London Boroughs Ranked by the Probability of your Home being Burgled

London Boroughs Ranked by the Probability of your Home being Burgled

Where you live in London may greatly affect the chances of your home being burgled. In order to quantify this probability in an exact manner, we combined the most recent crime data from the Metropolitan Police with the latest census data. This way we calculated the odds of a household falling victim to burglary based on its location and we drew that on an interactive map of London.

It turns out there is up to a 254% difference in the rate of domestic burglaries, depending on the London Borough. This would mean that residents of some areas are over 2 and a half times more likely to fall victim to a home invasion than others. This might be a good point to consider if you are planning a move to or within London.

The figures reflect the burglary rates for the twelve months between July 2021 and June 2022. The capital witnessed 39,979 residential burglaries in total within this period, with Tower Hamlets having the highest rate of break-ins and Bexley having the lowest. The period between July 2021 and June 2022 saw an 8.3% decline in residential burglaries, as there were 3,618 fewer break-ins compared to July 2020 through June 2021.

Key takeaways

  • There is up to a 254% difference in the rate of domestic burglaries, depending on the London Borough
  • 8.3% decline in residential burglaries in July 2021 through June 2022 compared to the same period of the previous year
  • 39,979 residential burglaries occurred in the period from July 2021 to June 2022 in all London boroughs
  • Tower Hamlets has the highest rate of break-ins in the capital
  • Bexley has the lowest rate of residential burglaries

Interactive Map: London Home Burglary Probability based on Borough

BoroughChanceOddsBurglariesHouseholds
Tower Hamlets1.53%1/651,884123,300
Hackney1.52%1/661,732113,700
Kensington and Chelsea1.47%1/6899267,600
Haringey1.46%1/691,613110,500
Hammersmith and Fulham1.39%1/7295869,100
Brent1.37%1/731,515110,700
Westminster1.35%1/741,427105,800
Southwark1.34%1/741,920142,800
Enfield1.29%1/771,684130,200
Islington1.28%1/781,305101,800
Lambeth1.20%1/841,743145,700
Barking and Dagenham1.19%1/8490676,200
Lewisham1.18%1/851,566133,000
Greenwich1.14%1/871,339117,100
Barnet1.12%1/891,856165,400
Camden1.09%1/911,211110,600
Ealing1.08%1/921,346124,500
Redbridge1.04%1/961,136109,200
Hounslow1.03%1/971,104107,600
Newham1.02%1/981,337130,500
Wandsworth1.01%1/991,433141,600
Croydon0.99%1/1011,584159,400
Sutton0.97%1/10381584,300
Harrow0.95%1/10587191,700
Merton0.94%1/10684889,800
Hillingdon0.93%1/1071,031110,300
Waltham Forest0.92%1/1081,006109,000
Richmond upon Thames0.89%1/11375485,000
Kingston upon Thames0.75%1/13356274,800
Bromley0.75%1/1331,069142,700
Havering0.71%1/141826116,500
Bexley0.61%1/165606100,000

Top London Boroughs with Highest Burglary Rates

The figures reveal Tower Hamlets was the biggest hotspot for burglaries in the capital, with 1 in 65 households experiencing break-ins between July 2021 and June 2022. Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea rank second, third and fourth, respectively.

In Hackney, 1 in 66 households were burgled within the same period. The Kensington and Chelsea borough had the third highest burglary rates as 1 in 68 households reported break-ins during these twelve months.

Tower Hamlets

  • Population: 310,300 inhabitants
  • Households: 123,300
  • Residential Burglaries: 1,884
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 65 households

Stretching over the larger portion of London’s traditional East End, Tower Hamlets is a borough of stark contrasts. On one hand, it boasts the second highest average salary in the country after the City of London. On the other hand, it ranks first in terms of child poverty rates, with 56% of the local youth living below the poverty line.

Tower Hamlets also has the reputation of being one of the most dangerous boroughs in the capital, with an overall crime rate of 103.2 crimes per one thousand people between July 2021 and June 2022. It is the borough with the second highest incidence of breaks-in as 1 in 65 households were burgled within this period.

Hackney

  • Population: 259,200 inhabitants
  • Households: 113,700
  • Residential Burglaries: 1,732
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 66 households

Located in north-east London, Hackney is a major tourist attraction and enjoys particularly high popularity with millennials. This up-and-coming borough was ranked by Vogue Magazine as the world’s thirteenth coolest neighbourhood back in 2014.

Nonetheless, Hackney is among the most crime-affected boroughs of the UK capital despite the joint efforts of the local authorities and police forces to minimise crime. The borough saw 33,029 offences in the above-mentioned time range and has the highest rates of burglary incidence in the entire metropolis.

Kensington and Chelsea

  • Population: 143,400 inhabitants
  • Households: 67,600
  • Residential Burglaries: 992
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 68 households

Kensington and Chelsea is well worth a visit, being home to numerous museums, theatres, galleries, and parks. Be careful when you visit this royal borough, though, as it has some of the highest levels of theft in the metropolis with 7,465 incidents from July 2021 to June 2022.

