapped" to the nearest map point that has at least 8 dwellings nearby, so a single street's data may be aggregated with neighbouring streets. For a more precise picture, look at trends over 12 months rather than a single snapshot.

Frequently asked questions

Where does this crime data come from?
Police UK (data.police.uk), the official street-level crime data published by all 43 police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The data covers a 1-mile radius from the postcode centroid and is published monthly with about a 2-month lag, so the most recent month available is typically two months behind today.
Is 'Anti-Social Behaviour' a crime?
Not always. It covers reported incidents that may or may not have been prosecuted. Examples include public drunkenness, noise complaints, and rowdy behaviour. ASB is the most reported category in most postcodes simply because it's the lowest-threshold report. Read it as a signal of street-level disorder rather than serious crime.
How do I interpret crime numbers?
Compare to neighbouring postcodes and the local authority average. A standalone '300 crimes' figure is hard to assess. But 300 crimes when neighbouring postcodes have 80 is worth investigating. Total volume is also affected by population density. A busy city centre will always have more incidents than a quiet suburb, even if the per-capita rate is similar.
Why does central London look so high?
Postcodes covering busy commercial and nightlife areas (Soho, Camden, Westminster) record very high volumes because of footfall, not residential risk. Crimes are recorded where they happen, not where the victim lives. A tourist pickpocketed in Leicester Square shows up in WC2's stats. For residential decisions, look at quieter side-street postcodes near your area of interest.
Does crime data include domestic violence?
Domestic incidents inside private homes are recorded but addresses are anonymised. They typically appear at a 'snapped' nearby intersection rather than the actual address. This means residential streets may show more 'on the street' violent crime than really happens there. Don't conclude a specific postcode is dangerous from a single month's spike.
What about Scotland?
Scotland has its own data publication via Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. The Police UK API does not cover Scotland, so this checker only works for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For Scottish postcodes, check the Police Scotland statistics portal directly.
How recent is the data?
Updated monthly, typically with a 2-month delay (January data publishes around mid-March). The exact month being shown is displayed in the result. The lag is because Police UK aggregates and quality-checks all 43 force submissions before publishing.
Should I make a buying decision based on one month?
No. Look at the trend across 12 months if you can. The property report we offer for any specific address includes both volume and trend (increasing, decreasing, stable). One-month spikes happen for many reasons, including a single high-profile incident or a single offender being active. The pattern matters more than the snapshot.

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Read our guide: How to Check Crime Rates by Postcode Before Buying →