Burglaries comprise the fifth most widespread type of crime in London’s smallest borough, which recorded a total of 1,400 break-ins within this period. As many as 992 of those were residential, meaning that 1 in 68 households experienced burglaries on average.

Haringey

  • Population: 254,900 inhabitants
  • Households: 110,500
  • Residential Burglaries: 1,613
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 69 households

Haringey is a London borough located in North London, covering an area of 12 square miles. There are some extreme contrasts in terms of neighbourhood development with the borough of Haringey. Some of the western districts including Highgate, Muswell Hill and Crouch End are among the most prosperous in London. On the other hand are the districts in the east part of the borough where are located neighbourhoods classified as some of the most deprived in London.

Top London Boroughs with Lowest Burglary Rates

Met figures suggest Bexley, Havering, and Kingston upon Thames are London’s safest residential areas in terms of burglary incidence. The three boroughs collectively recorded 2,142 residential burglaries in the twelve months to May 2022, which is only 62 instances more than Tower Hamlets alone.

Bexley

  • Population: 246,500 inhabitants
  • Households: 100,000
  • Residential Burglaries: 606
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 165 households

Part of Outer London, Bexley has the reputation of being one of the greenest and most inexpensive areas in the whole of London. The figures released by the Met indicate it is also among the safest boroughs, boasting some of the lowest crime levels in the metropolis.

During the twelve months to June 2022, Bexley saw 16,014 crimes in total, which corresponds to an overall crime rate of 65 offences per every one thousand people. Only 1 in 165 residential properties were subject to break-ins, which makes Bexley the safest borough for homeowners as well.

Havering

  • Population: 262,000 inhabitants
  • Households: 116,500
  • Residential Burglaries: 826
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 141 households

Havering boasts low poverty rates of 17%, comparing favourably to the metropolis as a whole whose average reaches 28%. In common with other outer boroughs, this one also has low overall crime rates with 72 crimes per one thousand people.

Burglars are less likely to break into your home if you live in Havering. The borough recorded 826 instances of burglaries within the twelve months to June this year, which means only 1 in 141 residential properties were robbed.

Bromley

  • Population: 334,536 inhabitants
  • Households: 142,700
  • Residential Burglaries: 1,069
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 133 households

This is the largest borough by area in Greater London and occupies 59 square miles. Bromley has the lowest population density of all 32 London boroughs. A study conducted in 2017 showed that Bromley had the second lowest poverty rate (15%) of any London borough.

Kingston upon Thames

  • Population: 168,000 inhabitants
  • Households: 74,800
  • Residential Burglaries: 562
  • Residential Burglary Rate: 1 in 133 households

Kingston upon Thames is the third safest borough for homeowners in London, sharing this place with Bromley, according to the Met data. This picturesque region had an overall crime rate of 76.4 crimes per one thousand people, with violence against the person (3,797), theft (3,305), vehicle offences (1,242), and drug offences (983) being the most widespread transgressions.

Burglaries rank as the seventh most common offence in Kingston upon Thames. As many as 562 residential homes were broken into between July 2021 and June 2022. Despite the low rates, some locals fear police authorities are not doing enough about burglaries as there were only 12 sanction detections for residential burglaries within this period.

Protecting Your London Home from Burglaries

As common as they are in some boroughs, many burglaries are preventable if homeowners take the necessary precautions to stop them from happening. Heed our advice to keep your property and valuables safe from burglars.

Outside Your Property

  • Go for low fences, preferably with trellis on top to make it difficult for burglars to climb over.
  • Install motion sensor lights in your yard that activate whenever someone passes by.
  • Abandon the practice of hiding your spare keys outside the house under doormats, in pots, above door frames, and so on. Leave your spares with a close friend, trusted neighbour, or a relative.
  • Fake window stickers and yard signage will not do the trick. While affordable, they are not as effective as you might think. Burglars are becoming increasingly ingenious as technology progresses and can easily identify fake security signage after a quick smartphone search.
  • Adopt a large dog, as cliche as it may sound. The Manchester-based insurance company CIS General Insurance consulted with former convicted burglars on this subject in 2017. Many of them admitted large dog breeds were a major deal-breaker for them when picking a home to rob.
  • Consider installing video surveillance outside your property. According to CIS Insurance, surveillance cameras are the most effective deterrent for residential burglars and car thieves.

Inside Your Property

  • Install light controls with timers on your property and change the times they turn on to create the impression you are home while away.
  • When travelling, ask a neighbour you know well enough to open and close your home’s curtains at random times during the day as if you are home.
  • If your budget allows, invest in high-quality anti-burglary equipment, including mortice locks, double-glazing windows, mortice bolts, window locks, and security bars on patio doors.
  • Be wary of unknown callers and never let people inside your home unless you know who they are. Some burglars pretend to be water board and electricity metre reading officials so they can inspect their victims’ homes before they break in. Genuine officials will never appear on your doorstep without warning you in advance.

Protecting Your Valuables

  • Losing cherished family heirlooms is often the most painful aspect of becoming a burglary victim. Use ultraviolet markers to write down your home address on your most valuable possessions. This will enable police officials to contact you back in case they catch the burglar.
  • Keep an inventory of your jewellery and photograph your jewels so that you can prove they are indeed yours in the event of a claim.